French

• The Patate comes to Kentish Town with their beef bourguignon in a bun

  

  They've been serving up their beef bourguignon buns across town and now The Patate are about to settle down with their first permanent restaurant in Kentish Town. 

• Patron Cave à Manger are bringing their Parisian brasserie to Blackstock Road

  Popular Kentish Town brasserie Patron is expanding - they've picked Blackstock Road for their second site, serving up all manner of classic French wine and dishes.

• Test Driving Le Comptoir Robuchon - the legacy of Joel Robuchon lives on in Mayfair

  Le Comptoir Robuchon in Mayfair aims to keep the legacy of Joel Robuchon alive. We head down to try it out (and their amazing pureed potato). 

• First look: Hélène Darroze at The Connaught reopens after 10th birthday makeover

  

  Two months after closing for a major refurbishment to coincide with the restaurant's 10th birthday, Hélène Darroze at The Connaught has now reopened with quite the new look.

  Hot Dinners popped down for a preview dinner at the weekend to check out the work of Parisian design team Pierre Yovanovitch Architecture d’Intérieur and to try out Helene's new menu for the restaurant.

  ...
• Harrods brings in top French pastry chefs for a summer afternoon tea residency series

  

  22/7/19 update, unfortunately, the residencies have been cancelled. 

  Sweet-toothed fans of afternoon tea will want to make a beeline for Harrods this summer. The Knightsbridge department store has enticed four of the best French pâtisserie chefs – Pierre Hermé, Angelo Musa, Cédric Grolet and Yann Couvreur - to put on residencies in their tea rooms.

  The series, which runs from July through to

  ...
• Test Driving Bob Bob Cite - a shiny City palace of fine wines and 'country' French cooking

  

  The much-anticipated sequel to Bob Bob Ricard has opened in the City with Eric Chavot at the helm. We went to see how the millions have been spent.

• Les Platanes on Bruton Place will be chef Thierry Laborde's French Bistrot de Luxe

  French chef Thierry Laborde is back in London and this time he's bringing a taste of southern France to cobbled Bruton Place.

• Wild Honey St James sees the restaurant relocating from Mayfair to Pall Mall

  

  It's always lovely being the bearer of glad tidings, and for anyone who was a fan of Mayfair restaurant Wild Honey, this is very good news.

• 104 in Notting Hill is Richard Wilkins' miniature fine dining restaurant

   

  Chef Richard Wilkins has moved into West London to open his solo venture, serving up a modern French fine dining menu.

• Test Driving Pied a Terre - classic Michelin-star dining keeping it fresh in Fitzrovia

  

  For almost three decades this French restaurant has been looking after folk on Charlotte Street. We went to see why Pied a Terre has stood the test of time.

• Test Driving The French House in Soho with Neil Borthwick in command

   

  Neil Borthwick has taken over the kitchen at The French House and is getting rave reviews. We popped down to check out the menu. 

• Ex Pitt Cue chef heads up Quite Nice Wines' Cassoulet Nights pop-up in Hackney

  

  It's most definitely the time of year where everyone's searching for something seriously hearty to eat - and a month-long pop-up in Hackney aims to provide just that. Cassoulet Nights - as the name suggests - focuses on rural French cooking. The chef in charge of things is Jacob Rosen - the former Head Chef of Pitt Cue. He's teamed up with Quite Nice Wines to provide the perfect winter combo.

  They'll be taking over Apiary Studios on Hackney Road

  ...
• Take a trip to Gascony with Monsieur Le Duck popping up in Spitalfields

  

  A new Spitalfields popup sees a former City worker do just what so many of probably fancy doing - opening a restaurant based on the food in our favourite holiday destination.

  Monsieur Le Duck is the result of London Richard Humphreys' many trips to Gascony. Loving the place (and its food and wine) so much, Richard decided to jack in his job and open a restaurant around the corner from his old office.

  The restaurant, which is popping up at

  ...
• Le Petit Citron sees Brook Green brasserie Mustard given a French makeover

  Classic French bistro dishes, wines, coffee, and pastries will be the order of the day at this revamped neighbourhood spot.

• Test Driving Carte Blanche - a mix of French and American in Hackney

   

  One of the founders of Le Bun has opened Carte Blanche in Hackney - a mix of French and American food, with some excellent burgers too. We head down for a look.