A couple of weeks ago, I decided to treat my girlfriend, Charlotte, to a meal at Mustard, a lovely little local bistro situated on New London Road (just up the steps along from ‘a canteen’), writes Ian King.

I'd been casting my beady eye over Mustard ever since it opened, as it looked like just the sort of place a sophisticate, like my good self, and his sidekick, could enjoy some fine, yet filling, dining. Thankfully, I'm pleased to report, I was not disappointed.

The place itself is relatively small, but the light décor of neutral colours stops it feeling too small, and instead lends itself to a nice sense of intimacy. Both Charlotte and I felt immediately at home once we’d sat down and the friendly waiting staff made us feel very welcome indeed.

As much as I'd like to wax lyrical about the wine list, I have to admit that my knowledge of the grape is fairly limited. That said, my usual wine ordering gambit of "it's a Rioja at around £17 a bottle, so it's bound to be good" worked well enough, and I could have quite happily have polished off a couple more of those over the course of a most pleasant evening. However, I wasn’t out on a ‘swilling contest’ with the lads, so whilst sipping our initial glasses, we managed to make our choices from the very hearty menu on offer.

One thing I like very much about Mustard is the fact that they serve proper, man-style portions. I love being able to go to a nice restaurant and still being able to order stuff like sausage and mash, particularly when they're wild boar bangers. Sausages from normal pigs are brilliant, but sausages from what is basically a giant, angry killer-pig have simply got to be miles better.

I started with a pork, apple and pistachio terrine, while Charlotte plumped for the creamy mushrooms served on granary toast. Both of them were very good, with the creamy mushrooms being done especially well (yes, of course I stole some from her plate).

However, as much as I fancied the wild boar sausages, I ended up going for the excellent gunpowder pie, made from locally farmed sirloin steak and Elizabethan gunpowder mustard. Obviously being me, there was no way I could pass up on a dish like that, although I must admit that I was expecting it to be a lot hotter than it actually was, but that's probably because, when it comes down to it, I'm a complete mustard whore, so my taste buds are basically made out of asbestos by now. But while it wasn't particularly hot, it was absolutely delicious, with the steak almost melting in my mouth it was that tender, and the accompanying vegetables were also perfectly done.

Charlotte tried the cheddar and leek wellington, which I dutifully sampled, and once again, it was excellent. In fact, the only downside of the entire evening was that neither of us got around to trying any of the desserts, which is strange for me, seeing as I'm a bit of a fat bastard, although I'll definitely rectify that next time.

All in all, I have absolutely no reservations about recommending Mustard to all of you good readers out there. The way I see it, one of the best reviews of any restaurant is whether you would go there again, and I can honestly say that I'm very much looking forward to our next visit already.

To summarise, if you're looking for an excellently cooked, filling meal served in a relaxed atmosphere, then The Kingmeister recommends you give Mustard a go. And, if you're lucky, you might even see me there....and I’ll be happy to steal some of your grub too.  

Well done, Kingpin, well done! Blimey lad, not only can you turn your hand to writing your very own column and that of Dr. Ian too in this particular edition, but The Edge has also got you writing its Restaurant Review section this month as well. Thing is, readers, both Faye Cullinane (who’ll be back next month) and The Kingmeister pay for their meals out of their own pockets whenever they dine out with an Edge review in mind, which is truly what ‘mystery dining’ reports are all about. What’s more, they wear disguises too. So if you ever see Faye sporting a moustache, you’ll know she means business.                    E.E.