Given the chequered history between the British and the French, with these two nations having fought in excess of 40 wars on opposing sides, finding a French restaurant inside the hallowed and historical halls of the Old War Office might seem odd. However, in the relative peace of the post-Napoleonic era – despite sometimes suspiciously eyeing each other over La Manche – the ability to enjoy the very best of French cuisine in the heart of London has led to a very special relationship. When Raffles London at the OWO opened, Café Lapérouse was the cafe concession chosen to bring a Parisian institution to life within the new hotel’s impressive modern glass-walled pavilion.
The original restaurant in Paris, Lapérouse, is named for a French explorer and Secretary of State of the French Navy in the time of Louis XVI, who travelled to destinations as far flung as Alaska, Hawaii, China and Australia. Café Lapérouse has something of these sea voyages reflected in the decor, an art deco maximalist feast of tropical golden jungle carpet, teal cushioned seating with scalloped patterned print on the scalloped shaped chair backs and, as though there wasn’t already enough scallop, the circular bar at the centre of the room was bedecked in real scallop shells along the area where it met the sloping arches of internal white portico columns. There were not, as far as I could tell, any scallops on the menu, but that might have been overdoing it.
Café Lapérouse is possibly still finding its feet; as a casual dining location in an opulent setting, it seems to attract people having business meetings as well as romantic couples and hotel guests from Raffles itself. The music was exactly to our liking – the full 1980s hits playlist – but very unusual for a restaurant in a historic building (or even a historic building’s glass annexe).
In terms of service, Baptiste was charming and Gamze made every effort to ensure that we had a lovely dinner, including moving us when we found the nearby business meeting too intrusive for our friendly birthday celebration. The highlight of Café Lapérouse, which I suppose is the main purpose of any dinner, was the food. Having enjoyed an excellent cocktail or two (the Provencal Spritz from the Signature menu was a great aperitif and Charlotte was very happy they could make an Aviation to her liking), we began with a plate of Parma ham, with cornichons and some salty butter.
We moved on to the most typical of French starters: a buttery and rich duck foie gras with perfectly toasted brioche and citrus chutney and six equally buttery escargot, fat, juicy and served in their shell. Eating escargots has the unique and delightful pleasure of manipulating various torture devices to wrestle the curly fiends from their homes and into your mouth, while simultaneously trying to get as much butter as possible in your mouth and as little as possible on the table. It is a feat I have yet to master. The well-balanced honey of the Alsace Pinot Gris from Domaine Jean-Marie Haag provided a fruity accompaniment to the foie and was easily our favourite wine of the evening.
On the other hand, both of us were seriously impressed by the main courses. I don’t normally order chicken in a restaurant, because it seldom seems better than what I can make at home, but Café Lapérouse blew all my assumptions out of the water with the divinely succulent chicken breast served with morels and cream. Charlotte was similarly impressed; the filet steak with pepper sauce was tender and she described the onion garnish on top as ‘movingly good’. With the steak in particular, the peppery Princesses red from Domaine Parpalhol in the Languedoc was an excellent choice.
Being French cuisine, there was no shortage of butter in either the wonderfully smooth pomme puree – something like potato ice cream! – or the seasonal vegetables that we selected from the range of classic sides available. Both dishes were amply bathed in their respective sauces and, had we not already eaten bread with three separate dishes, I might have been mopping every drop up like the uncouth glutton I (secretly?) am…
Never ones to resist the call of the cheese, especially in a French restaurant, we opted to share the tasty cheese selection – a brie, a blue and a hard cheese, although there were no further details provided and what arrived appeared to include an ash coated goats cheese and a rind washed cheese instead. These were safely accompanied by a Pinot Noir from Domaine Rene Bouvier, a wine made specifically for Café Lapérouse.
Dessert was a hit for me once again though, with a decadent and rich dark chocolate souffle, lightly salted coconut ice cream (if you have never put salt on fresh coconut, try it immediately) and a deliciously sweet glass of Sartarelli, the first departure from the French vineyard that we had yet encountered. Charlotte’s rum baba was less impressive, but still a tasty version of the classic and consumed in its entirety.
Café Lapérouse might be a little unconventional and it’s hard to exactly put my finger on whether it wants to be relaxed fine dining or a bistro in a pretty dress, but we came away with the feeling that we had eaten well. Overall, the peaceful union of British historical setting and French cuisine has given life to a rather cute little restaurant in the nook of this impressive courtyard; food is, after all, something that can bring us all together and this food is well worth getting together to enjoy.
Café Lapérouse
Raffles at The Old War Office
OWO Courtyard
7 Horse Guards Avenue
London SW1A 2EX
United Kingdom
