Le Boudin Blanc (W1J)
Ambience
Cuisine
Cuisine
Service
Value for Money
Value for Money
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As a genuine authentic French restaurant, Le Boudin Blanc has a USP that is highly unusual. It's friendly, it's laid-back and the waiters (nearly all French) are polite and smile at you. Sacrè Blue. Whatever next? A British restaurant serving decent coffee?
Located in a narrow street in Shepherds Market behind Park Lane, once where high-class prostitutes plied their trade, this lovely part of Dickensian London has more than its fair share of decent restaurants. But, without doubt, Le Boudin Blanc is the fairest of them all.
The Finn and I decided to go on a Sunday night when most restaurants are half full at best. Not so on this Sunday night. The place was packed and we were lucky to get pretty well the last table.
Warm, cosy, noisy and relaxed, we spent five minutes discussing what we wanted to eat - and just as importantly, what we were going to drink. LBB has one of the most extensive cellars in London with over 350 bins ranging from a modest £25 for a very acceptable Petit Chablis to a very grand Petrus at around £1500. Needless to say we didn't go for the Petrus.
I started with a fresh asparagus risotto with févettes and herb butter while the Finn had warm crispy goat's cheese with honey, roasted beetroot and horseradish emulsion. Both dishes were light and outstandingly delicious.
Now I make it a rule never to eat fish on a Sunday. By definition it can't be absolutely fresh as the last catches on a Friday are served (or should be) no later than Saturday. However, despite LBB having a reputation for serving some of the finest steaks in London, I decided to break my own rule and go for a grilled tuna steak with saffron aioli, fennel and a coriander salad. The Finn chose one of specials, a truly enormous Dover Sole with an outstanding herb butter source and pronounced it the best she'd ever had.
We rounded off, as is our custom, by sharing a pud - an iced nougat with summer berries and coconut meringue. Fabulous.
So there it is in a nutshell. One of the best French restaurants in London, a lovely location (you can sit at tables outside in warm weather), a sophisticated clientele and a final bill of around £120 for two.
The Finn and I decided to go on a Sunday night when most restaurants are half full at best. Not so on this Sunday night. The place was packed and we were lucky to get pretty well the last table.
Warm, cosy, noisy and relaxed, we spent five minutes discussing what we wanted to eat - and just as importantly, what we were going to drink. LBB has one of the most extensive cellars in London with over 350 bins ranging from a modest £25 for a very acceptable Petit Chablis to a very grand Petrus at around £1500. Needless to say we didn't go for the Petrus.
I started with a fresh asparagus risotto with févettes and herb butter while the Finn had warm crispy goat's cheese with honey, roasted beetroot and horseradish emulsion. Both dishes were light and outstandingly delicious.
Now I make it a rule never to eat fish on a Sunday. By definition it can't be absolutely fresh as the last catches on a Friday are served (or should be) no later than Saturday. However, despite LBB having a reputation for serving some of the finest steaks in London, I decided to break my own rule and go for a grilled tuna steak with saffron aioli, fennel and a coriander salad. The Finn chose one of specials, a truly enormous Dover Sole with an outstanding herb butter source and pronounced it the best she'd ever had.
We rounded off, as is our custom, by sharing a pud - an iced nougat with summer berries and coconut meringue. Fabulous.
So there it is in a nutshell. One of the best French restaurants in London, a lovely location (you can sit at tables outside in warm weather), a sophisticated clientele and a final bill of around £120 for two.
Here Is The Writer : Richard Tobias
Richard Tobias brings a much needed dose of good behavior to HITC Life. His extensive career in tourism brought him an OBE in 1998. Richard is an experienced writer, lecturer and broadcaster, and is a Fellow of the Institute of Directors, the Tourism Society and the Institute of Travel & Tourism as well as non-executive chairman of World Media Publishing. His Who's Who entry lists golf, good food and Chelsea Football Club amongst his passions. His favourite dining companion is The Finn, and sometimes her daughter, The Finnette.
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