Boulestin

5 St James's St, London

Back in the 1920s and 1930s, Marcel Boulestin was the first French chef to conquer London’s dining scene. His eponymous Covent Garden restaurant was renowned for its classic Gallic dishes, while Boulestin himself was among the first TV chefs, furthering his reputation through extensive writing, which introduced French cooking to the public at large (and Winston Churchill, who was among his students). His name lives on in this new opening in Mayfair, launched by restaurateur Joel Kissin, who worked for years with Sir Terence Conran establishing his array of groundbreaking London eateries, before moving to the US to do the same. He has returned to London to work for the first time under his own steam – and has produced a tribute to his culinary hero’s style rather than a direct copy. Dishes are classic French paysan fare but supremely done, with a lightness of touch – eggs in jelly, confit de canard, pan-roasted poussin, cassoulet – and a walk-in café that serves breakfast and lighter all-day fare. Monsieur Boulestin would approve. GW. 020 7930 2030, boulestin.com