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Please note, Le Bistro is now closed. Time Out Food & Drink Editors.
With its glimmering candlelight, black-and-white tiling and clutter of junk shop finds, this charming venue has the feel of a Left Bank bistro that hasn’t changed in decades. Moth-eaten stags’ heads peer across the dimly lit dining room; vintage Orangina posters adorn the walls. All that’s missing is an authentic soupçon of superiority; the waiters are far friendlier than their Parisian counterparts, if considerably slower. Appealing brasserie standards are on the carte: half a dozen oysters or rouille-topped fish soup to start, say, followed by slow-roasted pork belly with braised red cabbage, or rack of lamb with lyonnaise potatoes. The smart money is on the compact set menu, though, which offers sterling value (though no vegetarian mains on our visit). A delicately dressed smoked chicken salad, and a wedge of deep-fried brie with blackcurrant coulis, were artfully assembled and generously portioned. Star main course was a tender, perfectly pink Argentinian steak with pepper sauce and crunchy, matchstick-thin frites – a steal, even taking a £3 supplement into account. Le Bistro isn’t perfect (a side dish of vegetables was under-seasoned and overcooked), but easy charm and modest prices make it an ideal neighbourhood bolt-hole.