Brasserie is Best

Les Deux Salons, 40 - 42 William IV Street, WC2N 4DD

As Christmas approached, the members of the Fork household were preparing to spend Christmas apart. Heathrow weather permitting, Mr F and I had planned to spend the holiday season in separate hemispheres. Naturally, the only proper way to prepare for this prolonged and unseasonal separation was to start eating well (in a truly festive manner) before others had even thought about their first mince pie. Enter Les Deux Salons.

Arbutus has long been a favourite on my side of the Fork family. It is where my parents took us to celebrate the Fork engagement. So when we were looking for somewhere for a pre-Christmas lunch with my family, the (relatively) newly-opened sibling to Arbutus seemed an appropriate choice. 

Through weathered mirrors, copper-topped bar and red velvet upholstery, Les Deux Salons evokes an old-fashioned Paris brasserie. The menu keeps with this style, offering traditional French dishes such as bavette, brandade and crème brûlée. We chose to intersperse classics with dishes reminiscent of favourites from Arbutus.

There was an obvious Dinner Winner during the first course. The ravioli of rosé veal, cavolo nero and goat's curd was interesting, the meat playing the slightly unconventional role of pasta wrapping, and the snail and bacon pie was a  beautiful, flaky vision of pastry-clad contrasting textures and rich flavours. However, without any need for outside mediation, there was a clear consensus that the warm salt cod brandade was the best. Subtly-flavoured, fluffy-potatoed fish was excellent but it was the contrasting crunchy nuggets of squid and, best of all, parsley croquette that elevated the dish to the sublime. 

The main courses presented us with a new challenge. Despite much tasting of each other's meals, there was no clear leader. We were in the unfamiliar territory of an all-round draw. Everything was phenomenal. Bavette had a wonderfully intense flavour and texture. The roast rabbit with winter vegetables was close to Arbutus's fabulous dish, although the rabbit pie which accompanied the original was sorely missed. Ox cheeks melted into a rich, savoury gravy which was perfect for squishing into creamy mashed parsnip. Perhaps closest to the coveted first place was the roast saddle of lamb, where pink, perfectly-tender meat was rolled and stuffed with slightly bitter wilted greens. 

Gluttony won for the dessert. A vaguely healthy attempt at ordering fruit, in the shape of clementines with frozen champagne, was tart and fresh but not life-changing exceptional. The much-lauded rum baba was fantastically boozy, having been soaked in extra rum at the table. However, nothing could beat the crème brûlée. It was simple and elegant: a perfect example of a great dish. In many ways, it represents the restaurant itself: nothing controversial or unfamiliar, just typical cooking executed exceptionally well.

It is almost impossible to fault Les Deux Salons: the staff are friendly, the surroundings are stylish but relaxed and the cooking is well polished. Perhaps it could be accused of being unadventurous but, whilst innovation and originality have their place, for pure enjoyment it is difficult to best a great brasserie. As it is the end of December, Mr F and I found ourselves remembering our best meals of the year. A late entry, Les Deux Salons was definitely near to the top of our 2010 list. It was only later I realised that we had omitted our visit to Le Quartier Français from our list, despite it being one of the Top 50 Best Restaurants in the World. Not that Le Quartier was disappointing but their extremely fussy and uber-creative style of cooking was less enjoyable and even less memorable, it turns out, than an excellent take on a well-established formula. Brasserie 1: Fine Dining 0.

I win