A Francophile bastion

In my previous mad dash for the scoop, I missed out on quite a few places - such as hard-to-find Luc's, upstairs in the utterly captivating Leadenhall Market (even the arrival of chains such as Jigsaw and Pizza Express haven't dimmed its charm).

Luc's was a Francophile bastion of carnivorous masculinity in the City for many years until it was taken over by Simon Binder (ex Café Med) and transformed into, um, a Francophile bastion of carnivorous masculinity.

In fairness, it looks a lot lovelier, an artfully scuffed recreation of a Parisian brasserie, all bustle, closely packed tables, zinc-topped bars and long-aproned, non-Frenchly affable waitstaff.

Marinated goat's cheese in a preserving jar and creamy mushrooms on pillowy brioche are fine starters.

As we're the only table consisting entirely of females, we feel compelled to swerve the salads and go straight for a chateaubriand for two, a massive slab of good meat on the de rigeur wooden board, blackly crusted outside and pink inside, with thick, unctuous Béarnaise and mellow green peppercorn sauces. Chips are too-moreish twiggy frites, and taste home-made.

Binder also owns upscale American diner Lilly's in Wapping. I suspect that, released from corporate bonds, he simply creates the kind of restaurants he likes. I like too.

A meal for two with wine, water and service costs about £100. 17-22 Leadenhall Market EC3. Tel: 020 7621 0666. www.lucsbrasserie.com Tube: Bank

Luc's Brasserie
17-22 Leadenhall Market, EC3 1LR