Bayswater, French Restaurant Guide

2018 Review: Opera singers appear on the quarter hour at this long-established Bayswater basement dining room, where the traditional dishes often feature luxury ingredients.

“Sexy sharing dishes and a dark romantic setting” earn a big thumbs-up for this “fabulous French tapas bistro in deepest Westbourne Park”, with an “open brickwork vibe and a couple of coveted tables outside for the hot weather”. Wine is taken seriously, prices are “gentle”, and it’s “one of the few places one can enjoy fresh foie gras cooked rare or à point”.

“A serious wine list complements the good-quality Gallic cuisine” at former Gavroche sommelier Thierry Tomasin’s clever conversion of a Lancaster Gate mews pub into an art nouveau bistro. The “old-fashioned service” is excellent, but prices are high, given the slightly off-the-beaten-track location.