Restaurants

Pre-theatre dining is too often dictated by convenience rather than propelled by reputation. Not so at Le Deuxième, where chef Geoffrey Adams has pleasingly upped his game. There are no radical changes, it’s just that dishes are a little less generic and executed with more panache than you’d expect from an otherwise anonymous restaurant that services a whistle-stop throng of theatregoers. A favourite starter is the velvety foie gras with mango tart tatin and madeira jus. Mains, such as duck breast scented with honey and thyme (and almost upstaged by cheeky potato beignets), and sesame-glazed rare tuna with wilted choi sum, arrive with an astutely judged whizziness geared to a ‘doors open at 7pm’ getaway. These ‘understudies’ could just as easily be the leading act of the evening in their own right. The tide of customers ebbs and flows with Shaftesbury Avenue’s programme times; you’d do well to book in advance. Le Deuxième comes ‘second’ only in the sense that it is the more recently founded sibling of Le Café du Jardin around the corner. In terms of performance, it’s first rate.

Time Out Eating & Drinking Guide 2008