JOURNALISTS are not by nature habitual animals. Yet Tuesday evenings have become familiar to the point of predictability.

After an exhausting day chasing leads and transcribing notes, some of us have taken to venturing out for a night on the town. Or, rather, a quick bite to eat before turning up sloshed at the Mailcoach for the weekly quiz.

I don’t mean to sound humdrum; it really is the highlight of the week.

Tonight, however, our usual threesome – Adver Chris, Adver Stephen and Adver Tom – were a man down. Adver Stephen had decided that Swindon was far too cold this time of year and had strutted off, as he does, to the Costa del Bournemouth. We were instead joined by Adver Eve, whose initial reluctance fast disappeared when we assured her we would triumph in the quiz. First, though, we had to eat.

Old Town is certainly not short of nice restaurants, and it’s often a mammoth task to find something on which we can all agree. But Mackenzies in Wood Street is a firm favourite, and not just among Adver journos. The atmosphere is always very pleasant, the bar staff friendly and efficient. We grabbed our drinks, took our seats and began to thumb through the menu. It isn’t extensive, but as Adver Chris often reminds us, it’s far better that a restaurant should do a few things well than many things poorly.

There was a nice selection of reasonably priced Tapas, as well as wraps and ciabattas from £6.45. The burgers were situated at the top end of the price scale, with the ranch burger coming in at a not unreasonable £11.45. Though I’m in no doubt whatsoever that the 6oz of prime beef with bacon, coriander, barbecue sauce, cheese and onion rings would have been worth every last penny.

In the end, Chris went for the forest burger (£10.25), Eve the prawn and chorizo linguine (£8.95) and Tom the fungi pizza (£8.95). The linguine was, by all accounts, rather good. It was seasoned with chilli, garlic, and fresh coriander in olive oil with two humungous pieces of garlic ciabatta, which made for the perfect guilty pleasure to round off the main course. The pasta was perfectly cooked, with plenty of large seasoned prawns and fiery chorizo. Needless to say, self-described garlic lover Adver Eve was by this time not regretting her decision to tag along with the hombres.

Chris’s forest burger, a sumptuous tower of prime beef, coriander, sautéed mushrooms, bacon and cheddar cheese, was wolfed down as if it were about to be wrenched from his grasp at any moment. The noises emitting from his side of the table made it clear he was thoroughly enjoying it. Adver Tom’s pizza was equally delicious, with its delicately cut pieces of serrano ham, liberal sprinkling of mushrooms and strips of fresh rocket all perched atop a beautifully crisp stone baked base.

A friend of critic A.A. Gill’s once said: “If the food is the star of your dinner party, then you’re inviting the wrong people.” Well, it wasn’t quite the star. But that’s only because we were in fine form as wits and raconteurs.

Next, dessert. Adver Eve chose the outrageously indulgent hot toffee pudding (£4.95), which she described as “surprisingly light for such a typically stodgy treat”. The cake was light and airy with a toffee sauce that was deliciously rich. Adver Chris was very impressed with his bread and butter pudding (£4.95). It’s a personal favourite of his, and he can become quite distressed if it fails to meet expectations. But to say he was chuffed would be an understatement. And although he protested, I am convinced he could have eaten it all over again. As for a stuffed and, I’ll admit, slightly pathetic Adver Tom, he chose to sit this one out.

What is always noticeable about Mackenzies is the quality of the service. Nothing is ever too much trouble. The bar staff’s repartee, in so many places forced and trite and banal, is natural and effortless (and also rather comical). You are served with a smile and left to eat your meal in peace without the constant interruption of an over-zealous waiter hankering for a sizeable tip. Yet should you require table service then a simple elevation of the arm in vaguely the right direction will have someone scurry over in no time. Another drink? No need to traipse to the bar, it’ll be delivered straight to you.

The rest of the night didn’t go quite as well. We didn’t win the quiz, though it wasn’t a bad effort. Adver Eve certainly saved us from potential embarrassment. In the end, we only just managed to beat a table of kids who we were convinced had cheated on more than one occasion (there’s no way in hell they knew the administrative capital of Idaho without consulting Mr Google).

Same place next Tuesday I expect.

Address: 16 Wood St, SN1 4AB

Telephone number: 01793 430111

Parking: Pay and display nearby

Disabled access: Yes

Food: 4/5

Choice: 3/5

Decor: 3/5

Customer service: 5/5

TripAdvisor rating: 3.5