You know when people say, ‘have you been to such a place yet? You really should,’ well the child in us performs an internal, ‘sod off, don’t tell me what I should do’ while outwardly smiling sweetly. This happened with Three Church Road. We ‘should’ have gone for months, but didn’t. Better late than never.

Looking at our camera roll after lunch we found we’d snapped as many photos of the interior of the place as the food. Tastefully decked out with pieces sympathetic to the building’s original period, the designers have achieved a comfortable and highly Instagrammable grown-up grandeur. The bar area is fantastic as, we imagine, the terrace would be on a hot day should we ever be lucky enough to enjoy one.

There were two menu options for lunch; the Market Menu which was a reasonable two courses for £17.95 and three for £21.95 and All Day Dining which had a bit more choice and on balance was slightly more expensive. I went All Day while the friend went for Market.

Smoked duck breast with a leg bon bon, celeriac puree and duck fat confit radish was a great start. The smoked duck breast was so tender it was firmly in melt in the mouth territory while the crisp, rich bon bon with shredded leg was seriously good. The silky celeriac puree was great while the confit radish didn’t really add much other than one of our five a day. Not to be sniffed at. The friend’s spiced fishcakes, while they were perfectly tasty, weren’t really spicy, so not really a grumble about the food as much as trade description. The avocado mayo worked really well.

A piece of Skrei cod tasted great and had a good thwack of mustard across the top. We loved it, but if you’re not a fan of the hot stuff, maybe ask the kitchen to tone it down. The chorizo choucroute (bit like a cassoulet) that the fish was nestled on was absolutely delicious; salty, almost creamy gorgeousness with crisp chorizo. We didn’t really understand the dumpling though – the inside was zingy and fresh with lemon and crème fraiche, but the outer was a bit hard. It seemed like a bit of an unnecessary addition to a dish that felt complete without it.

Mustard seed confit pork belly with mash and red cabbage was devoured enthusiastically. The pork belly was that perfect blend of crisp skin and soft, almost buttery meat with a jug of rich jus to add to the unctuousness. Mash and red cabbage played second fiddle, but my gosh they played it well.

Dessert, as always was utterly unnecessary, but when in Rome. We shared a chocolate delice, rich with cream and cherries as well as dark chocolately good stuff. Dreamy.

We sent almost entirely clean plates back to the kitchen which we very rarely do. If you haven’t been already, you really should go.