Fresh, warm, crusty bread to start. Seared ahi tuna sushi - so fresh, so delicious, so many flavors and textures - spiciness of the wasabi and the sweetness of the miso dip on the side. Dessert: "death by chocolate"? SO decadent, basically a platter of desserts - creamy green tea ice cream, flavorful passion fruit / mango sorbet, warm and rich chocolate molten lava cake, and more. Service was great and the ambience was very romantic, sweet and modern. Love it! read more

L'Etranger - Death by Chocolate Dessert - French Near Me - London, XGL

Lunch at L'Etranger is good, but free lunch at L'Etranger is better. Mwahahaha. In amongst the somewhat dodgy Italian restaurants in the Gloucester Road area, it's instantly noticeable from the outside (especially with the large collection of empty wine bottles in the window). The inside is swanky, modern, and unmistakeably French, from the waiters to the L'Occitane handsoap and French audiobooks playing in the loos. L'Etranger deals in Japanese-inspired French cuisine (as opposed to the French-inspired Japanese of Dinings and such), featuring lots of miso, ponzu, and furikake topping. The lunch menu is £14.50 for two courses and £19.50 for three - considering that you'd end up paying that sort of cash in Carluccio's, it's great value. For starter, I had the Foie Gras parfait, served with a chocolate and kidney sauce, and some nice peppery greenery on the side. Whilst I must've had foie gras at some point in my life, I don't remember doing so, so I have to consider this my first time eating it - it was very enjoyable, the parfait was light and smooth, and the chocolate sauce was great - not too sweet, and a hint of bitterness coming from the kidneys. The parfait was slightly on the salty side, but far from execrably so. The main was the real winner though: ribeye marinated in black bean and soya, served with green beans and a potato salad. The accompaniments were pleasant and the round of potato salad was nice and light. The beef was mouth-wateringly good, soft and almost as melt-in-the-mouth as wagyu sashimi, yet not too salty from the marinade. The accompanying sauce was, likewise, packed with umami and I definitely had one of those "would it really be SO bad to lick my plate?" moments. I would've happily eaten another 24oz of it. Oh yeah. Pudding had a tough act to follow, but it was a great finish to a great lunch (photo included above!) - a well balanced, wild strawberry, pistachio, and calamansi macaroon, with a cute sesame seed encrusted basket of chopped strawberry. To top it off, the petit fours - macaroons and some small, creamy, coconut encrusted morsels - were great too. Service was friendly, although our French waiter was somewhat forgetful which was a little frustrating. Still, the friendliness made up for it (he'd probably be quite at home in Byron). The à la carte menu is fairly pricey (average starter is ~£14, mains from £16.50 to £65); they also do a sashimi menu too. I'm pretty intrigued though, and hopefully will be lucky enough to go back at some point. If you're looking for a fairly swanky lunch at a fair price though, you can't go wrong with this set menu. read more

L'Etranger - Wild Strawberry, pistachio, and calamansi macaroon! - French Near Me - London, XGL

Went here on a double date and this was just amazing, Michelin-star worthy food that was intricately prepared. I would have done the price fixe if I could do it again. It made for a perfect evening. Duo of Foie Gras: Parfait & Pan Fried with Watermelon - my only complaint is that it was small. This was so interesting and kept me on my toes by having so many components. Even what I thought was large salt granules ended up being some kind of rosewater jellies. Yum. Caramelised Alaskan Black Cod with Miso & Sushi Rice- The sauce was addictive and I just could not stop eating the buttery fish. So so good. Pan Fried Limousin Veal Fillet, Stuffed Courgette Flower, Colonnata Lard & Pistachio - the veal was perfectly cooked but a little monotonous and the stuffed flowers were creamy and surprisingly tasty. Sea bass ceviche - this was the only miss. It was very good but a little boring. Could have gotten this at any Japanese restaurant. White peach crumble - nothing special. read more

See all

I have very few certitudes in life. One of those is that meat must be eaten rare: it's the only way to really savour its taste, and enjoy its full richness, its deep flavor. A lucky set of choices made it so that not only we ended up at the etranger with a toptable booking that granted us 50% discount on the food ordered a la carte, but also ordering a couple of meat dishes that turned out to be the best I've had in my two years and a half in London. And boy, was I happy that it was a tartare and a rare cooked steak. The tartare was wonderful, simple and rich in taste, served with a quail egg, it was so soft and tender that it could be spread on bread. The charolais beef steak was everything a steak should be, plus something: served with a spectacular pepper sauce, I relished every mouthful, trying to extend the sensations in my mouth and let them flow into the ones sparked by the good Syrah that I was served by the glass (the wine list is impressive, but overwhelming in price). In the meanwhile my partner seemed to be pretty happy with her brunch, which included poached eggs and an aubergine dish, but I was too concentrated on mine to really care: we finished the meal dipping fingers and fruit morsels in a ceramic pan filled with hot chocolate. Voluptuous. Paid 40 pounds each, which would be a good price if it wasn't due to the toptable discount. I think that the £55 each we would have paid without a discount would have been too much, but at this price it's very good value for money. read more

