In French, Le Cassoulet means the stew - but this eponymous restaurant in South Croydon does far more than that.

It has established itself as one of the best restaurant's in the area under the meticulous eye of chef/proprietor Malcolm John and it's food continues to impress.

It's home-style French cuisine cooked with the flair of a design student without losing any of the flavours that come from really good fresh ingredients.

My starter of seared scallops, cauliflower puree and Alsace bacon (£10.50) combined the delicate sweetness of the shellfish with the cauliflower and the thinnest crispiest slice of bacon imaginable that added a smokiness to the whole dish. I wanted more but had to settle for bites of my companion's salt cured foie gras, Muscat grapes, toasted brioche, port reduction (£12.50).

This was France on a plate. Rich fatty foie gras with sweet grapes and crisp brioche combined to become a heavenly mouthful conjuring each bite.

Other starters I really fancied were the pressed octopus terrine, marinated tomatoes, squid ink aioli & lemon dressing (£9) and the salad of house smoked wood pigeon, root vegetables, damson vinaigrette (£8.50).

Main course was a no brainer for me. Being a lover of all things pig the slow roast rolled belly pork with a pork rib, crackling and pumpkin puree (£14.50) leapt out at me and demanded to be eaten. The pork was juicy and soft and the rib came away from the bone with such sweet intensity that it inspired me to recreate the dish at home that weekend - but failing miserably.

My companion opted for the more classic but no less good fillet mignon, sauté ceps, potato gnocchi, Madeira sauce (£17.50). The steak was so tasty and came with pan fried gnocchi and mushrooms.

Other notable dishes Confit leg of rabbit, choucroute & baby leeks, Dijon mustard sauce £16.50 and grilled Cornish mackerel, braised salsify, capers & samphire (£15.00).

For pudding I chose a lemon millefeuille which was beautifully sharp but wished I had gone for my guests chocolate fondant which oozed rich dark chocolate when the spoon went through. The hazelnut ice cream was an added extra and could have been a dish on its own.

Once again Le Cassoulet proves its worth to Croydon's growing restaurant scene.

18 Selsdon Road, South Croydon, CR2 6PA Telephone 020 8633 1818