Aubergine

Continuity is rightfully appreciated and respected at Aubergine, and following the departure of William Drabble (who clocked up eleven years in charge), Christophe Renou has taken the helm; he first worked with Drabble back in 2003, and was most recently sous chef at the Aubergine outpost in Marlow. The aubergine-coloured canopy picks out the restaurant on Park Walk and the subtle branding continues inside, too, from the pictures on the plates to the motif on the cutlery. Abstract art and generously-sized tables set to impress, while the French cooking, its roots deep in classicism, mark this as a restaurant of refinement and ambition. The excellent service strikes the right note. Both lunch and dinner bring on an abundance of extra delights, including, perhaps, goats' cheese croustarde as a canapé, an amuse-bouche of butternut squash soup topped with a bacon foam, pre-dessert (vanilla pannacotta with strawberry and candied basil), and a divine selection of petits fours. Precise technique and real depth of flavour are evident in a starter of a single, plump raviolo, filled with juicy snails and an accompanying garlic and herb 'aigo bulido' delivering powerfully complimentary flavours. The exemplary quality of the ingredients is confirmed in a fine piece of turbot (in a main course pot au feu), and technical precision runs all the way through to dessert in the form of a first-class individual tarte Tatin. The wine list, predominantly, but not exclusively French, packs a punch both in terms of the quality of the growers and the prices. Aubergine previously held three AA Rosettes which are currently suspended due to the change of chef. A new award will be in place once our inspectors have completed their meal assessments.

W along Fulham Rd, close to Chelsea and Westminster Hospital
Nearest station: South Kensington, Fulham Broadway

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