Top 5 Vive La France!

Almeida is actually the brainchild of Sir Terence Conran

10 April 2012

They may have lost the Olympics to London, upsetting M. Chirac yet again, but the French still have something to celebrate this week. Bastille Day is a fine excuse for a party. It's also a fine excuse to revisit some of London's best Gallic establishments...

ALMEIDA30 Almeida Street, N1 (020-7354 4777). Mon-Sun £55***Whisper it, but Almeida is actually the brainchild of an Englishman - Sir Terence Conran - and many of the staff are British. That doesn't stop the place running a menu that is rabidly French, even down to a trolley laden with fabulous charcuterie. Between Thur 14-Sun 17 Jul there is an special 'Menu Parisien' on offer at lunch and dinner - £17.50 for three courses and packed with classic French dishes.

LE VACHERIN

76 South Parade, W4 (020-8742 2121). Mon-Sun (Mon dinner only) £70

MON PLAISIR
21 Monmouth Street, WC2 (020-7836 7243). Mon-Sat (Sat dinner only) £60
***
At Mon Plaisir they seem to treat every day as if it were Bastille Day. This restaurant is impossibly French, from the Tricolor billowing from a flagpole on the first floor, to the camp decor that is all accordions and French prints and a completely unreconstructed menu. Understandably this has been a hotspot for tourists since it opened, and some would say that over-reliance on the large numbers of visitors has lead to prices nudging upwards, but it is still a firm favourite for many.

CAFE DES AMIS

11-14 Hanover Place, WC2 (020-7379 3444). Mon-Sun (Sun lunch only) £75

LA BUVETTE
6 Church Walk, Richmond, Surrey (020-8940 6264). Mon-Sun £40
***
Bruce Duckett and Lawrence Hartley are the creators (and the names: Bru & La) behind St Margarets favourite, the Brula Bistrot, where simple French food is blissfully unfussy and comes with a gentle price tag. Their latest venture is La Buvette, which is on Church Walk in Richmond and has a 30-seater courtyard for al fresco meals. The menu at the new place is 'more of the same' with a prix fixe lunch - two courses £11 and three for £13.50, and what may be London's cheapest 'fruits de mer' at £19.50. Or opt for the onglet steak served with garlic.

Prices estimate the average cost of a meal for two with drinks

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