Chez Lindsay

A cheerful exterior, complete with blooming hanging baskets and a prominent French flag, is an excellent indicator for what awaits inside this popular neighbourhood restaurant in Richmond: authentic Breton-based cooking and a relaxed setting in which to enjoy it.

The dining room is homely and bright, thanks to the large windows at the far end and the bi-fold doors at the front. Book for a sunny day, and it might just feel as though you’re in Brittany, especially if you’re sipping wine from the unashamedly Loire-based wine list, or a thick mug of Breton cider.

The precision of the cooking at Chez Lindsay, rather than an innovative menu, is what keeps this all-day bistro buzzing. Head chef Souhil Hachem, who has worked at the restaurant since 2002, has played an important part in maintaining this consistency, which is evident in dishes such as supreme de volaille à la Normande (chicken breast with calvados cream sauce) and boudin noir (black pudding with apple compote).

Seafood also features highly on the menu, with dishes such as brochette de gambas et lotte (prawn and monkfish skewer) and an impressive plateau de fruits de mer, laden with eight different types of shellfish, just two of the many options.

Galettes are Chez Lindsay’s pièce de résistance though.  Made in the traditional way from organic buckwheat, these pancakes are cooked to order on a flat griddle and come with just about any savoury filling you can think of. If you’re after the true taste of these nutty-tasting pancakes, the simple ‘au beurre’ galette is a solid choice, but if you’re going full throttle, a combination such as king prawns and leeks is a speciality. Les desserts naturally include sweet crêpes, but there are also ice-creams, sorbets and crème brûlée to choose from.

For a taste of Brittany without leaving south-west London, Chez Lindsay has been bringing authentic French cooking to Richmond for decades. Sitting close to the Thames, this independent restaurant specialises in the food of France's north-western coast, where seafood, cider and traditional buckwheat galettes are at the heart of everyday dining.

The restaurant's signature dishes are its galettes - savoury buckwheat pancakes made from organic, gluten-free buckwheat flour. Cooked to order on a flat griddle, they're wonderfully nutty in flavour and available with a wide range of fillings. Traditionalists can opt for the Complète, filled with egg, cheese and ham, while the Super Complète adds mushrooms, onions and tomato. Elsewhere, seafood features prominently, from the Galette aux Gambas with king prawns and leeks to the Galette au Saumon Fumé with smoked salmon and lemon-chive cream. Vegetarian options are equally tempting, including the Galette au Chèvre with goat's cheese, spinach and tomato, or the Complete Vegetarian packed with vegetables and cheese.

Beyond the galettes, the menu showcases the coastal cooking Brittany is known for. To start, there's French onion and cider soup, classic fish soup served with cheese, rouille and croutons, or Moules à la St Malo, mussels cooked with white wine, cream, shallots and thyme. Main courses continue the seafood theme. The pan-seared turbot fillet arrives with grilled prawns, wild mushrooms, artichokes and a dill and caviar sauce, while the grilled sea bass is served alongside Provençal vegetables and warm tartare sauce. The sole fillet with spinach, capers and beurre noisette offers another elegant option. For those leaning towards meat, the breast of corn-fed chicken with mushroom duxelles and gratin dauphinois is a comforting choice, while duck leg confit comes paired with a rich cassoulet of cannellini beans and Toulouse sausage.

Desserts happily nod to the French love of indulgence. Crème brûlée is a classic for good reason, while the chocolate fondant with vanilla ice cream delivers richness in all the right places. For a suitably theatrical finish, the Crêpe Suzette is hard to resist.