The last time I was in My Old Dutch Denis Bergkamp was playing for Arsenal and I could climb a flight of stairs at a tube station two at a time. MOD, I’m glad to say, has aged better than I have in the intervening years.

The first thing I noticed was that the room has been transformed. It’s still a barn of a place but the décor has skipped straight from the ’70s to the po-mo noughties with astroturf on one wall and random Dutch themed décor around the rest of the place.

But orange remains a strong element.

The booze offer has also improved – I don’t remember there being an excellent selection of Belgian and Dutch beer before (mebbe a token Hoegaarden?) but we were in the mood for wine so took a very reasonably priced Pinot Grigio.

I think it must be the prices that keep people coming back in this area because the food, though robust, isn’t exactly compelling. The starter was the best thing – a majestic spread of bitterballen, kaas and salmon that would have been a credit to any authentic Dutch bar. My pancake with Moroccan lamb was huge but the topping was a bit below wow.

A look around the room showed that most people were there for the sweet stuff but I didn’t have room for more pancake after my hubcap-sized monster. The staff were cheerful and the conversation very good. If you’re skint, ravenous (skravenous?) or in a hurry it’s definitely recommended.

7/10

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