bloodwood

Bloodwood's quirky interior feels like a dream sequence: doors hang from ceilings, glass bottles form walls and lamps stick out of the wall like light sabres. Matt Woods's edgy design is well matched by the breezy yet sophisticated menu of ex-Claude's chefs Claire van Vuuren, Mitchell Grady and Jo Ward. The trio helped kick-start the fine-dining shake-up that saw high-pedigree kitchens (Duke, Eathouse Diner, Ms G's) favour casual approaches over tablecloth formality. Accordingly, on offer are smart crowd-pleasers such as polenta chips - golden, crisp, softly puffed inside - ready to be dipped in gorgonzola sauce; and socca, a provencale chickpea pancake with spiced pumpkin and fetta. A beautiful fregola salad is a jackpot of flavour thanks to roasted garlic yoghurt, beetroot crisps and confit tomato. Similarly, fried chicken deftly plays off black sesame yoghurt and other contrasting ingredients. The excellent coconut tapioca with passionfruit, mango and lychee is like summer freeze-framed.