Bloomsbury, French Restaurant Guide

“A small but perfectly crafted menu” from former Rochelle Canteen chef Anna Tobias wins admirers for her revamped greasy spoon in Bloomsbury, opened five years ago with help from the 40 Maltby Street team. “The ingredients are the star and the dishes sing – everything is so deliciously scrumptious”, say fans – “there’s no frill or nonsense here, just Flavour with a capital F”. There’s an undercurrent of feeling, though, that the prices charged might justify a little more pizzazz.

“Presided over by the delightful, knowledgeable and gracious Mathieu Germond” – “MG and his staff make you feel welcome from beginning to end” at this “totally professional but wonderfully warm and genuine” Fitzrovia “gem”. Named for the Loire village where Le Patron’s grandparents owned a farm, the “well-spaced” room “gives you the feeling of being able to spread out and relax (try to be seated upstairs for the full experience)”; and “you aren’t rushed”. “Classic techniques with a modern twist” deliver some “excellent” modern French cuisine but an even greater attraction is the “incredible” selection of “heavily French-oriented but interesting and well-priced” wines: it’s “a true oenophile’s paradise run by someone who clearly appreciates the company and custom of those with a shared interest” (“we simply asked Mathieu to produce bottles that he thought we would like and that would go with our menu choices. We were introduced to some excellent vintages, including ones where he was happy to open a bottle that must have been quite costly just to see if we would enjoy it.”). “Splendid!”

An “utterly charming gem” that stands out in Fitzrovia’s foodie Charlotte Street thanks to the “lovely, inventive Mediterranean-inspired food” provided by chef-patron Jun Tanaka. The “buzzy dining room” is among “the best in the area” – “relatively small with the casual feel of a neighbourhood restaurant” and “not at all stuffy for a Michelin star place”. Top Menu Tip – “the pain perdu is amazing”.

A set from ’Allo ’Allo would struggle to seem more French than this “classic brasserie” near Covent Garden, billed as the capital’s oldest French restaurant and now under only its third family ownership in 74 years. But “pretty ordinary food and service” often undermine “the Gallic charm of yesteryear”, leaving some diners reporting a “rather a sad come-down from the glories of long ago”. More romantic types, though, feel that “holding hands in this legendary space still works at whatever age… with traditional brasserie food, good wines, and a pleasant atmosphere”.

“Solid, classic Gallic cooking in the heart of Soho” has proved an enduring formula for London’s oldest French restaurant, which opened in 1927 (but has origins dating back to 1896). It helps that it occupies a “charming” and “timeless” dining space where the “professional service” (“no intrusions”) adds further to its “traditional” appeal, making it ideal as a place “to impress” for “a central London business meal” or to charm a date. There’s some debate over whether the food is “superlative” or merely “solid and classic” but it is consistently well rated in reports. Top Menu Tip – “excellent (and very reasonably priced) pre-theatre venue”.

“Very classy” – Will Lander & Daniel Morgenthau have another hit on their hands with this Lyon-inspired, two-year-old addition to their portfolio, which immediately became one of the 40 most commented-on venues in our annual diners’ poll. It encapsulates the same urbane, sophisticated but un-showy appeal that’s won high popularity for siblings such as Clipstone and Portland. The “beautifully judged, high-end bistro” dishes “encapsulate all that is best about French food but without any of the fussiness” and are “informatively” served alongside a “stellar and diverse” wine list, all in a “lovely and convivial atmosphere” and “at a fair price” too. Perhaps the interior is “not the easiest space” though – table spacing is tight “so if you’re tall might feel a tad cramped”.

“Really solid brasserie-style food that’s nothing fancy, just well done” helps win praise for this chic, two-floor Parisian-style space in Covent Garden, overlooking Neal’s Yard: rotisserie chicken is a mainstay of the “fairly short menu” which regularly features terrines, grills, charcuterie and small plates. But while it’s universally acknowledged as “a great little place”, it’s maybe “pricey overall”; and it also doesn’t yet inspire the volume of feedback one might expect for somewhere associated with one of London’s better known chefs.