With its short and compact menu More, the bar-brasserie, may offer less than most, but what there is is choice indeed.

The Venue
London Bridge has become ever more popular with Borough Market and Southwark Cathedral to the west, and the London Dungeon and other attractions to the east. Tower Bridge and City Hall appear as you approach the More Place development of shops and restaurants. More Bar and Brasserie is an attractive, mostly glass building perched in the middle of the new development, alongside some interesting water features. It’s a large room with plenty of space inside and out for undercover drinks and snacks.

The Atmosphere
More is relaxing, an eminently useful, open-all-day place to visit any time when refreshment is needed. Informality is the keynote with approachable and friendly staff. Children are welcome up to 5pm, so for much of the time it can be a family hangout with the large outside area making it easier to cope with kids. Drop by for breakfast, coffee, lunch, tea or a cosy supper after dark and you won’t be disappointed.

The Food
Breakfast offers everything from Scottish porridge to the full English. The lunch and evening menu has five starters (£4.95 - £5.95), half a dozen mains (£9.95 - £14.25) plus sandwiches (£5.95 - £8.95): all as filling as a main course. If you are looking for a snack, the tapas are more than adequate at three portions for £11.95 or five for £19.95. Soup of the day is fresh and the tomato and basil is an excellent advertisement, with fresh basil too – there are pots of it growing in the bar. The soup, thick and intensely flavoured, comes with good fresh bread. From the other starters, the crab cakes seem to be the recommendation. Beautifully formed tasty patties, they are lightly fried and served with spicy chipotle chilli jam – superb.

Main courses include Caesar salad with corn-fed chicken, handmade steak burger, Cumberland sausages and mash and a vegetarian risotto. The Thai-marinated chicken, neatly sliced, has a subtle spicy flavour, not too strong, just enough to give the dish a lift with coconut rice and coriander salad: all very satisfying. Grilled sea bass fillet is lightly cooked, retaining its natural flavour, and is fresh and wholesome, a seafood treat with herb lentils as a nice accompaniment. Desserts (£5.50 - £5.75) or cheese (£6.35) make for a limited last lap but the sherry trifle is a good comfort pudding while the chocolate torte lives up to its rich description. The addition of fresh raspberries is the icing (or the fruit) on this luscious pie.

The Drink
There is a good range of wines, a dozen each of reds, whites and champagnes. Prices are from £3.95 a glass or £14.95 a bottle, rising to £43 for a 2005 Chablis and £51 for a 1999 Brunello di Montalcino red. Champagne cocktails are available while a three-pint jug of Pimms is under £20. The house bottle of Decantina Italian white wine (£14.95) makes a very refreshing summer lunch drink.

The Last Word
There is nothing fancy about More because it transparently works on every level. The food and drink are reliably good and not expensive for the quality on offer, the atmosphere is very congenial and the overall standards are impressive. Recommended.

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