Restaurants

Les Trois Garçons laughs in the face of simplicity with a dramatic room that Salvador Dalî might have co-conceived with Miss Havisham, filled with tiara-ed taxidermy and a multitude of bizarre objets trouvés.Food is similarly bold and complex, offering technically demanding, multi-element dishes in artistic (perhaps sometimes pretentious) presentations. Were it to fail in its ambitions, this would be no more than a novelty restaurant – but it dazzles more often than it disappoints. There was a ‘Surreal Things’ menu on offer when we visited, to tie in with a V&A exhibition; we tried the ‘Table With Bird’s Legs’ (in tribute to Meret Oppenheim), which turned out to be frogs’ legs with asparagus, quail eggs and brioche. It was subtle and exotic. Another starter of foie gras was deliquescent, pleasingly teamed with green apples and rhubarb. For mains, veal sweetbreads with cannelono and salsify was excellent, but salmon was less good, its accompaniments confused in an unnecessary carrot velouté. The service is formal but can be abstracted; the clientele a mix of special-occasion diners and a vaguely mysterious international crowd. Dishes are expensive, so too the wine (though an £8 glass of pinot noir was excellent), but you do get a side of glamour with your grub.

Time Out Eating & Drinking Guide 2008