Fitzrovia, French Restaurant Guide

“Hidden in a quiet street in Fitzrovia”, Mathieu Germond “continues to oversee a brilliant operation”, on the site that was once Dabbous, RIP. An “imaginative French-orientated menu” is well-realised (“but not exceptional or pointlessly innovative”) and service is “truly exemplary”. “But the real bonus is the interesting wine list expertly put together and presented by Mathieu himself”, who is “not only completely charming but also hugely knowledgeable” and “it always includes something new and unusual to try”.

“Exceptional food and an approach that’s attentive and friendly but never overbearing or distant” wins nothing but high praise for Jun Tanaka’s “consistently excellent and very enjoyable” HQ, on Fitzrovia’s restaurant row. “It was closed from summer last year until mid March 2023 owing to a fire – post re-opening, the cuisine is of just the same standard as before”.

The “superb neighbourhood café we’d all love to have around the corner” – this upgraded greasy spoon “in a dead area of Bloomsbury” provides “particularly tasty, modern French fare” realised with a “delicious and light” touch by co-founder Anna Tobias, former head chef at Rochelle Canteen.

The team behind highly regarded central London trio Portland, Clipstone and the Quality Chop House is to open what promises to be a smart French bistro in Fitzrovia, in August 2023. Chef Stuart Andrews’s knowledge of Gallic cuisine stems from his 18 months working in Paris, and he aims to offer ‘French cooking from an outsider’s perspective’.