Kingsland Road’s latest offering, Bones, is a welcome addition to this part of Hoxton, offering up classic meat dishes and some surprisingly original vegetarian ones too.

The restaurant has been opened by brothers Joff and Simeon Goodman (also the head chef) who run The Grocery next door.

They have been trialling dishes since the launch several months ago to see which ones customers rate most.

The menu is divided into bite-size starters, “Bones”, sharing dishes and sides.

To start things off we had burrata – a delicious rich Italian cheese made from mozzarella and cream, drizzled in basil oil and a warm pigeon breast salad served perfectly rare with hazelnuts and beetroot crisps.

For the mains there was a healthy selection of meat to choose from – rotisserie free range chicken, two types of steak, confit duck leg and roasted rack of lamb.

A lot of the meat is sourced from farms in East Anglia - Simeon having trained under The Lavender House’s Richard Hughes in Norfolk.

We went for the Dedham Vale sirloin steak with bone marrow and rack of lamb, both of which were very well cooked and presented beautifully on wooden boards.

Despite meat being the central theme of Bones, the restaurant has some impressive vegetarian sharing dishes which are just, if not more, memorable and very reasonably priced.

The roasted aubergine with feta, pomegranate and tahini dressing was probably our top dish of the night. Fairly simple but delicious.

So vegetarians needn’t be put off. The chef is also happy to adapt dishes and create meals for vegans too.

I would say the predominantly non-meat sharing dishes are better sides if you’re going heavy on meat. The official side dishes are less exciting – fries, sprouting broccoli and salad.

The only minor disappointment of these was the sautéed squid which was a little overdone.

We finished off with a raspberry and black cherry cheesecake, which had a light, fresh topping and a rich chocolate and hazelnut tort.

In terms of drinks, the Famille Fabre house wines, all organic, have been hand picked by the Simeon’s girlfriend who runs her family vineyard in France.

The house red, L’Orangerie de Luc, was smooth and rich – perfect for the types of food we were having and great value at £22 for a huge carafe.

A lot of thought has gone into this restaurant, from the menu to the décor – lovely wooden flooring throughout and comfy booths.

There is also room for 45 people downstairs which I imagine would work well for a private party.

All in all, excellent food and surprisingly good value in one of London’s most popular spots.