Andrew Lloyd Webbers review as it appeared in The Sunday Telegraph in June 1998

I have just stumbled upon somewhere seriously terrific. The bar and restaurant of the teeny Southward Theatre, the Sixty-Two, is no mere neighbourhood theatre appendage. It is a serious, no frills restaurant that reminds me of The Chiswick or The Brackenberry when they were on peak form. The room is bright and full of primary colours with pictures for sale on the walls. There is no Muzak, so the place is buzzy, jolly and full of happy conversation. The food, cooked by Andrew Pitman-Wallace and Pablo Notiboli, is confident and self assured, easily the match of far higher-flying eateries on the other side of the Thames.

Five of us at lunch had only one minor criticism. The otherwise excellent, chunky, yet delicate, guinea fowl and artichoke terrine was slightly over-chilled. Mushroom soup was intense and flavoursome. A baby leak salad with a poached egg was lifted by sherry in the vinaigrette. The caramalised shallot tart reminded me of the classic baked onion dish you find in the Lake Como region, a sweet-and-sour bistro triumph if ever there was one. Sea bass comes with a light mustard beurre blanc flavoured with a hint of tarragon so delicate that you are unsure whether the mustard involved is some trendy brew infused with aniseed. The rack of lamb is exemplary and comes with a lightly flavoured mushroom risotto. Really fresh monkfish comes with a crispy battered tiger prawn, accompanied by what is described as a light tomatoey intensity.

But what had the five of us drooling was quite simply the best tarte Tatin I have ever had. I doubt whether the legendary Tatin sisters, who are supposed to have invented it, ever produced such a perfectly caramelised, yet uncloying dish. Sadly, there is only filter coffee. With a bottle of Bridgewater Mill Chardonnay, quite nice if a bit oaky and fine with the olives on the table, the bill for the five came to £120 including service. I am staggered that this place has not been discovered and I strongly advise that you give it a whirl. But please, do it in the evening for the time being. I am rehearsing around the corner and need my table at lunchtime. Lunch there once the day job takes me north bankwards in six weeks.