WHY GO? Try to overlook the location and the tired, washed-out decor. Instead, enjoy the very good, orthodox French cooking and smart but unobtrusive service.

WHAT TO ORDER? Don’t go to Le Pre Grill expecting innovation or tricksiness. Thai-French chef Jai Lafon offers splendidly old-fashioned cuisine with no foams, liquid nitrogen or similar post-modern japery. Onion soup is a by-the-book combination of sweetness, heat and cheesy indulgence. Escargots bourgogne is a feast of garlicky morsels. Lobster bisque, carpaccio and even prawn cocktail add to the nostalgia fest. Main courses include several slow-cooked classics, including boeuf bourguignon and stewed ox tongue. Favourites such as duck confit and rack of lamb are also recommended. A deeply-flavoured broth ensures that bouillabaisse is rather better than the anaemic fish soup/stew that usually occurs when the dish is attempted outside France. Desserts include sweet, light ile flottante (egg white on creme anglaise) and lusciously dark montagne de chocolat.

France is inevitably well represented on a fine list of over 100 wines, but selection seems to be a matter of quality and value rather than geography.