A charming, upscale venue on Gloucester Road, L’Etranger is anything but your typical French restaurant.

The Venue
With a location in one of London’s poshest postcodes, you wouldn’t expect any less from L’Etranger’s interior. A gauzy curtain creates privacy by the front door, but huge windows are perfect for people watching. Inside, decor is attractive but subdued, with dark colours and thick, substantial chairs and tables. A bright purple orchid in a vase sits on each table, adding a bit of vibrancy and colour, and mother of pearl seashells act as holders for the black lacquered chopsticks. Off to one side is the wine cellar, which functions as an off licence until 5pm – it’s extremely popular with oenophiles searching for well priced, rare bottles of wine.

The Atmosphere
The quiet, calm atmosphere is ideal for business meetings and ladies who lunch. Staff are professional but aren’t above a funny quip or two to make you feel at home. Despite its posh postcode and high reputation, it’s a very laid back restaurant – the majority of the diners seem to be dressed well, but even paint splattered jeans won’t raise an eyebrow.

The Food
Although you might think that its location in one of London’s biggest French neighbourhoods – not to mention the name – would make L’Etranger a solidly French restaurant, you’d be surprisingly mistaken. The menu, despite French headings and the occasionally traditional French dish, takes much inspiration from Japanese cuisine. Dishes like wild rabbit and foie gras rub shoulders alongside wagyu beef and black cod with miso, and many choices have interesting Asian twists – oysters come with yuzu jelly whilst scallops are accompanied by edamame and shiitake. High prices are a given in this neighbourhood but a well priced set lunch menu is on offer for £16.50 for two courses and £19.50 for three.

From the a la carte menu, crispy squid with chilli and spring onion (£9.50) is perfectly cooked, with small pieces of crisp, slightly salty squid decorated with slivers of spring onion. In the middle of the plate is a small, circular depression filled with thick sweet chilli sauce, which is spicy enough to add flavour to the squid without overwhelming the light batter. A main of caramelised black cod with miso (£22.50) is just as good. The thick piece of fish flakes apart gently with the slightest touch, and the miso sauce is well balanced, without being too sweet. A thick roll of sushi rice sits on the side of the plate, decorated on each end with black sesame seeds, which looks lovely and adds a bit of creativity to the presentation of a common Japanese dish. The rice is nicely textured, with a hint of a light, vinegary flavour. For dessert, the apple and almond tart with cinnamon ice cream (£8) is moist and rich, with thick slices of fruit topped with a small, round scoop of delicate ice cream.

The Drink
L’Etranger is as well known for their wines as they are their food. Their wine cellar contains bottles of rare and interesting wines, available to purchase from the restaurant and often priced at below market value, making it a hit with wine lovers. It’s no surprise that their wine list reflects what’s on offer from their stores. The massive 42-page list starts at about £20 for a few choices, then moves steadily up in price until it reaches near sky-scraping heights. Most bottles are from France, but nearly every wine producing country makes the list, including Turkey and Slovenia. Half bottles and a few wines by the glass are also available.

Cleverly, there’s a lunch and early bird wine menu, where you can try quite a few of the bottles for less than they’re normally priced, from noon to 3pm and 6pm to 7pm, for tables of up to four people. A £490 bottle of Cristal Rose 2000, for instance, is cut down to £400 – but there are plenty of other, more affordable examples.

The Last Word
With an interesting menu and wine list to match, L’Etranger is an impressive choice. The lunch and early bird menus for both food and wine are well worth a try to experience the quality of what’s on offer without having to spend as much as you’d expect.

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