Underground movement

Deep below one of London's busiest streets, chef Alastair Ross is answering the call for good old-fashioned comfort food. Fiona Sims samples the fare at Adam Street, one of the capital's latest private members' clubs.

Macaroni cheese is Adam Street's best-selling dish. No surprise, really, when you find out that it is a private members' club, attracting regulars who are typically attached to their comfort nosh. Yet, unlike many private clubs, the hoi polloi can roll up for a plate of macaroni, too, as Adam Street also throws open its doors to the public at lunchtimes.

The club opened in London last October, deep beneath The Strand in 18th-century vaults by architect Robert Adam. Far from being dark and dingy, though, white walls and ceiling with lighting accents, along with five porthole-style skylights cut into the ceiling, pour daylight on to the bar and adjacent 60-seat restaurant.

Head chef is Alastair Ross (ex-Leith's) whose brief is to cook modern British club food - hence the macaroni cheese. There's no modern spin, though. The dish is made with a classic white cheese sauce and Cheddar cheese crust, and garnished - in true retro style - with slices of tomato (£6/£9). "We sell pots of it - it's ridiculous," says operations director Nick Tarayan, formerly Leith's managing director.

Roast Gressingham duckling is also a big seller (£16.50), served "super crisp" on the outside, with a light orange gravy. "It was on the Leith's menu for 31 years," says Tarayan. Ross roasts the bird for 55 minutes, before chilling it down. Then he gives it another 20-minute blast for service. The gravy is made by adding a "caramel" to the jus - his secret touch, he says. He adds a muslin bag of toasted spices (including clove, caraway and juniper berries) to a white wine, orange juice and white wine vinegar reduction.

Salmon fish cakes are also popular. "There's no potato in my fish cakes," declares Ross, who mixes salmon, egg yolks, basil, lemon juice, salt and both fresh and stale breadcrumbs. "It's doubly crispy," he says.

Average spend is £22.50, excluding drinks, and there's a weekly changing Club Menu, priced at £14.50 for two courses and £17.50 for three courses. The à la carte is updated every month, and if diners wish to mix a menu from the two, starters are charged at £4.50 and mains at £11.50.

Curiously, at the bottom of the menu is a note saying that if diners want a dish served more simply, they only have to ask. "Quite a few ask to change things," says Tarayan, citing a request for "hold the artichoke" in a field mushroom, white bean and artichoke salad (£4.50). How does chef feel about that? "He's a pussycat," says Tarayan.

Tarayan, who won many awards for his wine list at Leith's, also puts together the club's wine list. It's at an embryonic stage at the moment, set out by country, with just one red, for example, from the Loire - a 1999 Chinon from Charles Joguet (£25.50). But there's plenty to excite, from a quirky Chasselas (1999 Schoffit, £6 a glass), to a serious Napa (1997 Cakebread Cabernet Sauvignon, £75). "About half the lunch diners choose from the wines-by-the-glass menu," reveals Tarayan, who lists 21 wines by the glass.

Adam Street, The Strand, London WC2N 6AA. Tel: 020 7379 8000

A selection from the menu at Adam Street

Chorizo and lentil salad with poached egg, £6.50
Lobster spaghetti, £10.50/£17.50
The Adam Street terrine, £8.50
Chicken Caesar salad, £6.50/£10.50
Salmon fish cakes with cucumber, sorrel butter sauce, £11.50
Roast partridge with peas, bacon and parsnips, £11.50
Steak and kidney pie, £9.95
Banana and caramel charlotte, £4.50
Chocolate brownie with clotted cream, £4.50
Saffron poached pear with pistachio cream, £4.50