Maida Vale, French Restaurant Guide

La Patronne, Catherine Parisot, was just in her twenties when she started this “lovely” old-fashioned charmer in St John’s Wood and has run it for over 43 years now. A very loyal clientele from all over London has discovered it over the years, and for them it’s a huge “favourite” that’s particularly “perfect for evenings ‘à deux’”. Her classic ‘cuisine bourgeoise’ is “old-fashioned French cooking at its best (you would struggle to match it in France)”; and features “a number of staples on the menu that have been on forever (her pea soup is unbeatable!”). Its ratings no longer scale the pinnacles they did some years ago, but the overall tenor of reports remains overwhelmingly positive: “so French, perfect food, perfect service, I love it!”