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Five to try: Plat du jour
Evening Standard 16.07.08
Jolly good deal: Cellar Gascon
Serious food: Le Cafe Anglais
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BRASSERIE ST JACQUES
33 St James's Street, SW1 (020 7839 1007) £37
Au Jour Le Jour is the heading above the seven daily dishes at this new brasserie opened by Claudio Pulze with some input from Pierre Koffmann who, in 1993, attracted three Michelin stars to his restaurant La Tante Claire. Andouillette au Chablis, which I tried last week, had a rather sissy creamy sauce draped over its rough-hewn, macho muscularity. Next time I'll try Friday's bourride Setoise. St Jacques keeps correct brasserie hours with charcuterie, oysters, omelettes and the like - entitled Les en-Cas - served from noon-6pm.
CELLAR GASCON
59 West Smithfield, EC1 (020 7600 7561) £24
The wine bar of Club Gascon has launched a weekday set lunch that includes a dish of the day, a glass of wine, cheese or dessert and coffee for £15. A jolly good deal. If you hurry along today you will find Quiche Lorraine with mixed herbs. Tomorrow it will be blanquette of lamb with barley risotto and on Friday seared salmon with seasonal vegetables. The choice of French cheeses includes Pyrenean specialities such as Bethmale, Rouelle and Ossau Iraty.
THE ALBEMARLE
Brown's Hotel, 33 Albemarle Street, W1 (020 7493 6020) £40
I like to think that when Gordon Ramsay banished the trolley from The Savoy Grill it took itself off, trundling along, to the door of Brown's hotel. Mark hix advises on the menu. As you would expect, daily roasts that arrive on the silver chariot have sound British provenance. Gloucester Old Spot pork belly (Mondays), Brymore veal (Tuesdays), Loomswood Farm duck (Saturdays) are some of the name checks, leading up to Sunday's glorious hereford beef with Yorkshire pudding.
THE WOLSELEY
160 Piccadilly, W1 (020 7499 6996) £38
This grand café doesn't need plats du jour to ensure a body of regulars but I dare say some are always there on a Thursday for the duck Parmentier, on a Saturday for Moroccan lamb and couscous, and on a Monday for a comforting casserole of coq au vin. All the daily specials are £15.75, exemplifying generally reasonable prices which contribute to the credit crunch-defying popularity of Chris and Jeremy's stylish gaff.
LE CAFE ANGLAIS
8 Porchester Gardens, W2 (020 7221 1415) £28
The set-price lunch at Rowley Leigh's lovely restaurant is £16.50/19.50 for two/three courses. Regular lunch specials which can be woven into the deal include skirt steak (Wednesday), fish pie (Friday) and roast sirloin of beef with Yorkshire pudding (Sunday). In the evening, each day of the week has a specified roast, some of them whirling on the in-house rotisseries. Problems with dozy service seem to have been sorted. Serious food is arriving in this corner of Bayswater. Le Café Anglais got there first.
Prices estimate first course, dish of the day, glass of wine and service.
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