L'Etoile

Elena's L'Etoile
30 Charlotte Street
London
W1P 1HJ

Tel: +44 (0) 207 636 7189, +44 (0) 207 636 7189
Fax: +44 (0) 207 637 0122

Thursday 9th Nov. 2000

After a hard day on business in London, my friend Bob and I wandered down Charlotte Street looking for somewhere reasonably nice to eat. We'd been disappointed the night before, so we were willing to push the boat out a little - it was on expenses after all!

After stopping to glance at several menus (we had already overdosed on Italian and Indian) we opted for L'Etoile. It looked inviting from outside, and the menu was interesting. We were lucky to get a table, and perused the menu. I started with a spicy Crab Bisque, and Bob had Crispy Duck. Both were excellent. We both had the Lamb fillet for main courses. This was beautifully tender, and pink inside. Served on a bed of ratatouille, tomatoes, garlic cloves and Pesto, we shared a helping of fries with it. The dish was "just so". We glanced around and found we were in the company of at least two (inter?)nationally renowned figures (discretion prevents me mentioning names), and it was obvious that many of the clientelle were long-standing regulars. The walls are plastered with autographed photographs of celebrity diners: from Michael Douglas through Parkinson, George Melly to Tony Slattery (!).

Elena was present throughout the evening, and made a point of not just asking us how the meal was, but having a little conversation - a nice touch which was appreciated. She was not averse to helping the staff out either!

It was heartening to see the staff all seemingly enjoying themselves - they were at ease with the clientelle, and vice versa. Bob had Blackcurrant Cheesecake, and I had Rhubarb crumble with clotted cream - it was very much better than I had expected - I mean just what can you do with rhubarb crumble? Nevertheless, it was not soggy, neither too sweet nor too sour, and nicely presented. A couple of Kronenbourgs, a bottle of Fleurie, a couple of glasses of Port and two cappucinos to finish off. Luvverly!

Just less than £115 in total, including the optional 12.5% service charge. I will definitely make a point of returning to this restaurant. I could not fault it, and they made us feel very welcome.

Heartily recommended.

Sandro Melkuhn