When you walk through the door of a restaurant and there is barely a spare table to be had early on a blustery midweek autumn evening you get the impression they must be doing something right and turning out some pretty decent food.

That was the scene I faced at the wonderfully named establishment Bumpkin on the Old Brompton Road in South Kensington, which describes itself as a 'country-in-the-city' style restaurant that takes sustainability seriously. It also proudly proclaims that 'from farm to fork' all the dishes are made using only the freshest British ingredients – and the seasonal
menu certainly backs up that claim with a varied choice to suit most tastes.

The focal point of the good sized, buzzing 'bistro style' eating area is the large open kitchen with its bold green tiled walls and racks of plates waiting to be filled with tempting dishes. It is a constant hive of activity, as the lively waiting staff go about their business transferring food from the pass to hungry diners.

Wooden tables and chairs dominate the attractively decorated high ceiling restaurant with comfy coffee coloured booths providing an attractive contrast. However, there was a serious problem with the lighting in our area, even with the help of the candle on the table reading the menu was a walk in the dark – and I also like to see clearly what's on my plate.

This really did take a romantic candlelight diner to the extreme, and before you ask my eyesight is not that bad.

We both went for dishes 'from the shores' for starters and whilst not of the spectacular variety they did not disappoint.

Fiona's cocktail of West Coast crayfish with a well balanced Virgin Mary dressing and rye bread (£8.95) was refreshing with the juicy fish in no way overpowered by the sauce. My well dressed Cornish crab with chopped egg and crispy granary bread (£9.95), delivered everything I expected with a good mix of tasty brown and white meat served in its shell.

For mains we both went for hearty comforting dishes off the new autumn menu, created by executive chef Raymond Fulton-Corrie, and they certainly hit the spot and were the high point of the evening, enjoyed with a reasonably priced Grenache Borsao Campo de Borja (£16.95) from the well appointed wine list.

My beautifully cooked slow roasted Dingley Dell pork belly (£16.75) fell off onto the fork and came with some wonderfully crisp crackling. Served with a tasty smooth celeriac apple sauce, roasted carrot, onion and a flavoursome rich jus it was a good plate of food.

Fiona's was equally impressed with her perfectly cooked pink melt in the mouth Durham venison haunch (17.95) which came with a well matched creamed savoy cabbage, crispy bacon lardons, vanilla shallots and a decent silky sauce.

Keeping up the autumn tradition I indulged in a dessert of rich chocolate mousse (£6.25) on spiced gingerbread with cherries, given added value by a salted caramel topping. It was a good pud but lacked a big dollop of clotted cream or creamy vanilla ice cream to give it that wow factor.

Fiona felt a bit let down by her desert choice, scoops of Jude's ice cream (£1.65 a scoop) as the ice cream came with a rather icy texture and was not as creamy as she would have liked.

That apart Bumpkin, which also has spots in Notting Hill and Westfield, Stratford, delivers a pleasant dining experience with good service in comfortable surroundings, even if at times I felt a bit left in the dark on my visit.