South Kensington, French Restaurant Guide

2019 Review: “Fabulous breads and pastries” (as well as “better coffee than some of the favourites”) bring a taste of ‘the boulangeries and patisseries of rural France’ to the three west London sites operated by this outfit from Nantes.

“I love it because it reminds me of when I lived in France!” – Didier Garnier’s “good, old-fashioned brasserie” occupies a tucked-away Chelsea corner in a cute, well-situated backstreet, and is particularly “popular with a local upmarket clientele”, who are forgiving of the fact that it’s “a bit packed and noisy” and a little “expensive” for somewhere not aiming to produce culinary fireworks. Selling points are its “traditional French-bourgeois” menu, “elegant” decor, “attentive and professional service” (with le patron much in evidence), and an “extensive wine list” (which, unlike the food, “is not at Chelsea prices at all”).

‘A taste of rural France on the Fulham Road’ is the promise at this ‘gourmet traiteur’ in Chelsea: an early 2020 newcomer where dishes (to go or for delivery within 4 miles) are designed for reheating at home and prepared by Chris Hill, who most recently worked as a senior sous chef at The Ritz. It’s owned by Dimitri and Mira Plaquet, of a high-quality Belgian food group called La Villa Lorraine. They must be doing something right, as in mid 2021 they launched a second store in Wimbledon.

2018 Review: “Excellent” sharing plates of summery Provençal and Niçoise cuisine shine at this two-year-old, a sibling to nearby Margaux. The location is part of the appeal for Chelsea types – “you can’t beat the Hollywood Road scene!”