What can you tell me about the Green Man & French Horn?
It's the fourth place to be opened by Oli Barker and Ed Wilson - the chaps behind Terroirs, Soif and Brawn. Like their other restaurants, it has a laidback vibe and French focus. Unlike their other places it features a seafood section on the menu and looks to the land close to the Loire when taking inspiration for the dishes and wine list. A former pub, as the name suggests, it's been given a total make-over (or should that be under) resulting in an exposed brick, slighly ramshackle look that makes it look as though it's been here forever.
Where is it?
On St Martin's Lane, close to the St Martin's Lane Hotel and a few steps from both Leicester and Trafalgar Squares.
Who's it suitable for?
We liked the fact that the crowd here wasn't easy to pigeonhole. On a Friday night there were groups of friends meeting up after work, couples on dates, people perched up at the bar having a quick bite and a glass of wine and us. It's got an easy, laid-back atmosphere (and clever decor) that makes it look as though it's been here forever and a day.
Where should we meet for a drink first?
There are stools and benches that you can perch in by the entrance here while you're waiting, although if you'd prefer somewhere more comfortable how about the basement bar at The Forge on Garrick Street or gastropub Angel & Crown which is just a few doors away.
And where should we sit?
Tough one, this. We had a lovely table in the heart of the room opposite the counter which we liked, but you could also pop in without booking and perch up at the bar, which looked like a really convivial choice.
What should we order?
Well everything we tried was great - so it honestly depends on your budget. We ordered a fabulously chunky terrine (£7) to share between two while we worked out what to order. We started out vegetarian - going for ceps persillade (£12) - a plate full of thick sliced ceps, slick with oil, garlic and parsley and also a plate of earthy girolles and artichoke served up with an egg yolk (£9.50).
After this we both had a single scallop served up in its shell with seaweed butter (£6 each). Now it was time to get serious, so one of us went for the black pudding with pot au feu vegetables (£15) which was a revelation - the stewed sweet vegetables were a perfect pairing with the fibrous black pudding. We also had a roast partridge served with a smooth celeriac mash studded with pickled walnuts (£19).
Puddings were a lovely poached pear sat in a thick salted caramel sauce and served with a sable biscuit (£7.50) and - our favourite - a cremet Nantaise with figs and rhubarb which turned out to be fromage frais whipped up with egg white and icing sugar to make it delicately sweet and a perfect dessert when you've already pigged out quite badly.
Is bread included?
It is, and we had it replenished again and again as we used it to mop up the mushroom's garlicy juices, spread terrine on and dip in that great nettle butter.
And what about drinks?
The wine list follows the restaurant's focus on the Loire valley with a range of wines that frankly we'd never heard of. We started with a glass each of two of the sparkling wines - both of which were great value at just £5.75 but it was the Pink Bulles Domaine Jean Maupertuis that we fell in love with instantly. Thank God this place wasn't open during the summer, as this is pretty much the perfect sunny day aperitif (although we managed well enough with it on an arctic autumnal evening). We relied on recommendations for the rest of the meal which included a fragrant La Dilettante Vouvray from Domaine Catherine & Pierre Breton and two glasses of sweet wine for the end of the meal. Prices once you step off the list by the glass or pot are punchy, but it's such an interesting list you may well want to push the boat out. Certainly everything we tried was not only brand new to us, but seriously drinkable too.
And how much will this set me back?
Average spend here is apparently around £25-£30 with wine - although you could drop in for the plat du jour and a glass of wine for a bargainous £10 or go all out for the prix fixe which had just been introduced on the day we went for £50 for five courses.
Overall thoughts?
We haven't tried all of Oli and Ed's places, but if the Green Man & French Horn is anything to go by, we need to rectify that quickly. Just days after eating here we were planning a return trip, which has to be a good sign. Our one quibble would be that trying to get hold of a waiter's attention on a busy Friday was hard - the youngsters here are friendly once they get to you, but they need to watch the tables more before they hang back to chat to each other over the cheeseboard. But that was just the tiniest annoyance - the grit in the oyster as it were - of a brilliant night out. Definitely recommended for multiple return visits.
The Green Man and French Horn, 54 St Martins Lane, London WC2N 4EA.
Read more about the Green Man and French Horn
Prices were correct at time of writing. Hot Dinners were invited to eat at The Green Man and French Horn.
