La Trompette On The Cheap

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Same standards of excellence at a set price

A friend of mine has been suggesting a ladies lunch for some time now though when she announced that she had booked a table at La Trompette, I nearly choked.  Hiding receipts for new pairs of shoes is one thing - but getting away with lunch at La Trompette was a whole other matter!

I needn't have worried for La Trompette offer their award winning cuisine as a set price lunch, which at £23.50 for three courses proved to be excellent value.

My companions and I were given an excellent table right at the heart of the chic dining room from which we indulged in our favourite past time of people watching.  The lunchtime crowd were an attractive mixture of business types, couples and, of course, ladies who lunch.  Our surroundings, whilst being incredibly stylish, were relaxed and welcoming made more so by the attentive though not intrusive service.

Floundering somewhat with the extensive wine list, we asked our wine waiter for advice which he delivered with an impressive knowledge of not only grapes and wine regions, but also vineyards.  We settled on a bottle of 2004 Costieres de Nimes Rose to accompany starters of red mullet with ratatouille, baby squid, courgette flower fritter and a sauce nero made with squid ink.  My companions had the rare grilled salmon with crisp fennel salad, tapanade with sauce vierge and the cassoulet of pata negra port belly with salsa verde.  Each dish was beautifully presented and tasted divine.

For mains we stayed with the Rose to accompany cod fillet with olive oil mash, provencale red peppers and grematola and a truly excellent roast hallibut with braised celery, wild mushrooms, Serrano ham and truffle veal jus.  If the descriptions appear a little flowery or over complicated, I assure you the food that arrived certainly is not. 

Simply put this is French cuisine at its finest, one mouthful of the hot chocolate pudding will attest to it.

La Trompette has been showered with accolades from the outset which, in my opinion, are every bit deserved.  Time Out heaped praise on the restaurant saying, "This sleek assured Chiswick Restaurant all but purrs with well-placed confidence."  They added 'never mind best local', La Trompette more than holds its own with anything W1 can offer.

Although it goes without saying that such acclaim pales in comparison with the honour of consistently topping the poll on Chiswickw4.com.

Three course lunch including wine and coffee - £39.

Three hours spent with fine wines, delicious food and good friends - priceless.

Emma Brophy

July 2nd, 2005