As the newspapers have been telling us for weeks, the good thing about the credit crunch is that the top restaurants are running special menu for the mere mortals out there, and I, of course, jumped at the opportunity.
Food
L’Atelier provides a 3 course pre-theatre menu with two choices for each course. We nearly didn’t make the menu as, although I was seated before 7, Slokky was running late. Luckily I pleaded with the waiter who relented, so I had one of the best meals I have ever had.
I really enjoyed the Les Poireaux - Leeks terrine, beetroot vinaigrette. I never knew you could get so much flavours into the leek, but there you go. Slokky still viewed it as onions, so it wasn’t to his taste. He preferred the L’Oeuf Frit - Deep fried hen eggs served with dry fruits, pine kernel and salad - of course, with a wonderful concoction of egg sitting on top of some delicious salad.
The La Truite de Mer - Pan fried sea trout with shallots, olive oil crushed potatoes - again hit the mark, enhanced by the side ingredients. I think it’s the best when the ingredients seem so simple, yet you have no idea how they got it to taste the way that it does. The L'Agneau - Confit leg of lamb, coco beans came with a side dish of the most delectable beans. I would be happy if I just ate that, but the lamb was nicely done. I’ve had lots of lambs in my lifetime, and this one is probably in the top 10%.
After watching the float of desserts before me, I was really looking forward to it. The dessert of the day was 5 tarts – chocolate coconut pistachio cream, lemon, chocolate, cinnamon. My favourites were the lemon and the coconut pistachio. The cheese of the day, Blue cheese (from somewhere in France but I forget the name), bread and berry compote was also yum. I wish there was a bit more variety though.
Rating - 9
Atmosphere
Having walked past a L’Atelier in Paris, I can report that all of them look very similar. All based around the theme of a totally open kitchen, where you perch on stools to watch the chefs at work. Indeed, the waiters serve you from inside the kitchen, and the chefs sometimes serve you directly.
Unfortunately, as we were the last of the pre-theatre crowd, there was no room at the kitchen, so we had to perch on some normal chairs, where we can kinda see the heads of the chefs, but not what they were doing. It was definitely too early to spot any celebrities, but there were definitely quite a few French speakers there.
Rating - 2.5
Service
I was very surprised. As usual, the waiters were French…well, it seems like everyone in that place was French somehow anyway. The waiters were thoughtful but relaxed, and not the stuffy formal kind. I really like this, it is refreshing and modern, and just what is needed. They are obviously proud to be working there, because they would smile broadly at us every time they walked past with someone else’s dessert, and advertise what it was that we could get. The only "stuffiness" that we got was from the
Rating - 4
C-factor
£25 for the 3 course pre-theatre menu, otherwise it’s £80 for the degustation or even more for a-la carte. I do believe that the place is special, and I applaud them for making it more accessible than a once a year experience.
Rating - 1
Brownie Points - 16.5
Info
13-15 West Street
London
WC2H 9NE
Phone +44 (0) 20 7010 8600
Website
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