Chinatown, French Restaurant Guide

The Selby brothers’ “very snug little basement venue for counter-top fine dining” shows “levels of skill and technique to compete with much better-known places that leave you with a far higher bill”; with cooking that’s “consistently well-thought-out, imaginative and bold”. “Ultimately there can be a clash between the expectation of enjoying fine cuisine and fine wines, while being perched on a stool with people brushing past”, so “file this under ‘one to watch’ as they plan to build out the ambition even further”.

“Hidden right next to the horrors of Leicester Square!”, this 50-year-old wine cellar rates highly for its “really special ambience” and “knowledgeable and helpful” service. Will Clayton still runs the place on the lines laid down by founder Don Hewitson, although “the food offering has improved over time – not gourmet, but always a good pairing for the wine”. This year will see the millionth serving of the famous cheese & ham pie that is always on the menu.

“If all vegan food was as good as this I’d convert… it’s ceaselessly wonderful and served by brilliant staff in a fabulous setting” – that’s the most upbeat view on Alexis Gauthier’s “beautifully furnished and discreet townhouse smack in the middle of Soho”, where you ring a doorbell to gain entry. Having been resolutely carnivorous on its launch in 2010, Alexis went vegan personally in 2016, and since June 2021 he has taken the restaurant meat-free as well. On the plus side, this is now one of the most ambitious and successful meat-free restaurants in town. But on the downside, practically none of his old meat-loving regulars like it so much now (“it was an old favourite, and I was interested to try the all-vegan menu, but it wasn’t for us…”; “we so very much wanted to love this move to vegan cuisine from Gauthier Soho, but we were sadly disappointed…”; “excellent food, but I mourn the loss of the non-vegan options…”). Still, even those “who are not totally convinced” say “there is no doubt that Gauthier manages to marry vegan cuisine with a high-end, gourmet experience more successfully than most”. And “what is stunning is their wine flights, which are amazing!”

“Affordable French bistro cooking”, a “wide range of dishes” and “decent portion sizes” make this Gallic outfit (like its nearby stablemate Pierre Victoire) “just the thing for a Soho bite”. It provides truly “exceptional value” for lunch and pre-theatre, but beware the price jump from 6pm, when it switches to an à la carte format.

“A unique feature in London’s dining scene” – this “incredible subterranean cathedral of Art Deco glamour and French classic cuisine” was created 10 years ago by Corbin & King in homage to the brasseries of Paris. It occupies a “vast” and “absolutely stunning Art Deco basement” (Grade I listed with “gilding, marble columns and red velvet seating”) and “what is so outstanding is to find a restaurant of this quality just a stone’s throw from Piccadilly Circus”. To be clear, the lengthy menu of brasserie staples “won’t surprise you” – the catering has always been “OK” at best, and the food score this year was beyond humdrum. But next to the “white tablecloths and terrific old-world atmosphere and buzz”; plus “formally attired” service that’s “efficient and charming”; then “the food is almost beside the point” and the availability of “some extremely cheap menus” underpins its “eyebrow-raisingly good value (so you can forgive it a lot)”. With the management changes within The Wolseley Hospitality Group just prior to our annual diners’ poll, many reporters feel “it’s sad to see the founders no longer involved” and continue to worry – “will its distinctive qualities be lost?” Top Tip – “try to go later in the evening when the band is playing for an authentic French vibe. Also pop into the Bar Americain for a pre- or post-dinner cocktail.”

Rihanna celebrated her birthday in February 2022 at this lavish Creole haunt next to The Ivy, in Covent Garden, where the former site of L’Atelier de Joël Robuchon nowadays combines a restaurant (ground floor), bar (first floor) and roof garden. Whether the tastes of New Orleans are faithfully replicated is a matter of some dispute – there is the odd take-down of “overpriced and under-seasoned dross”, but most reports actually say its gumbo, Louisiana crab cakes and other eclectic dishes are “very good”.

London’s oldest French restaurant (est 1927) has been beautifully maintained over the decades and is a charming relic of old Soho. It inspired diverging views this year though: recommended for top gastronomy by some but “rather average” or “a bit of a tourist trap” to others. A fair middle-ground report is as follows: “I have to admit that I had completely forgotten it existed, and it was actually very good. Seems impossible to imagine how well-regarded it was in its time, but still a perfectly decent place to go”.

With a menu inspired by the French Riviera, this spacious outfit in Golden Square “quickly became a firm favourite for business lunches”, despite the unfortunate timing of its launch in late 2019. Parisian patron Guillaume Depoix’s vision of the ‘perfect Soho brasserie’, it delivers “delicious French food done simply and well”, with a “great clubby feeling, especially when the DJ is there at weekends”.

