Bespoke French restaurant with hard acoustics but unique in its proud use of the canard a la presse (equipment for using every spare drop of moisture and flavour from cooked duck) - pleasingly classic dishes otherwise
This is a very nice little option for something different, especially if you are interested in canard a la presse, which, sadly could not be had on this occasion as it is in serious demand and only so many are possible per week – 24 hours notice is also needed if this option is to occur so on next visit I will gladly give a detailed account to see whether it merits the effort and expense. However, on this occasion, the food was beautifully done and classic. There was a delightful lack of complication in the dishes, whose authority came from the freshness of the ingredients and their simple use.
The salmon, foie gras and steak tartare (with more foie gras) were all highly flavoursome and I enjoyed my first Lamb’s brain which had the consistency of sweetbreads but even more fatty and went down superbly with the accompanying mushroom sauce. The lamb and steak mains were fulsome and although not the most advanced technically, the flavour was certainly there. I would have preferred a little more butter to go with the mash as seemed a touch dry however it was in no way bad. All in all, this is a pleasantly quirky place in its design with welcoming service and absolutely classic French cooking. You will need to speak up if downstairs as it can be a little hard to hear with the panelled acoustics and I look forward to being able to try the full blown cunard press option on the next visit.
Food Grade: 73%
My hobby-turned-passion began to evolve during my assignments to London where I was fortunate enough to be able to explore all the Michelin starred restaurants in my spare time and as a result, I gradually built up a catalogue of all these venues.
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