Josephine Marylebone

Claude Bosi’s latest homage to the cooking of his home country welcomes with an intimacy that sets it apart from big sister Josephine in Chelsea. Intentionally as French as can be, the style here, decorative and culinary is laid on thickly, evoking an old-fashioned Parisian bistro. It’s a feeling reinforced by the bustling atmosphere – on our lunchtime visit tables were turned at least once, though no one ever seemed to be rushed by the well-drilled staff.

Scrawled on a mirror is the plat du jour list – if it’s Tuesday it’s blanquette de veau – and the carte bangs home the message with the likes of snails in garlic butter, beef fillet with bearnaise sauce, and Dover sole meunière. An oyster bar dispensing towering platters of fruits de mer, langoustine, lobster, crabs and (of course) oysters is a noteworthy, if pricey success. Those on a budget should look to the fairly priced, short choice set lunch, which on our visit delivered a generous slice of terrine by charcutier George Jephson, an expertly made boudin blanc with pomme purée and sauce blanquette, and a textbook crème caramel.

The slick, extensive wine list explores France in detail, while well-chosen Rhône house wines are available ‘au metre’ – the bottle is left on the table and you only pay for what you have drunk – very good value at £7 a glass, £28 a bottle.