Cuisine: French

Cost:

Rating:

Where?: 19 – 21, Monmouth Street, Covent Garden, London. WC2H 9DD.

Closest station(s): Covent Garden, Leicester Square, Tottenham Court Road.

Telephone: 0207 836 7243

Website: www.monplaisir.co.uk

Mon Plaisir in Covent Garden is French, it is very very French. The staff are very French and the décor is very French – it purports to be London’s oldest French restaurant.

Unsurprisingly, the food is very French and clearly in the time that they have been open they have learnt how to turn out very reliable and well-cooked Gallic grub. The menu certainly ticks all of the boxes for a French restaurant – snails, steak frites, duck confit, steak tartare .. the list goes on.

The restaurant itself is nicely presented and as long as you aren’t the only people there an atmosphere is soon created. Luckily it is a popular restaurant and has a good pre-theatre following so there is a buzz at most times.

The starters are around £10 and the mains £19; for this you get extremely competent classic French cooking; the dishes are unlikely however to wow – there is something a little dated about the whole experience. To my mind there is however certainly a time when it is exactly what you may be looking for. The house wine at £18 means that costs do not spiral excessively.

For me the greatest draw for Mon Plaisir is the pre or post-theatre menu. At £13.95 for 2 courses with its central location it is perfect for Shaftsbury Avenue and only a moment from London’s finest theatre (in my opinion) the Donmar Warehouse. For this you get a selection of two courses that are expertly cooked and often accompanied by side dishes that allow those who want a bit more to eat to fill up to their hearts’ desire.

Accomplished and reliable French cooking, for me the a la carte is a little on the expensive side however the pre-theatre is certainly worth a punt.