Balfour WC1

In the heart of Bloomsbury student-land, a jolly Anglo-Italian bistro that makes a pleasant destination for an informal meal.

Perhaps it really is the arrival of the Eurostar. Bloomsbury seems to be becoming the home of odd culinary fusions, or – more particularly – an odd Anglo-Italian mix (as also recently observed at the somewhat more upmarket Number Twelve).

Despite the reviews this place has been getting in some quarters, though, Balfour isn’t really the sort of place where any precise culinary appraisal is to the point. It’s really just a superior student-land bistro where the menu contains a good few Italian dishes, but where neither the styling (such as it is is) nor the staff have much of the Latin about them. Judged in these terms, it struck us as a very handy place to know about, should you find yourself in the area.