A big helping of Gallic charm

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So we were unnaturally touched by Comptoir Gascon's gift of a green salad. 'You are the kitchen's last order,' our handsome waiter told us, with a deliciously Gallic shrug of 'it's nothing'.

Not that Comptoir Gascon needs to resort to vegetable bribery to make us feel well-disposed.

Formerly the Club Gascon stable's deli outlet, it retains a taste of South-West France. But now they have installed a few tables and a daily changing menu.

How could you resist something called 'piggy treats'? Ears and fromage de tete (head cheese) jostled with folds of ham, saucisson and blood pudding in a plate of almost erotic porcophile effect. Salade Landaise brought green beans, foie gras, crispy duck skin and confit gizzards.

Then a stout, beany cassoulet and seven-hour-cooked lamb: great but not quite as orgasmic as the version I ate recently in Bordeaux. Still, not bad for Smithfield. And those double-cooked, duck fat chips were sheer, heartstopping joy.

A meal for two with wine, water and service costs about £80. 61-63 Charterhouse Street EC1. Tel: 020 7608 0851. Tube: Farringdon

Comptoir Gascon
61-63 Charterhouse Street, EC1M 6HJ