Otto’s
Bloomsbury, London
A loving tribute to la vielle France, Otto Tepasse's enchanting, personally run restaurant serves up its distinctive version of cuisine ancienne against a charmingly affectionate backdrop of statuettes, vintage lights and plush velvet banquettes – plus some bizarrely kitsch Marilyn Monroe memorabilia tossed in for good measure. It is wholeheartedly dedicated to preserving the ancestral French ways – the chopping and blending of steak tartare tableside, the dissection of truffle-enriched Bresse chickens, the shelling of crustacea, the flambéeing of desserts and, above all, the mythic pressing of Challans ducks and lobsters using antique Christofle contraptions – though this luxurious 19th-century speciality must be pre-booked. Or you can always step back in time and feast your way through the regular bourgeois repertoire: crisp frog’s legs and Burgundian snails; calf’s brains with brown butter and capers; ‘large’ Dover sole meunière; richly sauced tournedos Rossini; veal sweetbread with bone marrow and morels. The theatre continues all the way to desserts of Grand Marnier soufflé, tarte tatin flamed with Calvados or dark chocolate and orange moelleux. Wines are stoically Gallic by persuasion (and proud if it), with a goodly selection of half-bottles for those on a tight budget.
