Bastille Day is still relevant in 2016 because it’s the perfect excuse to revisit the best French plates in the capital, which are easily forgotten among all the dirty dining and dude food currently in vogue. Allow us to guide you from aperitif to digestif and everything in-between.
You’ve finished work, you’re thirsty and lo and behold it’s Bastille Day (as if you needed an excuse to imbibe): better start with a classic French tipple. Fulham’s Champagne bar, Amuse Bouche, is the place for high-class French fizz, with 20 varieties to choose from and eight by the glass. Alternatively, saunter down to Fulham Broadway’s Vagabond Wines (above) to sample a wall-to-wall collection of wines – tasters start at just 90p.
Polish off your glass and wobble over to Chelsea’s Sydney Street and Francophile heaven: Brasserie Gustave is an elegant spot for a starter of snails (above). Yes it’s a cliché, but a classic all the same and anything that comes dripping in garlicky butter is worth your time.
You may want to linger, but Colbert on Sloane Square beckons with steak tartare and an endive, Roquefort and haricots salad (above). Our readers tell us “you could be in Paris” at this relaxed brasserie, decked out in red leather with black-and-white tiled floors. From the guys behind The Wolseley, this is a guaranteed winner.
Walk off your main with a stroll north to Pétrus in Knightsbridge, because it’s time for a fancy French dessert. Gordon Ramsay's big-hitter currently has this milk chocolate delice on the menu, with Kent raspberries and rosemary ice cream; we don’t think any further embellishment is necessary on this one.
Enfin, grab a taxi to Mayfair and wash down all that French fare at Jason Atherton’s Anglo/Franco Little Social. The restaurant has just launched a menu of playful, French-inspired cocktails, such as this Café Francais. It's a French take on an Irish Coffee, blending Comte de Lauvia (Armagnac from southwest France) with orange, vanilla, coffee cream and black walnut. Paying attention to French history never tasted so good…
If this French food crawl has fired your Francophilia, here’s our selection of the best French restaurants in London for more ideas.
This article was modified 8 July 2016