Not much to fancy at this French

It seems as if European-style bakers and patisseries are stepping up their attack: Baker And Spice, Paul and Apostrophewere in the vanguard, newcomer Le Pain Quotidien has added a Belgian perspective, and recently a large, slick establishment called Aubaine opened at Brompton Cross styling itself as 'Boulangerie, Patisserie, Restaurant'.

It's a case of out with the old-style Italian restaurants (Aubaine's nearest neighbour Matriciano has relocated to the King's Road) and in with the 'next big thing'.

During the daytime, croissants, cakes, coffees and quiche rule the roost at Aubaine, but in the evenings the restaurant side comes to the fore. The room is large and airy with the decor an uneasy meeting place for what looks like French garden furniture and gleaming modernist, industrial, exposed air-conditioning ducts. There's a splendid communal table which everyone seems to avoid even when the place is busy.

At first glance the menu reads well - after the salads for those ladies who lunch there are old French favourites like soupe à l'oignon, coquilles St Jacques and coq au vin.

But never forget that Brompton Cross is another country - there are established and expensive restaurants as well as new and even pricier establishments.

Even taking this into account, Aubaine seems to have pitched in at the top end with some fierce prices. £10.25 for a starter of ravioli de Saint-Jean, crème d'asperges et tomates séchées - a bowl with some tiny and well-made ravioli, two spears of out-of-season and tasteless asparagus and two wilted tomatoes. Total ingredient cost about £1.50.

The soupe à l'oignon also disappoints - brown gravy, little intensity of flavour. But thankfully, given that this place is also a bakery, the bread is good.

'Alloyau de boeuf aux trois sauces du terroir au chosir' is a small rib-eye steak served off the bone. It pitches up perfectly cooked but lonely on a giant plate.

The three sauces to choose from are Sauce Robert, Sauce Bordelaise and Sauce Noir. Any pedant will tell you that Robert is an old classic: white wine, onions, mustard, reduced stock. Tangy and rich. At Aubaine it comes as brown jus with a belt of truffle oil, and when you have been asked to pay £17.25 for a small steak, stumping up another £3.75 for a few Pont Neuf potatoes seems a liberty, even if the 'big chips' are very sound.

Another trad French choice is coq au vin, but at Aubaine the chicken pieces were much too small to have been a coq, although they could have been a coquelet, and there were some button onions. Goodness knows how the pancetta listed on the menu got into the recipe but it wasn't much in evidence. The chicken came in a khaki-coloured sweet gravy. This is a dish that needs more coq and more vin.