L Restaurant and Bar

L Restaurant and Bar has replaced one of London's landmark restaurants, Trattoo, created originally some forty years ago by the famous theatrical designer Sean Kenny for Mario and Franco, though sadly in recent years it had reached the stage of being rather like a faded elderly lady badly in need of a complete makeover.

I have many happy memories of it, especially as it was where I celebrated at lunchtime on April 18th 1982 after the birth of my second son and the champagne flowed, as there were several friends there at the time. The restaurant was packed in those days

Now Eddy and Miranda Lim have transformed the site, with a deft, light touch, and brought it into the modern age, making full use of the long glass roof, and the gallery area, to create the sort of chic space that a trendy diner is looking for. Operations Manager Jean Luc Vu Han - formerly of Brasserie St Quentin - and Head Chef Laurent Pruvost, who used to work at Le Coq d'Argent, try to ensure that a customer's experience is perfect in every way. Their aim is to please, regardless of whether you wish to have a quiet lunch or dinner for two, take their private room for up to twenty, or hire the entire venue.

Service is friendly, from pleasant young staff, while the food is interesting, described as Modern Iberian, you can choose from a sensibly short selection, but with plenty of tempting dishes on it.

At lunchtime, they have a very reasonable fixed price menu, offering choices such as the soup of the day or goats' cheese salad with marinated pepper and mixed leaves, followed by char-grilled breast of corn-fed chicken with sautéed leek and shitake mushroom, or pan-fried salmon with patata bravas and piquillo pepper sauce. Pudding could be chocolate parfait with caramelised banana. At £15.50 for two courses, this represents really good value in relation to the quality of the food.

Tapas come in varying forms, as ever; keep a lookout for Serrano Aragon ham with chicory and walnut salad, pork croqueta and pear dressing, mini chorizo wrapped with bacon, baby squid with lemon mayonnaise, fish cake dill crème fraiche, and tomato and goats' cheese toasts.

Offerings on the main menu might include spinach and ratatouille puff pastry with poached egg and aubergine caviar, zarzuela de Pescado (hake and shellfish catalonian stew), seared yellow fin tuna with figs, pine nut and sweet sour sauce, roasted duck breast with sautéed spinach, glazed baby turnips and strawberry sauce, rump of lamb with cauliflower, almond puree, and rosemary sauce, and rib eye steak with French fries, mixed leaf salad and rioja wine sauce.

Frequently seen desserts are chocolate pot with crème fraiche, best enjoyed with a glass of Don Gonzalo sherry, vanilla cheesecake with strawberry sorbet, or a classic crème brûlée. However, the carte changes frequently so you are always assured of something new from which to select.

A well-travelled wine list offers a fair range, few of which break the £25 mark, with a few high fliers included. France features strongly, and one or two bottles around the £20 mark represent particularly fair value; Eddy is clearly a fan of Sauvignon Blanc, so they offer a Sauvignon de Touraine, better than many Sancerres, as well an excellent one from New Zealand.

I, for one, am delighted that they have succeeded in re-establishing the place as somewhere that Londoners are flocking to, bringing back happy memories of the old glory days there. The menu is constantly changing so do check on their Website for up to date news.