Chelsea, French Restaurant Guide

“My refuge when feeling homesick for France” – Didier Garnier’s “long standing favourite” in a quiet Chelsea backstreet is “a typical French restaurant of the kind that you might find in the Dordogne”. “It can get very crowded and there’s not much privacy between the tables. But it has a very loyal following” particularly amongst a well-heeled, silver-haired crowd, for whom it’s a “go-to” destination thanks to its “traditional, buzzy atmosphere”, “dependable French-bistro cuisine” and a “wine list which has some great bargains” (“not your usual SW3 mark up – try the wines priced £30-£60, top value”). Didier himself presides over the “discreet and effortless service” and provides “excellent professional advice on the choice of vintage”. The odd naysayer finds it all “shockingly old-fashioned”… but folks have been saying that for years.

The Hell’s Kitchen chef’s original Chelsea HQ is increasingly “trading on its reputation”, attracting more criticism than it does praise nowadays. Even fans sometimes acknowledge this “rather beige” room has a “stilted” ambience, and opinions on the service vary widely: from “impeccable” to “overwhelming” or even “robotic”. When it comes to the fairly classical cuisine, there’s also a pick ’n’ mix of views: from “unbeatable” to “overly fussy” or “safe”. What both sides do often agree on is that the experience comes “at the most ridiculous second mortgage prices”, with almost two in five of diners’ voting it their most overpriced meal of the year. A fair middle view is that: “as you should expect from a three Michelin star restaurant, the food is lovely; but it’s a struggle to work out in what way it is better than many other two-star or even one-star restaurants. It’s good, but not that good”.

“The lovely Michelin building is so cool”, and its “well-spaced, light and airy dining room” is perhaps the late Sir Terence Conran’s most enduring contribution to London’s restaurant scene (best visited at lunch, when all the natural daylight makes it serene and “romantic”). Under Claude Bosi, its foodie renown has grown, and fans say he is “still setting the bar for outstanding contemporary French cooking in the capital” (for which he’s held two Michelin stars since 2017). Its ratings blipped rather this year, however – as at a number of other top restaurants coping with the cost of living crisis, it can now just seem “too expensive” (“used to be great – recently disappointing”).