Adam Byatt's latest restaurant is even better than you'd expect and the full house most nights speaks volumes.

The Venue
Adam Byatt's first restaurant, Thyme, established him as a frontrunner. His latest venture, Trinity which is also in Clapham, raises his reputation even higher. Situated on The Polygon on the south side of Clapham Common, opposite the Holy Trinity Church, the restaurant gets it right in every way, from the decor and staff to the food and drink. The place itself is light and airy, with contrasting dark wooden flooring and well spaced out tables.

The Atmosphere
Trinity attracts Claphamites in their droves interspersed with foodies who clearly feel making the journey across the capital is worth it, and the restaurant buzzes with the diners' excitement and the staff's enthusiasm.

The Food
A celebration of food in its natural state, Trinity lists the dishes on its menu by their main ingredients (Veal–Dill-Gnocchi, for example), which makes a lot of sense. Girolles-Parmesan–Quail is a girolles tarte which offsets the rich, golden coloured mushrooms and their apricot aroma, with the saltiness of the parmesan. It's accompanied by a warm quail salad dressed in celeriac vinaigrette.

Main dishes include a slow-cooked fillet of seabass with a lovely shiny ragout of ceps, hazelnuts, crosnes and frothy Jerusalem artichoke soup. The succulent dish of pink veal is rustically served with sweetbreads, tongue and loin. To finish, try the bitter chocolate pannacotta with blood orange foam and raspberry flakes.

The Drink
The wine list is refreshingly European in this age of seeming devotion to all wines, New World. Bottles range in price from £11.50 for a carafe to £100 for a bottle of the Domaine Hubert de Montille 2001 Pommard Premier Cru. A 2002 vintage rose, the Syrah-based Les Clos De Paulilles, is discreet and pacific, but a good, arguably more dependable choice is the red Beneventano Aglianico Avellino from deepest southern Italy that comes in at £5 a glass.

The Last Word
The customer is always right and there's a good reason why Trinity is full most nights. A lovely setting, great food and highly personable staff, this is a restaurant where refreshingly you really can't go wrong as long as you remember to book ahead.

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