Address: 27 Wick Road, Teddington, TW11 9DN

Telephone number: 0208 977 4779

Website: N/A

Date of visit: 29 September 2011

Approximate cost per head: £20 for 2 courses, set lunch £10.95 for 2 courses

Comments on wine list/beer: basic wine list with most wines around £20 a bottle. London Pride and Sharps Doombar on tap (from £3.30 a pint)

Cuisine: rustic French

Special note: No food served on Mondays and Sunday evenings

Likes and dislikes: proper “French” food – not an imitation – at very reason prices. Please, no fat chips, stick to pomme frites.

Previous review :  30 May 2011

Summary,

The “refurbished” Lion re-opened this month. The front of house is now  set round a modern looking bar with tables and leather arm chairs. There is a “new” dining room at the back and the garden has been semi-paved over with new garden furniture to allow outside eating.

Julian the “french owner” is a very likable Frenchman who goes round greeting his customers. His staff are all French.

I went as a guest of a birthday lunch (2 year old). Julian has provided a huge helium pepper pig balloon and we also had a bottle of champagne and a birthday cake – all on the house.

The menu – thank god – is identical to that of the mother ship – Carpenters Arms in Sunninghill. All traditional and established French dishes.

The daily set lunch offered to start with , jamon, chicory salad, onion soup etc. For main course, you can have tartarflette, minute steak, steak hache, ballotine of chicken etc. 2 courses for £10.95. Amazing value in London.

I had the chicory salad and the steak hache with chips. The chicory ssalad is a simple dishes of sliced leaves with croutons, walnuts and blue cheese – an excellent combination of texture and falavours. It came nicely presented and not over presented.

The steak hache was a “loose” piece of minced meat served slightly raw in the middle – very french, but alais, the chips were British Fat chips. Apparently, they do this to suit the local palate as most of the people round the table acknowledged that they prefer fat chips. This was the only unauthentic bit.

The birthday cake was a rich piece of chocolate cake decorated with berries and served with pistachio ice cream – I don’t normally eat dessert but I ate this one.

I understand that the place is packed on a Friday and Saturday night – booking is essential.

E