French restaurants in London
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A
Ledbury
Michelin starred and swooningly elegant, Brett Graham’s artful French restaurant attracts a well-heeled local clientele who wear jeans with designer jackets. To beat the credit crunch, go for the set- price menu.
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B
Roussillon
On a quiet side street off Pimlico Rd, Michelin-starred Roussillon offers such fine service, lovely muted decor and settings, and fresh English ingredients dexterously cooked à la française that we’re almost hesitant to show off this sparkling gem to the world. There’s no à la carte; choose from among four to six starters and main courses at lunch or dinner, or there’s a more extravagant tasting menu (£48 to £58 at lunch, £75 at dinner) of eight courses. The Menu Légumes (£65) puts vegetarian cooking into the haute cuisine league.
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C
Cheyne Walk Brasserie
With a reputation for especially tender steaks, the focus of the food preparation at this brasserie is the large open grill in the centre of the ground-floor dining room. However, you might prefer something like sea bream with lemon and bay leaves with a salad of green beans, pistachio and mint. The belle époque decoration is just this side of kitsch, with turquoise banquettes, red leather chairs, chandeliers and crystal lamps topped with pink shades. The attractive salon upstairs offers stunning views of the Thames (in winter, in any case, when the trees are bare).
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D
Morgan M
This new gourmet addition to Highbury’s eating options is a conversion of an old pub into a very stylish French restaurant. Here it’s all about the set menus, which run from a relatively restrained two courses at lunchtime to the full gastronomic blow out of the six-course tasting menu in the evening. It quickly became one of Islington’s most talked-about restaurants and is a real treat for any lover of traditional French cooking.
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E
Racine
Regional French cooking is the vehicle at this brasserie that looks like it just stepped off the Eurostar. Expect the likes of tête de veau (the classic French veal dish; £16.50), grilled rabbit with mustard (£19.95), and veal kidneys with Fourme d’Ambert (a blue cheese from the Auvergne) and walnut butter. Being French and very classic, dishes might feel heavy to some, but the sauces and the desserts are all spot on.
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F
Flâneur
Dining while shoppers browse in the delicatessen/greengrocer's around you may not sound appealing, but it's just part of the charm of this gourmet deli and unsurprisingly excellent restaurant. Beautifully attired in woods with high shelves stocked with all manner of rare and wonderful delicacies, tables are scattered around the shop, and diners keep the place busy for both lunch and dinner.
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G
Oriel
With its comfortable wicker chairs and mirrors, and tables overlooking Sloane Sq, the Oriel makes the perfect place to meet before going shopping in the King’s Rd or Sloane St. Expect all the usual French brasserie dishes like confit de canard (preserved duck), foie de veau (calf’s liver) and moules marinières (mussels in white wine and cream).
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H
La Poule au Pot
Illuminated with candlelight even at lunch, the ‘Chicken in the Pot’ is a long-established country-style French restaurant that is long on romance and cosiness and somewhat shorter on the quality of what it serves. Still, the alfresco front terrace is a lovely spot in the warmer months. Expect dishes like onion tarte, rabbit casserole and roast guinea fowl.
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I
Les Trois Garçons
Crammed full of stuffed animals in tiaras, dangling handbags and a standing alligator with a sceptre, this is a piece of theatre as much as somewhere to eat. Flashy décor sometimes covers up for sins in the kitchen – we’ve enjoyed the creative French cooking here, but other people are of the opinion that it’s overpriced.
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J
Le Café du Marché
Tradition is a watchword at this quaint French bistro housed in an exposed-brick warehouse down a tiny alleyway near Smithfield Market. The food is mostly gutsy French fare – hearty steaks with garlic and rosemary flavours, fish soup with aioli – and there’s piano playing and jazz upstairs. Meals are set menu only.
reviewed
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K
Chez Lindsay
Offering a slice of Brittany at the bottom of Richmond Hill, Chez Lindsay’s simply furnished dining room draws visitors with its wholesome Breton cuisine, comfortable ambience and river views. The house specialities include galettes with myriad tasty fillings, washed down with a variety of hearty (and very dry) Breton ciders.
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L
La Trouvaille
Just what its name suggests it is, the ‘Find’ is perfect for a romantic dinner. Here you’ll find a gorgeous, warm space perfect for candlelit canoodling and an excellent menu of rich traditional French cuisine – quail and foie gras terrine, guinea fowl hotpot – on a quiet backstreet.
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M
Admiralty
The flagship restaurant of the restored Somerset House has a traditional interior and modern French food. There's a lovely, calming terrace outside overlooking the Thames on which to while away your meal time. The degustation menus are truly sublime - and here's a rarity - there is even a full vegetarian one.
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N
Thyme
As at Clerkenwell's Club Gascon, dishes are starter size only, and served tapas style. So, although the prices look low, this is a mid-range place if you're in any way hungry. It's still worth the outlay, though, because the tastes at this multi-award-winning gem are innovative, subtle and divine. Book ahead.
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O
Chez Bruce
Though Michelin-starred, this feels more like a quality local than a flash restaurant. The rustic façade, beside leafy Wandsworth Common, belies its modern interior. The fixed-price-only set-up means that there’s fortunately no need to scrimp on desserts.
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P
Fishworks Marylebone
A truly French poissonnerie (fishmonger) with a restaurant attached. We return regularly, especially for the sublime Dartmouth crab eaten cold and the incomparable zuppa del pescatore (fisherman’s soup; £19), a symphony of delights from the deep.
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Q
Club Gascon
Club Gascon has earned a Michelin star for its degustation (read ‘fine flavours in small portions’) approach to French cuisine. Order four or five plates to make a meal.
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R
Le Mercury
An excellent and wildly popular budget French eatery where the mains all cost the same very reasonable amount. Reservations are advised.
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S
Spread Eagle
Smart, French-inspired restaurant opposite the Greenwich Theatre in what was once the terminus for the coach service to/from London.
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