Out to Lunch

Some good Italian and French restaurants in London close in August – so like Paris.

On Thursday after my abortive expedition (what my grandfather would have called a reconnaissance in force) to the Garrison Chapel I was lured into a Catalan restaurant across the way from the chapel.

When I first came to live in London half a century ago there were not many restaurants with outside seating and when there was a less than freezing, dry day they were in demand. I fondly remember La Famiglia in the Kings Road, founded in 1966, family run, still with us and of course closed in August. On Thursday it was cooler to sit inside at the Campaner (it means the bell ringer in Catalan and I suppose references the Garrison Chapel bell). The high arches provide a spectacular airy space (lots of wow factor, giraffe house architecture) lit by oversized lampshades. The chairs are comfy with (Spanish?) leather seats. There are few takers on a weekday Thursday lunchtime in August and its location will not attract passing footfall.

A lunchtime, unspecified set menu was advertised outside but it was not brought to the table until I asked. £35 for three courses, coffee included, is not bad value in Chelsea but the a la carte is much pricier. One item caught my eye – for pets, treats and drink £16. The food is ideal to share: baby gem salad with cecina and tortilla with caramelised onion to start. Cecina is a thin, crisp, cured Spanish meat; next cod tempura and mushroom paella. The paella is served in a proper, shallow cast iron pan. The rice was a bit underdone and had to be scraped off the bottom of the pan. This was a bit too authentic for me. For pudding, crema Catalana and arroz con leche – both delicious.

I have a theory that restaurants shy about producing their set menu do so because it is a loss leader. When restaurants flourish a set menu it may offer poor value, as was the case yesterday at the National Portrait Gallery. By the way did you ever see a padron pepper until about five years ago? Now they are on every pub and restaurant menu as a starter snack. I didn’t fall for the set menu scenario and we had bread and padron peppers followed by linguine vongole with chillies and rabbit tagliatelle, both perfect and neither available on the set menu. Pudding was a rich chocolate cake with mascarpone and a hint of rum (not on set menu) and a small pot filled with a fig crème topped with figs and shortbread on the side.

My conclusion based on these lunches is that it is well worth going to a good restaurant if you choose wisely and you get better value than having an indifferent pub lunch.