Restaurants

As of August 2009, Ambassade de l'Ile has closed, with head chef Jean-Christophe Ansanay-Alex returning to Lyon. The restaurant may re-open at some stage during the year, though as a bistro rather than a fine dining restaurant. Check back for updates. The review that follows is for the original restaurant.


A £2.2 million revamp has failed to make chic this one-time library (former site of Lundum’s). Wall-to-wall shag-pile carpet, buttoned white upholstery and mirrored walls give it an unfortunate disco vibe at odds with the sombre quiet often found in aspiring temples of gastronomy. Chef Jean-Christophe Ansanay-Alex, former personal chef to Christina Onassis, has a highly regarded restaurant called l’Auberge de l’Ile just outside Lyon and had been looking for a London outpost for some time; he apparently fell in love with this building, conveniently situated at the heart of London’s French expat community. The two-floor premises feature both a chef’s table for six and a host’s table for eight to 12. It offers many of the dishes that helped earn the mothership two Michelin stars. Prices start at £30 for the three-course set lunch and rise to £90 per head for a seven-course affair. The carte is not outlandishly expensive for the sector and includes a few dishes for sharing (stuffed pigeon with mild spices, turnips and sweet and sour tomatoes, say). We found much to like, from an intensely flavoured morel cappuccino soup to rosemary-flavoured fried apricots with a sablé biscuit. While there are modern touches (line-caught cod with marmalade ravioli and almond milk), an abundance of foie gras, frogs’ legs, sweetbreads and classic sauces will keep traditionalists happy. The wine list features over 500 bins, some stupendously priced, but the house wine costs £22. In January 2009 the UK Michelin Guide awarded this restaurant a Michelin star.

Time Out Eating & Drinking Guide 2009