Prices as petit as Max

Max Renzland has been about. Once he wowed 'em in the 'burbs; then uptown to Knightsbridge; now he's decamped to a Brookside-with ideas development on the river at Battersea.

It's this location that caused my date and I to argue about authenticity: Max's love affair with France is evident in a resolutely Francophile menu and a cheery 'bonjour' on arrival (though he's English from his ponytail to his toes).

I reckon he's always, like here, done a rather brilliant bourgeois bistro. The date, however, mourned the soullessness of the surroundings. I didn't mind the gloominess of the oxblood walls or the unflattering lighting; I thought it on the money, from the surly waiter to the likes of èchine (a recherchè cut of pork) and foie gras bocon (ie served scooped from the wide-mouthed glass jar) on the menu.

Garlicky, creamy mushrooms - some wild, some cultivated - on brioche toast was a comforting starter; sumptuously fatty pork and duck rillettes were the star of a plate of charcuterie. Confit of duck, silky, parsleyflecked mash, savoy cabbage - all superb. Coq au vin's richly vinous sauce was ace; its flesh, though, was a touch on the dry and unyielding side. Most wines in the small but perfectly formed list come by the glass and prices are just a gift: with 12.5 per cent service, we paid £68 for two.

Le Petit Max
14 Chatfield Road, Battersea Reach, SW11 3SE =