The White Swan
Tel : 020 7242 9696 | 108 Fetter Lane
London EC4A 1ES |
There's an air of something
special just detectable on entering the
White Swan. Instantly insulated from the cold, harsh city streets
outside, the interior is all warm lights, big tables and a professional
looking bar. Oh, and a huge stuffed swan above the door of
course. The strange thing here is that no-one seems to be aware
of the hidden gem upstairs. Not the staff, not the legal eagle
locals, not the other punters it seems. We turned up a little
late for our booking but we needn't have worried, the place was
empty. This could have resulted in an atmospheric vacuum but that
was filled admirably by the main man there who exudes enthusiasm and an
easy Gallic charm. From here on in, everything was pretty much
perfect. Suddenly we were transported from a city boozer to a
fine dining room where all the five star niceities
are thoroughly
observed. A high quality bread basket was presented while we
scanned the short but inventive menu and the slightly lengthier wine
list. Both are full of delights making choices difficult but
pleasurable. Both selections are definitely French, no pretence
at pan-European here. Once the dishes arrived it finally dawned
on our little gathering that we'd hit gold. Perfectly executed
French classics with added richness for the London palette appeared
before us, each one exciting, full of delightfully distinct flavours
and sublimely sumptuous. Eating my way through a three-way veal
plate with perfect potatoes made me smile with every bite from the
first fork-full to the last scrape of the plate. My colleagues'
beef and sea bass allegedly delivered equal performances but I was too
busy congratulating myself on my excellent selection. As for the
booze, the first bottle of wine was so good we had to have another just
the same and when we'd eaten and drunk far too much we still had to
have third course whether we needed them or not. Cheeses and
puddings came and went and we were left cheered but perplexed at how
we'd missed this place in our continuing search for the best of the
city. There is a price to pay at the end of the night but none of
cared by then and in fact, we're still smiling.
Food 10/10
Service 9/10
Atmo 6/10
Vege 5/10
Alco 9/10
Total 78%