Le Chardon

The best fish soup this side of France. That is Le Chardon’s crowning achievement. Real, traditional, no-corners-cut French fish soup, served with croutons, gruyere and rouille. In fact I come here just for the fish soup. I have been tempted to order it for the main course too, but they also do a great steak frites. Oh and let’s not forget those profiteroles. You get the picture. This is proper bistro cooking.

Pick any backstreet bistro in Paris and you will find something similar, if not a little more adventurous. Even the decor of old Parisian street signs and the faded tiles from what used to be a Victorian butcher’s shop give this place an authentic feel. It’s the only restaurant in London where I actually feel that I could be in Paris, especially on a busy Friday or Saturday night when it’s crammed with cheerful customers, closely packed into the buzzing, low-lit dining area. The tiny kitchen is the size of something you’d expect to find in a one-bedroom flat, which an estate agent might optimistically describe as a ‘separate kitchen with plenty of charm’. They also have a garden out back decorated with little fairy lights and plenty of tables to wile-away those summer evenings, when we get them.

The only thing that Le Chardon falls down on is the service. But again, if an estate agent was charged with writing this review and selling the restaurant to you, they would describe the service as ‘quirky, with lots of charm’. And it is. There are no moody dour-faced waitresses here. One generally finds that there is at least one or two experienced front-of-house staff who knows exactly what they’re doing. They help to direct the inept but charming Audrey-Tatou-type catering students that, we reckon, they poach from Paris to train in London, and then send back to Paris when they are competent.

Parisians expect a much higher level of service than we are used to in London, and they demand it, whereas we simply tut and moan. You can get away with ham-fisted waiting staff in London if the food is good enough, but in Paris you would be shot down in an instant, though I have to say their charm at Le Chardon makes up for their lack of knowledge and professionalism. They smile and ask politely in thick French accents if you would like to order your starter, when you have just finished your dessert. But the kitchen is fully competent and food arrives on time without much delay, and most importantly, everything tastes delicious.

The owner, Robert Benyayer, has opened another Le Chardon in Clapham with the same menu, and he also runs the patisserie and coffee shop, Au Ciel, in Dulwich Village. Originally from Cannes, Robert worked at Claridges and La Bouché before opening the original Le Chardon in 1997, with a view to bringing authentic French bistro cooking to London. I think it’s safe to say that he’s accomplished his goal, and long may it last.

Le Chardon, 65 Lordship Lane, London SE22 8EP. Tel. 020 8299 1921. Web: www.lechardon.co.uk