Regularly applauded as a “top-notch neighbourhood restaurant”, La Trompette is smart, serene, sophisticated and civilised – everything you might expect from a Michelin-starred restaurant, but without the stinging prices, pompous attitude or fawning staff.
Whether you’re here for a celebratory evening bash or a chatty midweek lunchtime catch-up, the elegant dining room always looks the part with its contemporary artworks, polished floors, well-spaced tables and views over a classy terrace. Everything gels, and you can almost feel the good vibrations as a pleasant hum of chattering conversation fills the air.
Meanwhile, the kitchen “never fails to provide excellent food” via a daily menu that’s all about muscular Euro-centred flavours and eclectic ideas. Expect lots of intricate detailing on the plate – as in starters of caramelised calf’s sweetbread with girolles, almonds, mustard leaf and hyssop or Cornish red mullet with grilled aubergine, fennel, green tomatoes and togarashi spice.
Carefully sourced ingredients also get the attention and respect they deserve in main courses ranging from Herdwick lamb accompanied by crushed charlotte potatoes, Tropea onions, lemon and summer savory to aged honey-roast duck, roast French corn-fed chicken or wild sea bass with summer beans, octopus, and salsa verde.
After that, the magnificent cheeseboard is a must, but we also suggest dipping into fruity seasonal desserts such as the English gooseberry soufflé or warm poached apricots with wafers and honey ice cream. Meanwhile, readers give full marks to the “efficient, attentive staff”, the “good-value” lunch menu and the voluminous 600-bin wine list.