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?

Located in a narrow street in Shepherds Market behind Park Lane, where once 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.

My wife 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 given that 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 that very regrettably we didn’t go for the Petrus.

I started with a fresh asparagus risotto with févettes and herb butter while my wife 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 while the wife chose one of specials, a truly enormous Dover Sole with an outstanding herb butter source. She 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.

Richard Tobias

5 Trebeck Street
Mayfair
London W1J 7LT

020 7499 3292