Richard's review of L'Atelier de Joel Robuchon

By far the best way to enjoy this restaurant is to sit at the counter and watch the theatre of the kitchen unfold. No sreaming Ramsay fits, but a group of people who genuinely seem to be enjoying themselves, and who are more than happy to take time out to chat with you about what they are doing.

The red and black, dimly lit decor isn't to everyone's taste, and the elevator music should have been left in the lift, but the staff are friendly, the service attentive and the food is supremely good. The tapas size plates are the most fun, with the ability for the kitchen to show what it can do. From simply sliced Iberica ham and basil infused pan con tomate, to foie gras stuffed quail every dish hits the spot, the highlight being pigs trotter on toast with parmesan. This has all the right ingredients: pork; check, cheese; check, bread; check, and the assembly is a small mouthfull or two of pure heaven.

Okay, so there is clearly a downside to the otherwise unending stream of superlatives; the price. Yes, the aforementioned pigs trotter is terrific, but at £12.00 (before 12.5% service) for a pre-starter size, is on the rich side (the tapas range from £9.00 through to a heafty £19.00!). This, however, is relatively sane when compared to the £100 for a main course of spaghetti with white truffle. A TON. For pasta. Here's my advice; get a Sleazyjet flight to Venice, go to Harry's Bar, have the same dish (with much more truffle), a bellini, get back on the plane and keep the change.

So get somebody else to pay, or splurge, but probably not the place to go for if your peckish and have a few quid to spend.