Nothing about Central & Co is very special. A conveniently located, reasonably priced restaurant-bar in Soho with a buzzing atmosphere, popular for after work drinks or a light meal with friends.

When we arrived at 6.30pm on a weekday evening, the venue had a pleasant ambience but a few hours later it was too noisy for me. The modern, laid back design encourages guests to relax and it is a welcoming place to come, with friendly staff and good service.

The menu features a range of British classics, focussing on seasonal ingredients and produce. The drinks menu has variety and flair, though my cocktail was a little disappointing, pretty but too strong.

We skipped starters uninspired by the selection on offer and went straight to mains: British beef burger, Grilled Flank steak and a summer salad to share. Nothing was particularly memorable, an average burger with an excess of red onion marmalade and huge heavy chips, and a tasty but standard steak, a tad on the chewy side. The salad was an attractive mix of colours and ingredients with roast tomatoes, green and broad beans, radish and croutons with Ragstone goat’s cheese, and was a nice accompaniment to our meaty mains.

For pudding we bravely opted for the beetroot and chocolate brownie, strongly recommended to us. It was moist and a good consistency, an impressive recipe, though the occasional chunk of beetroot was slightly off-putting.

For convenience this restaurant gets top marks, but with so many great cheap eats in Soho, Central & Co just doesn’t stand out from the crowd.

More information and book here: centralandco.com