Evening Standard
David Ellis was delighted by his meal at a “treasure” – Catherine Parisot’s 47-year-old “institution”, little-known outside NW8 but a bastion of excellence where traditional standards are “fiercely maintained. Champagne is offered on arrival. Waiters wear crisp white shirts and black jackets, black ties too.”
To David’s apparent surprise, the cooking was excellent, and served in portions of “a generosity rarely seen elsewhere since L’Aventure’s earliest days. Huge meaty snails arrived under a cap of puff pastry, in a stock stew of garlic butter perfumed with star anise — beautiful, and not often seen in London”. To follow, a rack of lamb, halibut and tarte tatin were all “masterfully done”.
“Bills are handwritten. Everyone is a regular. I don’t suppose L’Aventure was ever groundbreaking, even in 1979, but it stands as a reminder of a charm the industry sometimes forgets.”
David Ellis - 2026-02-01
