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Montrachet

Seven years since it opened, this bustling brasserie has lost none of its Gallic charm. Smart wait-staff move with ease around white-clothed tables and the red-leather stools that edge the eye-catching marble comptoir. Not a setting, perhaps, for intimate têtes-à-tête, but the outstanding food is rich compensation. Classics such as bouillabaisse and twice-baked sand crab and Gruyère soufflé don’t disappoint. Nor do battered zucchini flowers filled with scallop mousse in a pool of saffron beurre blanc. Sauces demand mopping up with the proffered baguette. Main courses lean towards meat, with roast duck and vegetable ragoût simple and satisfying. Europe dominates a seductive wine list, though too few come by the glass, while desserts are not as diminutive as their price might suggest – rum gives subtle punch to brioche pudding, caramelised banana and coconut ice-cream.