Bibendum

Michelin House, 81 Fulham Rd, London

The former home of Michelin remains a fitting home for a classic Anglo-French dining affair in the capital…

When Michelin House opened back in 1911, few people could have predicted how synonymous the tyre company would become with fine food. So it seems fitting that its former home still contains a fine restaurant. And, ironically, when I say ‘fine’, I mean in the highest quality sense rather than the finicky food that often gets bestowed with one of those famous stars. In the spacious restaurant in what has been described as ‘the most completely French of any Edwardian building in London’, chef Matthew Harris has been maintaining the ethos set out by Simon Hopkinson when he first opened in 1987 with Terence Conran and the late Paul Hamblyn.

While Harris clearly takes influence from France, offering the likes of foie gras terrine and Armagnac jelly and Bourgogne snails, he doesn’t forget that for all its Frenchness, Bibendum needs to retain a sense of place. Hence we have haddock and chips, Bibendum’s classic roast chicken with tarragon, best end of lamb with asparagus, and so on. The desserts follow the British/French ideology with crème brûlée sharing a menu with steamed puddings. And, of course, one thing our two nations share is the love of a good steak and, even by today’s increasingly high standards, Bibendum does a bloody good steak.

Mentioning good service and a genuine desire to use seasonal produce at a place such as this, seems a bit like stating the obvious, but it shouldn’t be taken for granted. Especially when you’ve got Bibendum himself (that’s the Michelin man to you and me), looking at you from the stained glass windows, butter dishes and anywhere there’s space for a bit of Michelin memorabilia. He’s got high standards, that bulbous chubster, and while the menu doesn’t feature anything molecular (or anything requiring a science degree to create), he would surely approve of the restaurant that bears his name. It’s where he would go for a thoroughly satisfying, tasty meal that ticks all the boxes and, more importantly, fills the stomach. Big windows bathe the restaurant in natural light during the day, making it perfect for one of those old school working lunches which take about four hours to complete. And, to reiterate a point, not being sat cheek by jowl also makes a nice change from the plethora of places packing the punters in any which way. AM. 020 7589 1480