Every neighbourhood deserves a good neighbourhood restaurant. Beautiful Barnes has them by the bucketload but few match Annie’s, which has served simple, well-executed dishes at sensible prices for over a decade in a warm and winningly wacky setting.

The Venue
White Hart Lane (not that one) is a pleasant mix of manicured Victorian terraces, shops and restaurants, just off the river in this affluent and picturesque part of south west London. The best word to describe the rose pink, burgundy and grey interior is ‘bohemian’. There are distressed, solid tables you’d expect to find in an idealised French farmhouse kitchen, and there’s an artfully ‘accidental’ mix of woven, leather and wooden chairs, too. Huge, vintage mirrors, OTT chandeliers and even some camp cherubs adorn the walls. The room would originally have been the downstairs of two houses and some sections of wall have sensibly been retained to break up the space and create quirky intimacy. Approximately 65 can dine inside plus 20 in the attractive, secluded back garden, with 16 spots also available on the pavement under an awning.

The Atmosphere
Diners are a cross-section of well-heeled locals. The atmosphere is cosy and casual, even on a cold, wet night. Service is friendly and assured.

The Food
Heavens be praised, a London menu full of things you actually want to eat! No foams, no bizarre combinations, no ingredients you’ve never heard of, just delicious crowd-pleasers like asparagus with hollandaise; fish, chips and peas; posh cheeseburgers; roast chicken; even Thai green curry.

A simple starter of crumbed, fried squid (£7.95), though not uniformly crisp, is cooked to that optimum point where the merest hint of lovely rubberiness remains. It is strewn with finely-sliced chilli and accompanied by wasabi mayonnaise, a winning innovation. Equally straightforward and none the worse for it is crabmeat (£8.95) with slices of perfectly ripe avocado and a tangle of rocket. There are hints of chilli and coriander, both subtle enough not to overshadow the seafood.

From a daily-changing specials board, slow-roast belly pork (£14.95) proves the dish of the night. There’s a hefty cube of tasty, tender, unctuous meat, simply perfect crackling, sharp apple sauce with a welcome note of rosemary, and the stickiest, darkest, slightly sweet, most deeply flavoured gravy you ever licked off a plate (and you will). Perfection.

The risotto of the day (pea, sun-dried tomato and roast garlic - £12.95) can’t hope to match it, although it isn’t bad. Risottos are such a subjective thing; this one is deliciously creamy but some might prefer theirs a bit sloppier and their rice a bit firmer. The petit pois register, and the roast garlic just pops up now and then to say hello. Leaving the sun-dried tomatoes whole looks great but cut them up or you’ll end up with a whole one dominating your mouthful, or none at all.

A side of green beans (£3.95) arrives crisp, fresh, generously proportioned and beyond reproach. The ingredients in a parmesan and rocket salad (same price) are fine. It is undressed apart from a balsamic squiggle but, bearing in mind it will accompany a main dish, that might be the right decision.

On to dessert. Again, crowd-pleasers, like crème brulee, sticky toffee pudding and banoffee are to the fore. Vanilla ice cream with hot chocolate and Cointreau sauce (£4.95) features three big scoops of quality ice cream and deeply chocolaty sauce (though you’d be hard-pressed to note the liqueur) which arrives in a jug and can therefore be added a little at a time to save the ice cream from melting.

An apple and raspberry crumble (£5.95) just misses the mark. The fruit is full of flavour and the apple has retained just the right amount of bite, but the topping is just a polite sprinkle; there’s none of that crucial, gorgeous squidginess where fruit and crumble meet. At least there’s proper, homemade, thick custard; none of yer thin, poncy crème Anglaise.

The Drink
There’s a modestly priced, global wine list (£15.95-£44.95) of 14 whites, 18 reds and a couple of rosés with, commendably, loads by the 175 or 250 ml glass plus five sparkling options and a pair of dessert wines. Chenin blanc, Cape Heights, 2011 from South Africa (£5.25/£6/95/£17.95) is crisp and clean, whilst Pinot Grigio Rose, Mirabello, 2011 from Sicily (£5.95/£7.95/£19.50) proves a gentle, perfumed delight. Best of all, though, is a modest merlot: Mourvedre, Les Oliviers, 2010 from France’s Languedoc (£5.25/£6.95/£15.95). It's full-bodied with oodles of red fruit and a touch of toffee on the nose. A fair selection of coffees, liqueur coffees, teas, liqueurs, digestives and cocktails (both alcoholic and non), complete the liquid options.

The Last Word
Annie’s has been a Barnes fixture for over decade, and will no doubt flourish for another, at least. Its dishes range from good to stunning and its wines are sound, whilst the solid service and off-centre decor create a fun yet warmly relaxing ambience. £40 a head for three courses and half a bottle of modest wine is more than fair. If Barnes isn’t your beat, there’s another branch in Chiswick and a sister restaurant, Rock and Rose, in Richmond.

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