Steaks and suits won't break your bank if you're willing to stand for it.

The Venue
You have to be lucky, or proficient with maps and planning, to locate the Guinea Grill. Hidden away on Bruton Place, a lane just off the intersection of Bruton and New Bond Street, this traditional-looking pub, restaurant and grill is not only difficult to find, it is also only open for two short hours during weekday lunches and four hours in the evenings (except Sunday). Located among trendy, upscale restaurants like Umu, the restaurant sets itself apart with its pub hangings and brown-bricked walls.

The Guinea Grill is divided into two sections - the pub occupies an L-shaped area in the front, and the restaurant the rest of the back. The interior is compact with little space in the bar for seating, and minimal space for manuevring in the serviced dining area. Nevertheless, formal uniformed waiters glide with ease amongst tables that are lined with crisp white table cloths and set out with full sets of glasses and cutlery. Needless to say, the back is where the high-end dining occurs.

The Atmosphere
The elegance exuded by uniformed waiters, brilliant white tablecloths, and efficient table service attract suits into the restaurant. The atmosphere here also seems exclusive because of the shielded seating booths and intimidating staff who seem to be subtly screening the customers.

At the pub, it is a more casual vibe - if the professionals are lucky, they'll obtain some of the limited seating. If not, they will happily stand shoulder to shoulder as they dig into their lunches at the bar. The atmosphere here is surprisingly calm and civilised on both clients' and servers' ends, not to mention unusually clean, for a pub.

The Food
The three-time National Steak and Kidney Pie Champion of Great Britain (£8.50 at bar, £12.50 at restaurant) is what draws in the power lunch crowd. The filling portion of pie is made up of a thick top crust flecked with herbs. This crust shelters a pie-dish-full of tender beef chunks and almost-chewy kidney cuts in a heady dark sauce. Baked to order, it is browned to a crisp texture on the outside, but is soft and (only slightly) yielding on the underside. The gravy in the pie is a well-balanced, aromatic medium-thick sauce that seems more of a by-product of the bake than an intentional inclusion. The tender beef falls apart after a couple of chews while the kidneys retain a hint of its original taste, rendering the eater conscious of kidney consumption but not nauseus from it. The only drawback about the dish is that the portions of meat and kidneys are not always entirely balanced - it not only differs from portion to portion, but is also unevenly distributed, leaving the eater overpowered with the taste of kidney at the beginning, and the meat at the end, or vice versa.

If such a pie isn't your idea of a meal, the Guinea Grill also serves an assortment of finalist-award-garnering sandwiches (£5.50 to £8.50) for lunch at the bar.

The Drink
There is a good array of beers and wines at above-average gastro pub prices. Therefore, to make the quality worth your money, avoid the aromatically mild house white and go for a pulled pint.

The Last Word
It is well-worth going out of your way to get to the Guinea Grill and then standing in the bar for the steak and kidney pie. The latter is not just to save the £4 but to enjoy the pie without all the service fuss.

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