L’Atelier de Joël Robuchon

We had lunch at Benares, an Indian restaurant near our hotel. It’s run by a chef with one Michelin star. I was a bit disappointed, as I didn’t really find the food to be the creative twist on Indian cuisine we’d been promised, but Dani and Linda liked theirs. The place is a neat two story building off Berkeley Square with a lily pond on the second floor.

We finished our London stay with a visit to L’Atelier de Joël Robuchon in Covent Garden. It was easily the best meal of the trip. It’s a dark place with spotlights on the few bar-height tables; most of the seating is at what looks like it was once a sushi bar, but since there were three of us we got a nice table. Service was great (the waiter really reminded us of a twenty-something Henry). Each of the three courses I had were the best version of that dish I’ve encountered: scallop ceviche, caramelized foie gras with cherries and lime bits, and quail. I’m glad we saved this for last, as it blew away Gordon Ramsay’s restaurants, and the scallop put Nobu to shame.