My boyfriend is wonderful in many ways, but he is also a bit of an idiot. Even after many hints that he would have to book well in advance if he wanted to take me out for dinner on Valentine's day, he still didn't so we ended up going for lunch, and we ended up going here. It's a very swanky, french/japanese fusion restaurant. The prices are like a French meal combined with a Japanese meal - one dish but double the price. Wine starts at around £6 a glass. I'm sure this is a great place, and quite romantic, in the evening. At lunch time, however, it is a place for business lunches and as such really not very romantic at all. The prices are a bit cheaper at lunch if you opt for the set menu (£16.50 2 courses). My chicken was beautifully presented but sadly bland and dry. L'Etranger is a triumph of style over substance but it's certainly not an awful place to go. I'll be having a business lunch or two there as soon as I become a high powered business women. read more

Really surprised by the reviews of this restaurant. I recently visited with my friend for her birthday (at her request) on a Thursday evening and the restaurant was pretty quiet. As in, we were one of two tables seated. Disregarding this, we turned our attention to the menu, and ordered. My starter of "beetroot and goats cheese ravioli" was no more than a large dollop of pureed goats cheese sandwiched between wafer thin slices of beetroot. My friend's squid was a surprisingly large portion - more suited to a main meal or a side to be shared by two - though it had a pleasant texture and was served piping hot. But then the mains arrived and, well, I don't know how else to say this, but as I cut into the middle of my chicken, I noticed that it was raw. Not questionable raw, but raw, raw, as in translucent, not-cooked-at-all, raw. I drew this to the attention of the server who looked at the chicken and said - I kid you not, "Madam, that is the way the chicken has been cooked." I was a little confused. So, I said, "What, raw?" He then asked me 'what I wanted to do about it'. I said, "Well ... I'm not going to eat raw chicken, so ..." and it was whipped away and re-presented to me a few minutes later, this time, pan-fried (it has been previously cooked in a "bath"). Not exactly thrilled by this, but not wanting to make my friend feel bad as the restaurant choice had been hers, I pressed on and ate my chicken (though feeling slightly sick at the thought of the raw meat I'd cut into moments before). The dessert arrived, which was lacklustre ... I managed to finish a few kernels of stale popcorn (advertised as corn ice cream with honeycomb and caramel popcorn) before giving up. The icing on the cake was when we received the bill and saw that we had been charged £4.10 for a bottle of Evian, when we had requested tap water throughout our meal. I decided not to contest it because the evening was already a bit of a non-starter, so we left. Needless to say, I won't be going back ... unless, that is, I've got a craving for raw chicken. read more

Just great. Excellent French-Japan fusion with a wine list and food attention to quality that is very french. Three of us started with Tartare - St. Jacques (scallops) that was great and two had - excellent as always - the Black Cod miso. I had gambas tempura -that was very nice and our fourth ordered the pigeon which seemed quite red to me but I was told it was perfect (aka done French). nice desserts, and good close with macaroons served with the coffee. We had the table 3.5hrs, never any rush. Highly recommended. read more

Disaster. I really don't understand why this place is getting great reviews. As a foodie; I will never come back. Terrible value for money. What we ordered: Appetiser: Fried calamari Wild pigeon with liver pate Monk fish with chorizo Side order of aubergines with mizo..i think. Never never coming back here; The fried calamari was passable; but you can't really go wrong there. My issue was the wild pigeon. The meat was overcooked and dry, there wasn't enough crunch or meat to accompany the pate and the portions were very very small. I felt it was an appetiser. Terrible valve for money - it tries to be Zuma but fails. I think I understand why they charge so much, because they know the customer will never come back!! read more

The black cod was amazing. It was buttery and perfectly cooked. The lobster and gazpacho was delicious and again perfectly cooked. The house wine was great and reasonably priced. I would def go back again. read more

L'Etranger - Well cooked and excellent flavor. Black cod and lobster - French Near Me - London, XGL

One of my favourites. Exceptional service as always and simply phenomenal food. I will be returning to further check out the wine list read more

