Steak frite at La Poule Au Pot

THE early days of La Poule Au Pot are almost lost in time. This French restaurant in Belgravia opened way back in 1964. Judging by the framed photos on the walls, little has changed ever since.

This is a restaurant blissfully unaffected by fickle food trends.

Its website describes it as an authentic re-creation of “paysan” France, and this brazen nostalgia has intensified with the passing of time.

The menu offers dishes such as escargots, coq au vin and tarte tatin that are increasingly hard to find, even in France.

Step through the door and you will see a huge wooden baker’s trough piled high with baguettes. The cosy dining room is decorated with bunches of grapes and dried flowers. An antique wagon wheel takes pride of place on one wall.

For some strange reason, this was my first time in La Poule Au Pot. This may have something to do with its location: a short stroll from Sloane Square or Victoria station and on the southern fringe of Westminster.

To get there, I walked past the showroom of Dale Rogers, a high-end fossil dealer, with a huge specimen of an uncoiled spiny ammonite in the window. Glossy crowds spilled onto the pavement from a party at Paolo Moschino, an interior design company.

We took a table in a cosy alcove at the back, lit by a candle. It soon became clear that sultry lighting is a key element of the whole experience.

La Poule Au Pot is a solid choice for a romantic night out – although you might need your phone’s torch to decipher the menu. My friend went for the snails, which were just as they should be: piping hot and swimming in vast amounts of garlic butter, which we mopped up with chunks of baguette.

The cheese quiche was well made, with crisp pastry and a decadent filling of three cheeses.

Prices are about in line with the smart location. If you order from the table d’hôte menu, two courses cost £39.95; or take three for £45.95.

Main courses include steak frites, boeuf bourguignon and a cassoulet, which is also sold as a vegetarian version.

Choose a la carte and the bill will rise. Rabbit with a mustard sauce is £36; the famous chicken in a pot £32.

We went for lamb chops and grouse. Our waiter offered us a choice of vegetables – an old-school touch which was much appreciated.

The cooking here is solid and straightforward rather than spectacular. This is not a kitchen where the chefs fuss over intricate presentation or clever twists on the classics. But the regulars don’t come just for the food. La Poule Au Pot is all about the atmosphere, which is reassuringly timeless.

The restaurant was full on a Wednesday night and it felt like many of the diners – both locals and well-heeled tourists – have been coming for decades, which is a rarity in London these days.

La Poule Au Pot
231 Ebury Street, SW1W
020 7730 7763
info@pouleaupot.co.uk
@ Lapouleaupotrestaurant
www.pouleaupot.co.uk