It ' s not that often that I visit an eatery for a meal in Central London, but the Garden introduced me to a new way of " city dining " . The Garden has a nice accommodation for customers suited for every season of the year. There ' s a forecourt with benches for the customers to enjoy both the sun and the food. And if course there ' s a classic pub décor in the dining room where the atmosphere is nice and cosy in the winter. The walls are white with a lower half wood beat panelling. Very upmarket for the locals. There are three wide screen TVs broadcasting sports channels. I was lucky enough to have watched a football match between Arsenal and Newcastle United on my visit. They had a projection TV for this match which is watchable from the front of the pub. The staff are confident and friendly, wear a uniform and know how to cook food and serve drinks at the same time. There are DJ evenings on Friday and Saturday nights from 9pm to 2am. Providing a long hard bender of hip-hop, funk and soul. Don ' t worry about the loud music ruining your appetite because food is only served until the disc jockey takes to the stage.

After I got my drink I started off with Cajun Chicken as my main dish. When I paid for my meal I was given a wooden spoon with a number written on it. It was quite a useful solution, given the fact that the tables don ' t have individual numbers. In the Garden you can expect the customers to be at the bar and then move to a table. With the numbered spoons the waiters can see if you ' ve found a table after you ' ve ordered. All you have to do is hold your number up.

My dish was served in a matter of minutes. Perfectly presented with chips, garden peas, beer battered onion rings, mushrooms, half a grilled tomato and a small tub of salsa sauce. The meat was richly tendered and almost non greasy, which makes a change from my own cooking where I ' m unable to control the amount of oil I put into it. The onion rings had a nice crispy texture with a good flavour, but the chewy centre was almost pasty. The mushrooms aren ' t too soft but they are very nicely browned. The chips are fantastic that they make a decent change from the soggy grit of a chippy ' s deep fat fryer. Absolutely irresistible! I like the origin for the peas as their very crunchy and finely picked. Obviously they ' ve been cooked in a flash to avoid them from going mushy. The tomato was absolutely brilliant. The chef takes great care with vegetables. I must come here for a vegetarian night. As for the salsa sauce, well I could definitely tell they had no plastic traces in them. Like me I prefer sauces freshly made by blending them from vegetables.

After I finished my food I took a good long look at the menu. They offer a variety of do it yourself chips and burgers whereby you choose your own toppings and sauces. On the mains there are five chicken dishes, a curry, a traditional fish and chips, ham, egg and chips and sausage and mash. Basic home cooking done on a greater level, simple, gorgeous and satisfying. Vegetarians have their choices of lasagne and a cannelloni. There ' s a special deal on some of the mains where you can order " 2 for £6.45 " . The sandwiches, wraps and melts are all served with a dressed salad garnish, coleslaw and chips. The optional breads are baguette, bap and bloomer. There ' s a fantastic offer for a sunday lunch as well. For £5.95 you can have roast beef or roast chicken served with mash potato, fresh vegetables and yorkshire puddings with gravy. Beetroot and goat ' s cheese is on offer for vegetarians. There ' s an extra charge of £2.00 for a dessert.

Talking of which I didn ' t resist a tasty chocolate orange pudding with chocolate ice cream. The ice cream was optional. You can have it with custard instead if you like. The ice cream was smooth and creamy, but it wasn ' t topped on the pudding. By the time I got to the warm pudding my tongue was saying " high five " to my brain. My taste buds were gagging for the chocolate coated cream and the soft orange flavour in the texture. Always be sure to have a hot milky tea with the pudding as it makes an excellent dessert. This was the perfect evening to host the social occasion that I ' d been invited to. I ' ll always find a time to go there again. The atmosphere is just as good as the food and drink.

Appeals to sports fans, family friendly, classic gastro pub, North London. Prices range from £3 - £10 a meal.