See all

Decent food- but way over priced for what it is. Our server was not good either. Bartender was good though if you have a drink at the bar. Not sure how it's getting such good reviews, but as a big foodie I felt the need to let people know read more

L'Etranger, named after the Camus novel of the same name is for me a little jem of a place. . . It's more intimate than Nobu or Zuma, yet for me at least holds it own in the all important food stakes. Yes it's now done to death but the black cod is superb, and this washed down with one of the many lovely Montrachets is hard for me to see past, although I am still mourning the loss of there fine sommelier to the bleeding heart in Farringdon. The interior is suitably muted and I prefer a little booth seat at the back to add that additional level of intimacy and this is only further complemented by the excellent service. Now the price maybe more "today my bank manager died" rather than "mother" but on reflection which would you prefer;) read more

The fish portion of the caramelized black cod was the outstanding bit of the meal, making it a dish definitely worth trying. I will withhold further comment until I visit again and do the degustation menu read more

Very good food. Cool atmosphere to gather with friends. Tons of wine bottles everywhere, both empty for decor and by the thousands to choose from off wine list. Holy Delicious wine, but prepare to pay for that experience. I had the foie gras with the fig for starters, it was wonderful! For my main, I had the beef fillet with the polenta chips, also very good! read more

L'Etranger is, for all the talk about French-Japanese fusion, yet another one of a long chain of London fusion restaurants. Think Nobu and all its clones or Zuma. Some of the dishes are straight Nobu rip-offs -- the ubiquitous blackened cod, for example, or the chocolate dessert which is similar to the Nobu chocolate and green tea ice cream bento box. However many of the dishes at L'Etranger are a lot more soulful, and do have the French heritage using French meats like corn-fed chicken or the delicious charolais steak I ate. But overall it is a subtle difference from other fusion places, not a genre-redefining advance. But most importantly all the food tastes great and is very well-executed. L'Etranger is a nice atmospheric (in the quieter) place with very friendly staff and costs less than Nobu and A LOT less than Zuma! read more

Ambience was very good, service was prompt and very attentive. Food was excitingly different Franco-Japanese fusion that works. The food was good! Well cooked, tasty and beautifully presented. read more

Good food, but a little expensive. Great if you get it on Top Table!!

This used to be one of my favorite dining spots when I traveled to London on business. I own a healthcare company and enjoy fine dining and nice wines. I had dined at this establishment on several occasions and had spent quite a bit of money and always had a very satisfactory experience until my most recent visit. I was dining with business colleagues and we ordered dinner and were working our way through the wine list with some very nice wines. We were finishing with a Chateau Chevel Blanc 2002 (550 lbs/ bottle) The sommelier decanted the wine and placed the decanter on a vacant table next to ours. A while later i noticed a waitress grab the decanter and pour two glasses of wine at the table next to us. They immediately realized that the wine was not what they had ordered and then the restaurant staff quickly changed our their glasses, brought them a new bottle of wine and made all good for their table. Meanwhile I sat there expecting that someone would come over to our table and explain the dilemma and offer some rectification. Nope, the weasel of a sommelier, slithered away and began serving other tables their wine. then he came back to our table and poured the last few drops from our nearly empty decanter into our glasses. It was then I had to confront him as he was actively involved in the rectification of the issue with the table next to us therefore he must know that my wine had been poured to the wrong customers. I explained that I had witnessed what had happened and was disappointed that the staff had not properly acknowledged the mistake and offered to correct it. He gave me a tremendous look of confusion like he did not know what I was talking about. I said " you have to be joking? I saw you jumping and replacing glasses at the table next to me as soon as they complained." He said let me ask the waitress what happened. He came back and said that he spoke to her and the manager and they wanted to rectify the situation by offering me a bottle of dessert wine. I refused as I had been drinking a very expensive 2nd growth bordeaux and a cheap dessert wine was not what I was in the mood for. He just starred at me as if he was out of options. I was now growing furious and just asked him to bring me my check. The waitress brought the check and apologized profusely for her mistake. I assured her that I was fine with the mistake, accidents happen, and that I was angry with the way the sommelier chose to handle the situation. I explained to here that ever time I go there for dinner my dinner & wine bill is exceptional however this will be my last time dining in that establishment. She asked what she could do to rectify the situation. I simply told her that she poured 25% of my wine in another couples glasses therefore she should deduct 25% of my wine price from the bill, which she immediately did. The problem here is I had to walk off looking like the bad guy as opposed to a classy establishment taking the proper measures. I like the restaurant but that pompous fool sommelier must go and he is not to be trusted. read more

Walked out after waiting over an hour between appetiser and entree. Slow, indifferent service and slower kitchen. Food is average; decor is nice. read more