This glamorous Covent Garden stalwart offers great meal deals for the pre- and post-show crowds, but why not make dinner here the evening’s main event? The quality food, smooth service and oh-so-French ambience certainly merit an unhurried mid-evening stay once tables are vacated by those scurrying off to the adjacent theatres and opera houses.

The Venue
Waiters, smartly attired in the French brasserie style of white shirt, dark tie and trousers and copious apron (and thankfully lacking Parisian attitude), patrol two stylish floors of muted colours, beige stone floors and tables set with crisp white cloths and napkins. The basement, despite enjoying a good ceiling height and the services of a pianist, (Wednesday to Saturday nights) is the less attractive option: there’s just no competing with the almost floor-to-ceiling windows that run the length of two walls of the ground floor, allowing diners to watch the world go by and feel part of the scene.

The Atmosphere
Friendly and relaxed, despite the staff’s collars and ties and the starched napery, yet with an undeniable touch of glamour and sense of occasion, too. The dress code is casual, but if you come in jeans, make them designer plus heels, not high street with trainers.

The Food
The menu is more global than the Gallic name, setting and staff suggest with flavours of Italy, Spain and the Far East as prominent as those of France. A list of 13 starters includes pretty-as-a-picture baby spinach and Roquefort salad with roasted pine nuts and garlic croutons (£6.50). The leaves are zingily dressed, the blue cheese full of flavour and the croutons fresh and crunchy, but the roasting of the pine nuts is a bit tentative A drizzle of delicious pesto round the plate’s circumference proves more than decorative. It’s a somewhat parsimonious portion, however, and would be better balanced if the proportion of leaves were increased. Nevertheless, overall, it’s a hit. There’s nothing stingy about a large ramekin of rich and velvety but over-chilled foie gras parfait with mango salsa and toasted raisin and walnut bread (£7.50). Even though the scrumptious bread (which seems to be char-grilled, not toasted) is a veritable doorstop of a slice, it runs out before the parfait. The salsa, which initially seems an odd addition, actually works well, providing a counterpoint of sweetness and crunch. Not perfect, perhaps, but another definite winner.

We’re off to Italy for the next small menu section which features gnocchi, two pastas and a risotto, all as starters or mains (£6-£7.50/£11.00-£14.50). The mains proper showcase adventurous ingredients like ostrich, guinea fowl and rabbit. What is exceedingly French is that there is not a single option for vegetarians who would be forced to retreat to the Italian sub-section for either the aforementioned gnocchi or one of the pastas.

Rare grilled tuna on bok choi with a sesame seed glaze (£15.50) comprises two juicy steaks, correctly pink in the middle. The bok choi has retained its crunch. The sauce’s sesame and sweet soy flavours slightly overpower those of the fish and vegetable. Fillet of sea bass with crushed Jersey Royal new potatoes and roasted pepper dressing (£15.50) is the night’s high spot. The delicate white fish is cooked perfectly, its skin impeccably crisp. The potatoes are crushed to the point of being a mash and arrive moulded into a well-seasoned, herby disc. There’s not much roasted pepper dressing but it is so intensely sweet and vinegary, only a tiny blob is required with each mouthful and it lasts until the end.

From a nine-item dessert menu (all £5.75) plus cheeses (£6), lemon tart with strawberry salad gets 7 out of 10. The lemon filling is creamy and agreeably sharp and the top has been bruleed but it’s let down by thick, undercooked pastry. The generous portion of chopped berries marries beautifully with the lemon. White chocolate can be horribly rich and cloying but a white chocolate torte with bitter chocolate sauce works brilliantly. The texture, surprisingly, is gossamer-light, and the inspired addition of a slug of Bacardi rum cuts the sweetness of the chocolate perfectly. This dish ought to be called ‘white chocolate and Bacardi torte’ rather than ‘white chocolate torte with bitter chocolate sauce’ because the sauce is a mere squiggle on the plate (with the same amount of creme anglais) and contributes nothing. Misdescription aside, this decadent pud almost steals the sea bass’s crown as dish of the night.

The Drink
As with the food, the wine list at this very French establishment surprises by being so global. It’s also very affordable (with 11 choices by the half bottle and about 15 by the glass) with only the fine wines commanding a three-figure price. Both house white and red are Symposium Vin de Pays de l’Aude N.V. at £12.50. Top-of-the-shop white is Puligny Montrachet (Domaine Alain Chavy) 2005 at £65 whilst its red equivalent, Gevrey Chambertin (Domaine Mugneret-Gilbourg) 2004 will set you back £85. Seven champagnes (£38-£80) and four roses (£18.50-£35) complete the list. You can relax after dinner with a filter, espresso or cappuccino coffee (all about £2) and teas include breakfast, Earl Grey, camomile and peppermint, all at about £2 as well. Fresh mint tea is a nice touch, at £2.75.

The Last Word
Le Café du Jardin has become one of the cornerstones of Covent Garden’s dining scene since its 1993 opening, and deservedly so. The location is unbeatable, and it opens for lunch and dinner seven days a week. What’s more, last orders are not until midnight (11pm Sundays) which, even in 21st-century London, remains note- and praiseworthy. There’s an honesty about the place - the food is sensibly conceived, executed and priced, and there are no look-at-me wines costing thousands of pounds – yet it has sparkle and glamour, too. As an adjunct to a night at the theatre, or as a main event, it’s hard to beat.

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