Review of Midnight Starling restaurant

Updated October 12, 2026,first published November 18, 2024

You have reached your maximum number of saved items.

Remove items from your saved list to add more.

You've used all of your gift articles. 3 more will become available on the 1st of every month.

You’ll feel the respect for tradition in the good linen tablecloths, the napkins, the handwritten bill brought over on an antique silver tray. But perhaps it’s most resounding in the braised leeks. They mightn’t sound like much, but it’s a dish that elevates humble produce using patience and technique. Cooked until soft and slippery, their buttery richness is nipped by a caper-forward and dill-heavy sauce gribiche.

Prix-fixe menus are dotted with other French favourites underpinned by excellent sauces. Coq au vin cooked long and lovingly produces exceptional tenderness, the cockerel giving up its bones without a fight. Sticky, deeply flavoured jus will linger in memory long after you’ve cleaned the plate.

What else to finish with but a lighter-than-average creme caramel? In an understated room of just 10 tables, attentive yet unobtrusive staff feel perfectly in tempo. Let them help you choose something from the predominantly French wine list.

Good to know: Book a table in the cellar for sui generis ambience.

Good Food reviews are booked anonymously and paid independently. A restaurant can’t pay for a review or inclusion in the Good Food Guide.

Restaurant reviews, news and the hottest openings served to your inbox.

Bold, balanced flavours in a sleek setting without airs and graces.

Lively eatery spotlighting hearty fare from across South America.

Proving the best country pubs are no longer the oldest.