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Fear of empty tables has prompted London's Michelin-starred restaurants to tempt diners with cut-price deals.
Some are charging as little as £12.50 for lunch as they try to fight off the recession.
Fifteen — boasting 17 stars between them — are charging less than £30 for a set menu, with some offering five courses as part of the deal.
Two-starred Pied à Terre in Fitzrovia has a five-course lunch for £29.50, two-starred L'Atelier de Joel Robuchon in Covent Garden has two courses for £19 and one-starred Tom Aikens in Chelsea has two courses for £23.
Among the best bargains are at Arbutus in Soho, where a three-course lunch is £16.95, Nahm, the Thai restaurant at the Halkin Hotel in Belgravia, with two courses for £15, and Club Gascon, West Smithfield, with the dish of the day, a glass of wine, pudding and coffee for £12.50.
David Moore, owner of Pied à Terre, said: “Business is only just starting to return to normal but we are still seeing a culture of seeking better value for money. Being at the top of the market does not exclude us from needing to seek ways to put bums on seats. The credit crunch has taken its toll.”
Dishes on his menu include foie gras pâté, parmesan gnocchi, a tartare of tuna, roasted wood pigeon with glazed endive, stuffed pig's trotter and a mango and lime velouté.
Will Smith, owner of one-starred Arbutus and its sister restaurant Wild Honey, Mayfair, which also has a star and has three courses for £18.95, said: “We have all had a tough year. The bottom line is we would rather have a busy, buzzing restaurant than one which is half empty.”
Dishes on offer at Arbutus include beetroot salad, caillette of pork with potato puree and panna cotta with caramelised apple.
Ben McCormack, editor of Square Meal restaurant guide, said the Michelin-starred restaurants were playing a dangerous game.
“It sits rather uncomfortably with the branding,” he said.
“The Michelin star is the gold standard so to have a Michelin-starred restaurant offer last-minute deals looks a bit like a cry for help.”
Where to get the capital's best deals
**Pied à Terre, Charlotte St, W1. Lunch set menu, five courses £29.50
**L'Atelier de Joel Robuchon, West Street, WC2. Lunch and pre-theatre set menu, two courses £19
*L'Autre Pied, Blandford Street, W1. Lunch and pre-theatre set menu, four courses £19.50
*Tom Aikens, Elystan Street, SW. Lunch set menu, two courses £23
*Club Gascon, West Smithfield, EC1. Lunch set menu, two-courses £12.50
*Rhodes W1, Cumberland Hotel, W1. Lunch set menu, two courses £19.95
*Arbutus, Frith Street, W1. Lunch set menu, three courses £16.95
*Wild Honey, George Street, W1. Lunch set menu, three courses £18.95
*Amaya, Motcomb Street, SW1.
Lunch set menu, two courses £22
*Chapter One, Orpington. Three-course Sunday dinner £24.95.
*The Quilon, Buckingham Gate, SW1. Lunch set menu, three courses £20. Dinner set menu, three courses £27.50
*Umu, Bruton Place, W1. Lunch set menu £21
*Nahm, The Halkin Hotel, SW1. Lunch set menu, two courses £15
*The Greenhouse, Hays Mews, W1. Lunch set menu, two courses £29
*Foliage, Mandarin Oriental Hyde Park, SW1. Lunch set menu, four courses £29
Reader views (1)
Let them eat cake!
- Richard, London, 19/11/2009 08:14
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