Restaurant Review - La Trompette

Opened in 2001, La Trompette is an off-shoot of the Square; while going for a simpler style of cooking, in its own way the place is just as successful. In 2008 it finally gained a Michelin star. Here are notes from one of my many meals here.

The wood block floor and leather banquette seating contribute to a slightly formal, even clubby atmosphere, with a brown theme throughout in this low-ceilinged dining room. The menu is refreshingly simple and free of manic experimental flavour combinations or overly flashy effects. The wine list is a corker, one of the best I have seen in ages. Instead of the usual endless lists of unaffordable clarets, the 24 pages of wine list span the world intelligently, taking in good value (an Argentinean Pinot Gris for £13.50) through to careful selection (JJ Prum Wehlener Sonnenhur Spatlese 1993 for £35) through to a nice half bottle selection e.g. Chateau Musar 1994 at £16.50 (I saw the identical wine listed at £49 in one central London restaurant recently). The dessert wine list is a joy to behold, with almost all wines available by the glass. Again they have avoided lists of pricey Sauternes in favour of gems like the Will Opitz One at £55 and De Bortoli Noble One at £35 for a half. There are three (that’s right: three) different types of Pedro Ximines sherry by the glass. Mark-ups are quite fair and there are bargains e.g. a Mas La Plana 1991 Torres was listed at just £44 for a wine that is practically unobtainable now but would be around £40 retail if you could find it .  Mineral water is Hildon. Service was relaxed and friendly, but never missed a beat. Wine was carefully topped up, bread offered without my having to beg, the pace of dishes was just right. The staff appears to be mostly French, with at least one senior waiter transplanted from the Square.

To begin with, three types of breads are offered, a plain white which is nicely seasoned, a black olive and a wholemeal with walnuts; these are made on the premises. They are excellent, fresh and with firm texture, just the right amount of salt and full flavour (7/10). There were no nibbles, so it was straight into the starter. Stella’s starter consisted of two generous fillets of rare grilled tuna served cold, on top of which was a spoonful of guacamole, with shredded fennel under the central slices of tuna. There was a smear of coriander sauce on either side of the tuna, with a Parmesan tuile for decoration. The fish was of the highest quality, dark and with excellent texture and flavour. The fennel was remarkable; very fresh and again of high quality; in fact I cannot recall eating better fennel. I had deep fried sole with tartare sauce, which had sliver of very fresh sole encased in a light batter, resting in a pool of tartare sauce bursting with a fine balance of creamy texture with the sharpness of the capers, with just a slice of lemon and a sprig of parsley as decoration. Tartare sauce has become such a devalued item that it is almost a shock to remember what it can taste like when properly made. Here the mayonnaise was superb, with enough bite from the cornichon and the capers to offset the richness of the mayonnaise (6/10).

I had cassoulet toulousain, a classical version of this peasant dish. The pork belly was remarkably tender, the other pork so tender it fell off the bone at the slightest touch, the smoked sausage was very fine indeed, the white beans tender, the whole dish resonating with a rustic smoky taste (7/10). Stella had pan-fried cod with creamed potatoes and buttered carrots. The fillet of cod was again very fresh and perfectly timed, the mashed potatoes of the rich creamy style made famous by Robuchon, while the carrots were delicate and full of flavour, perfectly cooked. The mash was surrounded by a chive beurre blanc, the fish resting on a small bed of excellent spinach (easily 7/10 for the main courses). In my view, it takes more skill as a chef to conjure something special out of a few carrots and a bit of fennel than to ladle on the truffles and foie gras, and the savoury dishes at this meal showed just what is possible.

A fairly extensive board had a mix of French and English cheeses. The French waitress was very familiar with the contents of the board, something that often does not occur in London restaurants. St Maure was 7/10, a goat’s cheese I had not tried before from Provence was in lovely ripe condition (9/10), St Nectaire (6/10), Lancashire (6/10), Mrs Bell’s Blue (8/10) and a Stilton (7/10) were in good nick. Overall 7/10 for the cheese board.

A crisp apple tart was in the classic style, with dessert apples and light, delicate pastry. This was served with a scoop of very good caramel ice cream, which had smooth, creamy texture and well balanced flavour; there was a drizzle of caramel sauce (7/10). A Square favourite (usually as a pre-dessert) is beignets with a dish of apricot and vanilla yoghurt. This is one of the best dishes at the Square, and here it was reproduced perfectly. The beignets are remarkably delicate, the yoghurt providing a fine foil to the sugary beignets (9/10, just as it is at the Square). Both espresso and filter were of very high quality (7/10). There were no petit fours.