It is only to be expected, but whenever there is the slightest whiff of Australian provenance about any new restaurant you can expect Terry Durack to be first across the threshold and the Giaconda Dining Room was no exception to this rule. The chef proprietor of the new Denmark Street venture is Paul Merrony - an Aussie who not only made his name in Sydney restaurants - the Cricketer's Arms, Merrony's and Bistro 163 – but also lists “trained with the Roux Brothers” on his CV. Terry likes the Giaconda and it’s difficult to disagree with him.

The location is a telling one – Denmark Street is London’s Tin Pan Alley and it lies on the Eastern side of the Charing Cross Road somewhere that is neither Soho nor Covent Garden. In the past restaurants that have opted to be “just past Soho” have died like lemmings. All that stuff about location location location has proved surprisingly accurate and whether we’re suffering a “credit crunch”, a “correction”; an “economic downturn”; or (and this is the name no-one is keen to use) a “full blown recession” it will be instructive to see if Merrony’s food can persuade the dining public to wander that tiny bit further from their accustomed haunts.

The dining room is small and plain, the service is unfussy, friendly and efficient- so far everything sounds pretty Australian. This place has the feel of a family run establishment. The menu is lengthy, ten starters; four fish dishes; ten mains (two bigguns to feed a couple: roast chicken and a rack of lamb) then cheese and five puds. Starters are agreeably honest – shellfish bisque; tomato salad with blue cheese dressing; marinade of raw salmon with fennel, cucumber and grated salt cod  - very good, crunchy fennel, delicate flavours. Merrony’s signature dish is described as “boneless (almost!) and crisped pigs’ trotters, egg mayonnaise”. Merrony is good at hearty, trad dishes (elsewhere on the menu there’s a ham hock hash) and this new take on crubeens appeals. A crisp layer outside, a very unctuous interior and yes, there were a few tiny knuckle bones. The pasta dishes are good too, particularly the Italian pork sausage stew with tomatoes and penne – formidable, well flavoured and a large portion. Also on the hearty front how does “tripe braised with chorizo, smoked paprika and butter beans” sound? Having a long menu may be hard on the kitchen but it does mean that all tastes are catered for – just when you’re comfortably weighing up the relative merits of steak tartare, fish cakes and the duck breast you spot Vitello Tonnato, “I did it my way”.

All of this makes for fun dining and you are encouraged to experiment by gentle pricing: starters are £5 to £6 (foie gras is the exception at £9.50) mains £9 to £13 (the exception here is roast wild salmon at £15) puds £5 to £6. The wine list is both forgivingly priced and interesting while the £1 cover charge gets you bread, butter and carafes of fizzy water. Service is not included...there is a certain Australian egalitarian bluntness that typifies Aussie cricket and rugby teams, the Giaconda Dining Room represents the culinary equivalent.

Charles Campion

The Giaconda Dining Room, 9 Denmark Street, WC2 (020 7240 3334)