Le Colombier

Le Colombier occupies the corner of Dovehouse Street, just off Chelsea Square, where Didier Garnier opened his neighbourhood French restaurant in 1998. The room reads as a corner-site brasserie: a wall of mirrors doubling the space, wicker bistro chairs upholstered in blue, brass wall lanterns, and a narrow staircase leading up to a private dining room. A wide, awning-covered terrace runs along the street outside.

The kitchen holds to French bistro classics: steak tartare, oeufs pochés en meurette, an endive and Roquefort salad, whole grilled Dover sole, and a fillet steak in a peppercorn sauce. A signature starter is a small tin of Breton sardines, opened at the table and served with peanut oil, lemon and onion. The wine list runs entirely French, bought early and in volume and priced on a flat cash margin rather than a percentage mark-up, so its older vintages are often better value than its youngest; it carries a long run of half-bottles and magnums from Bordeaux, the Rhône and Burgundy. Reservations are taken by telephone rather than online, in keeping with a restaurant built on regulars rather than passing trade.