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London

INCOGNICO

Wonderful things are happening at Cambridge Circus, that little bulge in the middle of Shaftesbury Avenue. Right there, right now, you can eat food of superb quality in the middle of London’s Theatreland. For Incognico is on top form.

Of course, Incognico is not actually in Cambridge Circus – but it is only a few yards beyond it, on the left as you walk along Shaftesbury Avenue away from Piccadilly Circus. The exterior looks like a pair of shops with obscure glass windows. Its inside brings to mind a New York steakhouse: dark and masculine, with wooden floorboards and wall panelling, dark brown leather chairs and banquettes and waiters in brown aprons and green shirts. But spotlights shining onto the white tablecloths and little hints of Art Deco – like the silvered ceiling and a painting of a carousel – lighten things no end. Even though the tables are rather small, I find the atmosphere both comfortable and relaxing.

Incognico is owned by Nico Ladenis, hence the pun in the name. Those of us who remember the gastronomic miracles this great chef used to produce in his triple-Michelin-starred restaurant in Park Lane will wish him every joy in his retirement in France. He should certainly be happy at the current state of the kitchen here. At the stoves is a young man from Marseille, Denis Fetisson. And the evidence of my meal suggests he is a considerable talent.

This is a French restaurant with a French kitchen. But the approach is straightforward: the menu is quite brief (with six starters and six main courses, plus some daily specials) and dishes are basically simple, allowing the emphasis to fall on the fine ingredients and on the care and expertise with which they are handled. My first course, large scallops – roasted with garlic butter and served with a small, dressed rocket salad – made the point. The scallops were wonderfully delicate, their slight sweetness balanced by the dressing. Then one of Nico’s classics – changed. Warm escalope of foie gras with orange and brioche was precisely that – but the brioche was no longer toasted and the orange was no longer composed of caramelized segments, but of fresh pieces and candied strips. I loved the original and I loved this. Orange and foie gras is a brilliant combination of tastes, and the mixture of textures – whether the brioche is toasted crisp or left softly yielding – delights the mouth. My recommendation to Monsieur Fetisson would be to abandon the fresh orange and increase the quantity of the candied. Then his version – like the original – will be near perfection.

Roast fillet of lamb with herb crust and a version of couscous, with a side dish of French beans, also revealed clear, true flavours. And the concluding passion fruit soufflé, with a small scoop of ice cream inserted into its lid, was superbly done – full of taste and utterly ravishing. (These four courses cost £63.50, which I consider decent value for food of this quality.) If Chef Fetisson continues to work to these standards, a Michelin star ought soon to be floating up Shaftesbury Avenue to twinkle over Incognico.

Jean-Luc Giguel oversees the attentive service. He is a tall and charming gentleman from Brittany. But not every one here is French, for I had some pleasant conversation with one of his assistants – the smiling Ian Daly from Ireland. Sommelier Olivier Coraë, another Breton, oversees a wine list which, like the menu, is to the point – with about 100 different bottles (and two dozen halves). Prices range from £16.50 for a sauvignon blanc from the Loire to £685 for the 1985 Côte Rôtie La Landonne from the famous Mr Guigal.

France dominates the cellar, but the two bottles brought to my table by the helpful wine waiter, Arnaud Côme (from the Loire), came from California and from the Lebanon. I have driven by the Stag’s Leap Winery in the Napa Valley a few times. I really ought to call in, for I admire their wines tremendously. This 2001 chardonnay was all I have come to expect: big, bold and well-balanced, with hints of vanilla (£65). My red, though, was a shock. Had I been blindfolded, I would have identified the hot cherries and medium body of the 1996 Chateau Musar (£42) as a lightish burgundy. Yet I am more used to thinking of this wine in terms of the black fruit of bordeaux. It reminded me that one should never suppose that one fully ‘knows’ a wine. Like people, wines are full of surprises.

Two more points need to be made about Incognico. Its bread is always excellent, and plentiful. And it offers the best gastronomic bargain in London. Its three course set lunch and pre-7.00 p.m. dinner is only £12.50. (The choice is very limited and the dishes are not, of course, like those on the carte – but, still, the value is astonishing.)

Yes, there are wonderful things at Cambridge Circus.

ADDRESSES

INCOGNICO

117 Shaftesbury Avenue, London WC2H 8AD, England.

Telephone +44 (0)207 836 8866

Fax +44 (0)207 240 9525

Closed: Sundays and Bank Holidays.

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