Harden's survey result
Summary
“Immune to trends and setting its own agenda” – visiting this “old-fashioned” Bloomsbury parlour is a little “like stepping back a generation”. “Wonderful, old-fashioned, French, classic cuisine” is served in a “delightful” dining room, overseen with “charming professionalism” by the owner Otto (“invariably there”) who is “amusing and fun”. Top Menu Tips – “everyone raves (rightly) about the pressed duck and Poularde de Bresse, but Otto also does the best Steak Tartare in the UK (made at the table with Otto’s inevitable theatrical flourish)”.
Summary
“For a superb, Escoffier-style dining experience”, this “quirky”, unpromising-looking fixture on a grungy, out-of-the-way Bloomsbury street might seem an improbable destination, but it’s something of a “dream restaurant”. “Proper, old-school, luxurious French gastronomic dishes” are “served with charm and wit by Otto himself” in an “attractive and old-fashioned” room (“where you can hear yourself speak”). Top Menu Tip – “everyone should go here for the pressed duck at least once in their lives”.
Summary
How did this “oasis of traditional and consistently superb Gallic cooking” end up in a nondescript corner of Bloomsbury? Its overall approach is “pleasantly old-fashioned” but “not stuffy and always with a humorous twist” thanks to the “very personal” attention of “effervescent” patron Otto (who also provides “helpful advice on the impressive wine list”). Top Menu Tip – “the Canard à la Presse helped me find god!”
Summary
“The old-school French cuisine you thought had died a death” makes an unlikely find behind an unassuming façade in an “out-of-the-way” corner of Bloomsbury; the “eccentric” interior is “charming in a quiet, old-fashioned way”, but the stand-out attractions are “Otto himself, who’s a star”, “superb” food and “excellent” wine. Top Menu Tips – “sublime” steak tartare, and the “to die for” Canard à la Presse (for which you must pre-order).
Owner's description
Pop art meets velvet banquettes and antiques in a restaurant serving updated classic French dishes.
Restaurant details
182 Gray's Inn Road, London, WC1X 8EW
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Opening hours
| Monday | CLOSED |
| Tuesday | 12 pm-2:15 pm, 6 pm-9:30 pm |
| Wednesday | 12 pm-2:15 pm, 6 pm-9:30 pm |
| Thursday | 12 pm-2:15 pm, 6 pm-9:30 pm |
| Friday | 12 pm-2:15 pm, 6 pm-9:30 pm |
| Saturday | 6 pm-9:30 pm |
| Sunday | CLOSED |
