Brasserie Zédel
WHAT DID LONDONERS DO before Zédel? I often wonder. The largest and liveliest member of the Corbin & King family, it rescued Piccadilly Circus from the gastronomic doldrums by furnishing a ‘mustn’t miss’ dinner destination unlike any other. A melting pot of all the civilised pleasures, Zédel spreads its gospel of joy from the elite to the masses without once compromising on quality. From Sherwood Street, one enters what appears to be a bijou café boasting the merest handful of tables. Keep going. Descend a curved staircase into the bowels of the building and you’re immediately transported to an Art Deco wonderland on an astounding scale.
Not one but three separate spaces, Zédel comprises the Crazy Coqs for cabaret; the Bar Américain for superb cocktails and snacks; and the cavernous, light-drenched, perpetually heaving Brasserie itself, which might just as easily be the first-class dining saloon aboard a transatlantic liner of the 1930s. Here, the Entente Cordiale is celebrated every night, in a setting in which one half expects to encounter Bertie Wooster and Hercule Poirot dining with Jean Cocteau and the Fitzgeralds. The menu features an extensive range of unpretentious but uniformly excellent bistro classics, with plats du jour and prix fixe options available. Adored by natives and tourists alike, Zédel is that rarest of all things in London: an affordable eatery that always feels like a treat.
See also: The Delaunay, Fischer’s, The Wolseley
