Stunningly beautiful space, resolutely British food

Borough Market provides an essential focus for all London foodies and Roast aims to make sure that in this welter of gourmet activity British cooking gets a fair shout.

As an objective this is so worthwhile, so long awaited and so deserving of your support that you should make a booking now without worrying about the fine detail like food, service and ambience.

But you need not worry - the dining room is outstandingly beautiful, a glazed box 'hanging' over the busy food market.

By day the sunshine streams in (when there is any) and by night your view may be of floodlit St Paul's in all its glory.

The menu at Roast is rewritten twice a day to make the most of the advantages of having a kitchen at the heart of the market.

Starters range from grilled Cornish pilchards; to Golden Cross goats' cheese with pickled pears and spiced breadcrumbs; and Dublin Bay prawns with cook's salad cream.

Then there's a section of roasts and grills - Dover sole fillet with chickweed and melted butter, or a roast lamb leg stuffed with apricots.

And main courses like hake with melted potted shrimps and crab butter; steak and kidney pudding; or Northfield farm beef and mustard sausages.

The ingredients are fresh and the cooking good.

Puds are trad, service is charming and the wine list has some Brit wines and a good many Brit beers.

Roast
Stoney Street, London, SE1 1TL