French
Bringing a slice of Paris to the London neighbourhoods it inhabits, this classic French restaurant can be found in both Kentish Town and Highbury. The menu emphasises French comfort food – think slow cooked duck confit, croustillant aux champignons (a kind of French pie) along with traditional French charcuterie and starters like countryside terrine, Burgundy snails and oysters. If you’re partial to French grapes they have a considerable selection of natural, biodynamic and fine wine on offer, so whether it’s Grenache or Gamay, Chardonnay or Sauvignon Patron Cave a Manger should have you covered. A true French bistro where dining is casual and the food offering holds up.
Take a trip to France without leaving London by heading to Galvin Bistrot & Bar (just next door to Galvin La Chapelle in Spitalfields which knocks up one of the best Sunday roasts in London). The restaurant’s terrace, which does have covering and heaters should the weather turn, is inspired by the bistros and wine bars of Paris and Lyon, and is continuing the legacy of the Galvin brothers’ bistrot concept following the closure of Bistrot de Luxe on Baker Street. The concise menu is full of well-executed and hearty classic dishes like tarte flambée Alsacienne, endive & Roquefort salad, entrecote steak frites and the famous Galvin brothers’ apple tarte tatin. Pair your food with a glass or two from the French-heavy wine list and you really will feel like you’ve crossed the Channel.
SOUTINE
Corbin & King (the restaurateurs team responsible for the likes of The Delaunay, The Wolseley and Brasserie Zedel) have another hit on their hands with Soutine in St John’s Wood. A little slice of classic Paris in North London, Soutine has been made in the classic Corbin & King mould; an all-day cafe-restaurant (cafe with bar counter seating up front, restaurant in the back). The interiors are gorgeous, all wood panels, artworks, decorative tiles, and art deco lighting. Corbin & King aren’t known for trying to reinvent the wheel and Soutine is no different, with a classic French menu that’s the perfect match for its surroundings. Expect dishes like Isle of Skye queen scallops, dressed simply with lemon and herbs, confit de canard with puy lentils and a side of buttery mash, apple tart, and salted caramel eclair.
CABOTTE
Master sommeliers Xavier Rousset and Gearoid Devaney have brought Burgundy to the City with Cabotte. It’s all about the finest French food and wine, with Ed Boarland (previously of The Waterside Inn and Gordon Ramsey at Royal Hospital Road) heading up the kitchen. His menu features dishes like pork liver farci with smoked sausage cassoulet & pistou, beef cheek Bourguignon, cod with mussels & lobster sauce and tarte tatin. And given that Cabotte is the brainchild of two wine experts and backed by twelve Burgundian producers, the drinks list is extensive to say the least…we’re talking 100 wines with 650 of those coming from the Burgundy region.
PIQUE-NIQUE
Pique-Nique is from the same people behind Casse-Croute and it’s literally just up the road, housed in an old repurposed kiosk on the edge of Tanner Street Park. Like its big sister, Pique-Nique serves up simple and rustic French fare but here it’s split into small plates and sharing dishes, like langoustine bisque and mushroom vol-au-vent, and chateaubriand with dauphinoise potatoes and bar en croute.
CASSE-CROUTE
For a taste of rustic French cooking you don’t have to cross the Channel, just the Thames (and that’s only if you’re not already in South London) to get to Casse-Croûte in Bermondsey. It’s classic bistro vibes, including checked tablecloths and a menu du jour, in French, chalked up on a blackboard. Expect dishes like rabbit with mustard, bavette with green beans & bernaise sauce, sole meuniere, vanilla mille-feuille and tart au citron, and French (what else?) wine to wash it all down with.
ORRERY
French cooking is the name of the game at Marylebone’s Orrery, and there’s a good selection of the fancy classics alongside some more modern dishes. Chef-patron Igor Tymchyshyn proves his pedigree with dishes like Dorset crab, wasabi, avocado & mango; butter soft tournedos rossini with celeriac; chicken parfait, apple, onion crumb, toasted sourdough; and a rhubarb dessert with fruit cooked three different ways. Of course, the twenty-four page wine list and the legendary cheese trolley are reasons enough to visit alone and even though the food is fine dining you don’t feel too fussed over.