Restaurants

The French Table team tries extremely hard to give local diners an outstanding experience – and most of the time they pull it off while still maintaining an air of casual ease. The small dining room is usually packed with groups of friends and dating couples, though the mirrors and pale walls help to increase the sense of space. The waiting staff had the kitchen details at their fingertips, explaining which dishes might arrive differently from the way the menu suggests (‘this risotto is cold’, ‘this lamb comes cooked five ways’) and were impressively attentive (phoning, as requested, when our table became available earlier, replenishing tap water without being asked). Food was fresh, inventive and invariably delicious – if a little fussier than it needed to be given the high quality of ingredients and cooking. Fried plaice in tempura batter with warm, tangy, sauce gribiche provided strong contrasts; also fun was a tumbler containing layers of livid pink foamed crab purée, creamed avocado, crab and that (cold) risotto. However, the lamb was a bit contrived; the effort that had gone into devising its ‘five ways’ was far more remarkable than the actual flavours and textures. Nevertheless, the French Table is worth a detour.

Time Out Eating & Drinking Guide 2008