Restaurants

By Victor Goldman

Everyone around us was wearing a suit. Even in the heart of touristy Covent Garden, business diners need somewhere to go - and The Forge caters to their needs perfectly. Nothing too risky, nothing too tricky to eat, and prices which keep the hoi polloi out.

The Forge is the third branch of a Covent Garden mini-chain which comprises Le Café de Jardin and Le Deuxième. Like The Forge, these are (Anglo-)French restaurants 'with a twist'. So next to the French onion soup you might find tempura of smoked haddock with parsnip tabouleh.

We played safe and stuck to the set lunch menu, thereby halving our likely bill. Go à la carte, and most main courses cost in the £15-£18 range - and the staff are trained to upsell, encouraging you to add on vegetable side orders (£3-£4), more water, etc. Where do they think they are, Mayfair? At least the set lunch menu offers better value: £16.50 buys three good courses, plus coffee.

A terrine of foie gras and veal was exemplary; a salad of blue cheese with beetroot and lentils was a simple but pleasing assembly. Bavette (flank of beef) was rare as requested, the accompanying chips fine, though we gave the Thai chicken green curry a miss.

We sloped downstairs to have our desserts in the small basement bar and suddenly it all made sense. This is where deals are clinched over cigarettes and glasses of wine. The atmosphere is conspiratorial - helped along by the chef, still wearing his whites, sitting next to the bar among the customers on our visit. Our chocolate marquise was fine. The deal at the next table was clinched. Time to head back to the office.

Time Out London Issue 1919: May 30-June 5 2007