It's happened again, we dined in a solitary splendour reminiscent of the trip to Hara (22nd April 2007). As we sat down in Stanza the only other table (a two) were just leaving. Full marks for the acting talents of the receptionist on street-level who made a show of pondering the reservations book before conceding that there might be a table available even though we had not booked. At least Stanza has the excuse of being brand-spanking new to account for the deathly quiet.

This is the site that was formerly known as Teatro, but hang on, Teatro lives, just the restaurant and bar have been re-done as Stanza. You have to suspect that the bar is the engine driving this place, but then the restaurant is large, elegant and modern. It's all a bit of a puzzle.

The menu comes as a shock, it is aggressively, uncompromisingly, gloriously, British.  Potage of summer broad beans; a Cumbrian charcuterie block; a pressed terrine of Goosnargh chicken, treacle bacon and foie gras; a Morecambe bay brown shrimp cocktail. The mains continue the theme rump of Herdwick lamb; crackled organic pork belly with dripping roast potatoes; salmon fishcakes with samphire. The kitchen knows its stuff, the pressed terrine is very good; the fishcake is large, simple, well-made and well-seasoned. The pork has real cracking and is teamed with horseradish - novel but strangely successful. The dishes that need skill are well done - perfectly roast scallops impress.

And as unlikely as it may sound the prices are not too grasping - starters run from £5 to £10 and mains from £8.50 to £16.50. There's lengthy wine list and it too has accessible prices. What's a restaurant like this doing in such a place? Will it succeed? We'll have to wait and see.

Charles Campion

Stanza restaurant & bar, 93-107 Shaftesbury Avenue, W1 (020 7494 3020)