“Get lucky and score a table in the conservatory and you’ve landed the most romantic rendezvous in town!” at this “lovely” oasis in bustling Covent Garden – for many years now, reporters’ No. 1 choice “for celebrating anniversaries, engagements, weddings, etc…”. The “beautiful glazed dining room is hung with blossom and has both a roof that opens in warm weather and a cosy fire for cold days”. And not everyone feels that all is lost if you don’t nab one of these prime seats (“everyone raves about the garden room but there is a small dining room upstairs that we love too!”). Though it has never been a prime foodie destination, the kitchen typically wins acclaim for its “accomplished modern European cuisine”, which is backed up by “the longest wine list ever seen” (although pricing of some vintages gave cause for complaint this year). There continues to be a school of thought that its food is “sadly not as good as it was pre-lockdown” or that “staff changes have made it seem less welcoming”. But ratings recovered well here this year after a dive last year, and on most of the very many reports we receive: “you always feel special here!”

“Mon Plaisir felt like an old-fashioned time warp when I first started coming here in the 1980s, and it hasn’t changed since!” – this sprawling bistro in Covent Garden is set in “a French honeycomb of rooms” and many of its devotees say it’s “still holding its own” thanks to its “delightful authenticity” (“serving French food – including proper snails and other bistro classics – in the French way”) and its “beguiling” approach generally (“a great place to look starry-eyed into your partner's eyes”). Its ratings are sliding, though, due to numerous other long-term fans losing interest (“I hadn’t been in years and found average food, variable service and a tired impression generally”: “…a pity as it used to be so good!”)

“Paris in Covent Garden” is, say fans, found at this “romantic” small six-year-old – part of a group run by Gregory & Marie Marchand (the former nicknamed ‘Frenchie’ when he worked for Jamie Oliver at Fifteen). Some reporters, though, “had high hopes but were disappointed”: “it was great but very overpriced and too fashionable…”

2019 Review: Quirky, French-run wine-bar (plus upstairs dining room) tucked away just off Carnaby Street, which has dropped on and off the foodie radar in recent years. Scores currently are well off their highs of a few years ago, but it’s still tipped for its wine list and reasonable selection of accompanying nibbles (which incorporate some fairly substantial options).

“Paris comes to St James’s” at this “beautiful and buzzy” two-year-old, which has been one of the more impressive arrivals of recent years (it opened in autumn 2020). “Proper, well-executed French-brasserie food” (snails, crab salad, roast chicken, veal, steak and chips…) – “such a relief after all of the faddy nonsense dominating the London restaurant scene” – is delivered by “first-rate” staff throughout the day, from breakfast onwards. And together with the “amazing” high-ceilinged interior, the overall combination makes for a superb “all-round experience”, if one “with prices to match the location”. Top Tips – “the best dessert trolley in London!” and a “fun” basement wine bar called Frank’s.

2022 Review: Below Maison François (see also), this amiable, new, no-bookings wine bar in St James’s mixes a nowadays-proven formula of unconventional wines with hearty Gallic small plates: charcuterie, pâté and so forth. Handy to know about in a pricey area.

In Thatcher’s day, this was London’s power dining scene par excellence, and this “luxurious, opulent and dark” panelled chamber, just off the hotel foyer, remains “a fabulous room”, especially in which to do business. Run by Gordon Ramsay since 2003, it has ploughed a safe-if-unexciting culinary course in recent times, focused on classics such as Beef Wellington and Lobster Thermidor, with results being consistently decent, if unexceptional. But reports this year took a dive due to concerns about the very poor level of value. Even a positive account hailing “outstanding Arnold Bennett soufflé starters and a superb all-round experience” noted that “the eye-watering bill makes it one just for a special occasion”. For more sceptical souls, “the food is fine, but certainly not worth the price tag put on it”. In particular, critical wine buffs feel the “list is borderline robbery, with incomprehensible mark-ups that seem extreme even for the capital… and unfortunately there aren’t as many oligarchs around now daft enough to pay such prices!”

“In an utterly fairytale setting full of glamour, you can’t help but feel a sense of occasion” on the “unbelievably OTT” top floor of this grand Mayfair palazzo: “from the entrance to the fine-dining experience, it makes for a fabulous date night!” But its “pocket-bursting prices” are a source of widespread complaint, and one or two reporters feel that its elevation by Michelin to its highest echelons was misjudged (“three stars! REALLY? Nowhere near”). While converts are “over the moon due to the stunning reality” of the “joyful intricacy of the cuisine” from a “wacky but delightful” menu designed (from afar) by Gallic superstar Pierre Gagnaire, others discern “a confusing medley of French fiddliness that feels rather outdated”. Service is “faultless” on most accounts, if “in the breathless French-formal style”. Top Tip – “best to go for lunch if you want value for money”.

You pay top dollar to eat quite literally inside an art installation in this room within Mourad Mazouz’s idiosyncratic Mayfair venue, where artist Yinka Shonibare’s pan-African vision replaced the former lurid pink-walled David Shrigley showcase in spring 2022. It makes for “great artefacts to look at”, while the food – either a lavish all-day ‘afternoon tea’ or dinner – is “very, very good”. “But my word it’s expensive” – even “unbelie overpriced” – is a repeated lament even from very enthusiastic reporters.

This “old-fashioned” Gallic brasserie has served “wonderfully consistent French fayre” “right in the middle of Covent Garden” for more than 30 years. It’s “great fun with very decent food for the price given the area”, with a “cheap, cheerful and reliable” prix-fixe menu for pre- or post-theatre dining.