Whitechapel Gallery Dining Room, London E1

Lunch for two, without wine, £40

Connections between food and art are easy to spot. Many top chefs consider what they serve to be works of art. But the relationship has been harder to see from the food offerings at many art galleries. All too often gallery cafés serve up the kind of food that makes you yearn for a motorway service station. As dining out in the UK improved, so the food at arts venues looked even more out of step. Now, at last, the soggy sandwiches and cheap wine miniatures have been replaced by some fine dining. Which brings us to the Whitechapel Gallery Dining Room, part of the east London gallery's £13m revamp.

From the modern wood panelling to head chef Maria Elia's straightforward menu, there is nothing showy about this place. But look closer and it's clear that it takes a lot of hard work and planning to keep everything so simple. The menu is focused on British, seasonal, local produce. But it's what Elia does with this slightly hackneyed concept that impresses. Take that most rustic of dishes, leek and potato soup. Here, thanks to clever use of each ingredient, including strong additions such as wild garlic and blue cheese, what's served up is more subtle and delicate than the menu suggests.

Elia is proud of her use of vegetables and has a new book out on the subject, the relentless pushing of which was the only minor irritant at an entertaining lunch. Mains, including a "texture" of carrots (stop chuckling at the back) and pan-fried bream, brandade, baby leeks and beets, continued the clever use of familiar ingredients, albeit with less even results. A gorgeous board of English cheeses rounded off an excellent meal, all for a bargain £20 a head.

Richard Cree