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Restaurants gain appetite for the credit crunch lunch
Anna Davis, Evening Standard17.04.08
Restaurateurs nervous about the potential impact of the credit crunch are reinventing the set lunch.
Good Food Guide London, published by Which?, assessed the quality and value of the lunchtime table d'hôte at some of London's top dining rooms and found many are serving superbly cooked three-course meals - often for well under £20.
The same meal a few hours later would cost around £100.
Guide editor Elizabeth Carter said: "There are more and more good lunch offers available. People won't cut back on eating out completely but they will be a bit more particular about where they spend their money and will be looking for value.
"Set menus have been around for years but in the past no one put any thought into them and they may have been made up of things the kitchen wanted to get rid of.
"Now chefs are using the menus to promote themselves. They are buying things especially for the menus."
Her personal favourite is Wild Honey in Mayfair, which charges £15.50 for a threecourse lunch. "It is very high-quality food," she said. "They may buy a slightly cheaper cut of meat but it is then cooked properly and it is delicious."
At Le Gavroche nearby, the lunch price of £46 includes wine, coffee, petits fours and a bottle of water.
Ms Carter said: "London restaurants can be expensive but if you're savvy enough there are astonishing bargains to be had."
BARGAINS ON THE SET MENU
* Wild Honey, W1 - Diners praise the comforting wood-panelling, the quality of the food and the wonderful wine policy. £15.50 (Prices are for three courses unless otherwise stated).
* One-O-One, SW1 - Fine fish-based haute Brittany cooking. Lunch offers two to six small tasting dishes for £15-£35.
* Galvin Bistrot de Luxe, W1 - A comfortable restaurant where a dream line-up of bistro dishes combines with reasonable prices. £15.50.
* Tom Aikens, SW3 - Stellar cooking offers endless culinary surprises but check out the £29 set lunch before committing to the pricier delights of the à la carte.
* L'Autre Pied, W1 - The Pied à Terre team delivers a level of high-gloss proficiency. Excellent value set lunch at £19.95.
* Le Gavroche, W1 - The absolute classic. For £46, the set lunch delivers haute level cooking and includes half a bottle per person of proper wine - a fine burgundy if you are lucky.
* Le Cercle, SW1 - Tapas-sized portions of high-class, innovative cooking based on the traditions of south-west France. £15.
* Rasoi Vineet Bhatia, SW3 - New wave Indian cooking with meticulous technique. £26.
* Axis, WC2 - A coolly spacious room, great British ingredients and a lunchtime, pre/post theatre menu for £17.50 makes an unbeatable combination.
* Ristorante Semplice, W1 - Exceptional ingredients simply prepared at this small but sassy modern Italian. £18.
