Jonesy's review of Galvin Bistrot de Luxe

The concept of a Bistrot de Luxe is that you can eat better-than-bistro food at bistro prices. While the set lunch and pre-theatre menu is undoubtedly good value, their a la carte menu is no cheaper than any other half-decent restaurant in the West End, so be warned.

On my first visit to Galvin, the twelve-year-old French waiter thought that my partner should be told which spoon to eat her soup with and which spoon to use for the gruyere cheese. Now, one was a soup spoon and one was a teaspoon. My partner may be blonde, but she knows that one should not use a teaspoon to eat one’s soup with.

The soup itself was a traditional French fish soup, slightly more watery than one finds in most Parisian bistros. The rest of the meal went without a hitch; the food was very good and the quality of the ingredients was evident. In comparison to a Parisian bistro which they claim to emulate, it is on a par with the decent ones.

While the service can be a tad patchy, the food has been of a high standard the few times I’ve eaten here. You could certainly pay the same and get a lot worse, so in all they have a good thing here.