Restaurants

A head chef who’s come from Racine and a manager from Galvin Bistrot de Luxe boded well for the Sloane Square Hotel’s new brasserie, though so far it hasn’t managed to scale the heights of those two stellar French restaurants. The short, daily-changing menu is French-biased with an emphasis on British ingredients. A perfectly fresh mixed-leaf salad came with a generous assortment of smoked duck slivers, duck rillons and cubes of foie gras; also generous was the pile of pickled crab served with avocado and cucumber. A main course of sea bream fillet with mussels and wild mushrooms couldn’t be faulted, but a confit duck leg, though tasty, sounded a couple of bum notes: the skin was overcharred, and the accompanying raw carrot with sweet chilli sauce was an amateurish, redundant extra. Still, we had a great bottle of 2006 Domaine de la Prade rosé, typical of the concise, well-chosen wine list. What’s more, prices are reasonable (most mains cost under £15), service precise, and the room bright, spacious and pleasantly decorated (a Chelsea version of edgy, with exposed bricks, abstract art and green ceiling lanterns). Worth considering for a reliable, civilised, good-value meal if you’re in the area.

Time Out Eating & Drinking Guide 2008