Where to go…when you have fifth week blues
Why: It has got to that stage in the term when our summer tans have started to fade, the
winter chill is setting in and the dreaded work load has finally arrived. rather
than visiting Sainsbury’s and stocking up on chocolate, a far nicer and fairly economical
solution to the “winter blues” is to head down to Walton Street and pay a visit
to Le Petit Blanc. This understated and low key restaurant offers the best of what can only
be described as ‘sophisticated comfort food.’ The ambience is warm and inviting and the
food is simply prepared and decidedly homely.What to eat: The menu is fairly expansive, offering a wide range of hors d’oevres including
steamed mussels, foie gras and Thai coconut and lime soup. For your main course you
could opt for rack of Cornish lamb with grilled aubergine and pomme Chateau, or for those
of you taking full advantage of your most recent student loan instalment, the seared king
scallops with roasted fennel is the chef ’s speciality, although it is more pricey than the
other options. It is in the field of desserts that Le Petit Blanc really excels, with
choices ranging from an impressive ‘croustillant of Petit Blanc icecreams and sorbets’ to
the ‘delice au chocolat avec sauce à la cazette.’ Munching on hot waffl es, apple
compote, chocolate sauce and crème Chantilly can assuage even the most severe case of
chocolate cravings and you can almost feel the stress of an impending essay
drift into a vanilla crème brulée oblivion. Raymond Blanc, the celebrated
owner of Le Petit Blanc wrote that this restaurant uses “the finest ingredients, freedom
foods, free range natural and wild produce. These are seasonal and fresh – this is the
foundation of our cuisine”.Where to sit:The restaurant is open-plan so all the tables retain a sense of privacy with
warm lighting and simple, clean presentation despite being quite close together. During
the day the window seats are perhaps the best choice, while the more intimate tables for
an evening meal are towards the back of the restaurant. a fantastic feature of Le Petit Blanc
is the small bar in the foyer where a pre- or post-dinner cocktail can be enjoyed whilst
perusing the extensive wine list. Le Petit BLANC
71-72 Walton Street
01865 510999
Open 12-2.30pm and 6-10pm
(Mon-Fri), 12-10.30pm (Sat),
12-9.30pm (Sun)
Main courses £11.25 – £17.95
Menu prix fixe £12 for two
coursesARCHIVE: 4th week MT 2005
Eat
