Restaurants

The streets surrounding Gloucester Road are chock-full of neighbourhood eateries, but judging by the glam crowd dining here on a midweek night, L’Etranger is a different kind of animal. From the moment you walk through the door, service is sublime. So it should be at these prices. The great draw is Jerome Tauvron’s wonderfully slick East-West menu, which stretches from magret de canard to wagyu beef teppanyaki (a snip at £49 a go). This is serious designer-dining territory. Shades of lilac and pale grey create a cool backdrop to the main event. A starter of squid with chilli and coriander was crisp and flavoursome, but the sublime quality of the ingredients shone through in the main courses: melt-in-the-mouth Pyrenean shoulder of lamb with grilled aubergines; and scallops, beef and prawn shabu shabu (a bowl of sumptuous raw ingredients presented fondue-style to cook in boiling water at the table). The wine list is encyclopaedic to the point of burden; a basic but drinkable Chianti starts things off at £28 and a Montrachet comes in at £1,400 – but the sommelier is able to size you up quickly enough.

Time Out Eating & Drinking Guide 2008