Restaurant review, Parlour, 5 Regent Street, London.

There's been much chatter on Twitter by foodies about restaurant critics in the past couple of weeks. Should they concentrate on new openings or stick to established places? Also, should their verdict be the result of multiple visits rather than one quick meal (often, with new restaurants, when the paint's barely dry on the feature wall)?

I'd be very interested to know what readers think (please tweet me on @lisamarkwell or email me at l.markwell@independent.co.uk). Do you want to hear about what's new, or what's good and might have been forgotten or lost in the melee of haute burger joints?

This week, a rare instance of a new restaurant that feels old, which I visited twice before scoring. Parlour is an all-day restaurant/bar/café that should bring some happiness to the residents of north-west London, where there are plenty of middling (age, income) people puzzlingly underserved for restaurants.

There's a brilliant newish pizza place in Kensal Rise, Sacro Cuore, and a couple of gastropubs, but somewhere to take the family and settle in for a few hours? Not likely. And, slightly dispiritingly, a Nando's just opened round the corner.

So Parlour has the audience and it has the licensing hours (Saturdays 8am-2am should cover everyone's needs). But it's tucked away down a road to nowhere and rubbing shoulders with the better-known, more visible Paradise. Happily it has one very good selling point: it's operated by the same team behind the excellent Mall Tavern up at Notting Hill, and shares the pull-up-a-chair warmth of that pub. It is, however, as owner Jesse Dunford Wood puts it, not a pub or a restaurant. It is "an all-day and late-night serving parlour". Hence the name.

It's actually two rooms – one more bar-like, the other banquettes, wood panelling and refectory chairs for dining. On my late Friday-night visit, the bar is buzzing and several gaggles of diners look happily settled next door. It feels established, convivial. Our chatty Italian waiter rustles up a pint for Mr M from a very good "beeropedia" (10 on tap, and a further 14 bottled, from Hackney to Hawaii) and for me, a Wife Beet-er from an inventive cocktail list. This monstrously named drink is a concoction of gin, beetroot juice, lemon, port and maple syrup. A sort of Bloody Mary for earthy types – only the name leaves a bad taste in the mouth. Rename it, please. How about "Beets Working"?

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