Restaurant Sauterelle

Not a typical place to entertain friends if you are not working in the city. I've bought numerous overseas visitors to the restaurant. I haven't heard any bad things from them about the food, but dinning in a historical building of Royal Exchange in the Bank area was one of their “off the beaten track” tourist experiences.
I was backed to Sauterelle last night but this time with local friends. It was not too busy for a friday evening. Service was friendly as usual. We have the a la carte menu rather than the set. I wasn't particularly hungry so I skipped the starter. I chose a fish course for the main. The “melt in your mouth” fillet of halibut was very juicy. It was placed on top of a bed of earthy puy lentil complemented by the delicate razor clams and samphire. The whole plate was bordered by a black ink sauce, odd looking but quite tasty. The Rhubarb desert was refreshing though the rhubarb itself was slightly too tangy for my taste. I enjoyed the rhubarb sorbet with the thin short bread more. Overall another satisfied (but not spectacular) meal and what I would have expected from Sauterelle.

I normally shy away from Conran restaurants viewing them more as more Mac-fine dining, never particularly good, but equally never particularly bad. So right on expectations, Sautrrelle came in decidedly average.

I had a quail starter which was pieces of quail on a salad of leaves and beans. For main I had pigeon which was pieces pigeon on a salad of leaves and beans. So similar that it was only portion size giving away which was which! Although the main did have peas added to the mix, but they looked like they were out of a can that had been open for a good week.

Nice view looking over the hubbub of the bar below though.