Dining: London x 3
..... essential dining for the autumn months .....
Three restaurants really stood out over the last few months: Arlington, Devonshire and Josephine Bouchon. Book them into your diaries for this autumn.
1 - Arlington, St James’s
There was anticipation, nostalgia, and a significant touch of excitement as I headed back to the site that had housed Le Caprice from the early 1980s, and now re-opened as Arlington. I had spent a considerable amount of time in Le Caprice during the late 80s, and a significant amount of the 90s. It had gone off my radar and the reports of recent years were not favourable, so time had moved on.
When I heard Jeremy King was re-opening the site, I thought I’d give it some time to settle down, let the new team bed in, and hope that it contained the magic that I had enjoyed over so many lunches and dinners in years gone by. It would be a trip down memory lane, and one hoped that everything that had been its attraction a few decades ago, would still be in place.
The reviews had been patchy. Grace Dent in The Guardian had stated, ‘It’s for spoilt, grown-up babies’. The Glossary takes a different tone, ‘You could bring your grouchiest uncle, your trickiest client, your fussiest niece, or sulkiest teenager, and watch as their bad mood evaporates.’
However, I loved returning to this establishment. The menu feels the same, but the delivery has been enhanced. Who would have thought that their Bang Bang Chicken would be lifted several degrees. That their Caesar Salad would be described by Dent as ’showstoppincgly good’, but it was and every mouthful was perfectly crafted.
Yes, this is never going to acquire a Michelin-Star, but that is not the intention here. This is about a relaxed, superbly crafted environment with enough space between tables to allow time to pass without a feeling that you need to be somewhere else, and gifted service that works effortlessly to provide food and wine that just works.
Jeremy King was in evidence talking to tables, working the floor in his effortless, time-honed manner. I asked him how difficult it had been to re-create this well-loved environment. He nodded, smiled and said, ‘You have no idea how tricky this was to bring back the old shell’. But those endeavours have worked.
On my way out, there was a team of aged ad men enjoying a leisurely lunch. I greeted them and asked their health, one answered, ‘still alive, Parky, still alive’. The age profile on this Tuesday lunchtime was time-worn but the glamour was still in evidence, and then it’s very comfortable to return to a restaurant that has so many very happy memories, to be treated well by the staff, enjoy the food and wine, and leave somewhat elated, at peace with the world.
Arlington, 20 Arlington Street, London SW1A 1RJ - click
2 - Devonshire, Piccadilly Circus
It’s a pub, but so much more. The ground floor, apparently, serves the finest pint of Guinness in London. As I’m not an aficionado, difficult to assess, but this was the response from many who had already drunk a few glasses of the Black Stuff. Dating back to 1793, this landmark has had a recent makeover, and what an inspired transformation.
Is this the best value restaurant in the West End? One could easily make a case. With a three-course menu - prawn cocktail, steak and chips, sticky toffee pudding - coming in at £29, combined with a very reasonably priced wine list, then it ticks a lot of boxes. The menu is very focused on meat.
Above the ground floor pub sits three additional floors. The first has around 30 covers and contains the kitchen, plus the enormous wood-burning system that cooks the meat. The second floor sits across two levels and sits around 80 dinners. On the third floor is a roof terrace allocated for ‘walk-ins’ when the weather permits. However, if you arrive early for your reservation, then you can request that you are placed on the very weather proofed roof and enjoy the alfresco buzz looking down into Soho.
The wine list has over 20 options by the glass: no shortage of options. If you want to push the boat out, then the 2011 Château Cantemerle would be sublime, as would the 2018 Pintia, a Vega Sicilia project in the northern Spanish region of Toro.
As The Standard commented, ‘this is truly about as good as pubs get’. There is a buzz, the tables are close to each other, the waiters twist and twirl, and there is laughter, lots of noise, and a wonderfully positive hubble that can see a few hours effortlessly drift by.
Another search on their website is essential but acquiring a table is tight: they open their bookings every Thursday at 10.30am for 3 weeks in advance.
The Devonshire, 17 Denman Street, London W1D 7HW - click
3 - Josephine Bouchon, Fulham Road by the cinema
This certainly ticked the boxes for Jay Rayner, ‘a beautifully executed act of remembrance’. We were dining with two old friends, and arriving a tad early sat outside enjoying a bottle of Chablis before some of the most accomplished bistro food that I’ve had in years.
Using the term bistro might give the impression that this was simplistic. It was anything but. Whatever sauce had been conjured for my Duck Confit was outstanding: I could happily eat it with any cut of meat until the Grim Reaper eventually decides that the time for restaurant bookings has passed.
Josephine Bouchon is the third restaurant from Lyon-born chef Claude Bosi and his wife, Lucy, that has opened over the last year or so. He has two Michelin Stars at both Bibendum and Brooklands in The Peninsula. This operation delivers timeless cuisine from Lyon that will leave you content but wanting to explore other options from the menu on your next visit.
This had the feel of a very local restaurant with an extremely relaxed atmosphere serving simply delicious and exceptional food. The diners were from the neighbourhood, a fair amount of grey hair was evident, no ties anywhere, and rather like putting on an old jumper, you simply slipped into an immensely enjoyable evening. Service was flawless with an engaging sommelier who was very helpful.
It’s pricey. But as I often say, ‘you can’t take it with you’.
Josephine Bouchon, 315A Fulham Road, London SW10 9QH - click
Do additional bookings beckon before the end of the year for all three? Unquestionably!