Vive Dining Out, Vive la France

Paris is the most iconic city in the world when it comes to cuisine and fine dining and its restaurants provide a heartbeat to the life of the residents and visitors.

In the wake of the horrifying events that took place there last Friday night, you may have seen the sentiment we re-tweeted from New York restaurateur Danny Meyer:

” Hope is the root of hospitality. Dining out is an act of hope and recovery.”

In support of our French industry friends we have compiled a list of 10 fantastic French restaurants in the UK. Liberté, égalité, fraternité.

1. Belmond Le Manoir aux Quat’Saisons, Great Milton, Oxfordshire

From celebrated chef Raymond Blanc OBE, Belmond Le Manoir aux Quat’Saisons is renowned for offering one of Britain’s finest gastronomic experiences. Located in the picturesque village of Great Milton, it is also one of the country’s most intimate and original hotels, with 32 individually designed guest rooms and suites, holding two Michelin stars since 1985.

Sample main course: FILET DE LOUP DE MER POÊLÉ, NOIX ST-JACQUES PURÉE DE CHOU-FLEUR, VIN ROUGE Pan fried sea bass, scallop, cauliflower purée, aniseed red wine jus £52

Club offer: Members receive a 10% reduction from the food bill when having lunch or dinner Monday to Friday. Click here for details.

2. Club Gascon, Clerkenwell, London

Set in the Old Lyons Tea House on Smithfield Street, Club Gascon is a chic and stylish restaurant with wooden floors, green velvet banquette seating and marble walls. Chef Pascal Aussignac has created a stunning Michelin-starred menu based on specialities from South West France where food and wine have a unique synchronicity.

Sample main course: LES PATURAGES Grilled Lamb, vermouth sauce mussels and crispy sweetbread  £26.00

Club offer: Members receive a 20% reduction from the food bill when having lunch or dinner Monday to Friday. Click here for more details.

3. Auberge Du Lac, Welwyn, Hertfordshire

Overlooking the lake of historic Brocket Hall, Auberge du Lac offers a beautiful, intimate dining experience. The unparalleled cuisine is overseen by revered chef Marcus McGuiness, formerly of the two- Michelin-star Hibiscus. Set in the estate’s former hunting lodge, the restaurant is absolutely steeped in historic charm. The grandeur of its background is complemented by the entrancing prettiness of the lodge and makes dining there an atmospheric event.

Sample main course: Haunch of Venison, smoked tea, elderberries, red cabbage and venison pie (£60 for three courses).

Club offer: Members receive a 20% reduction from the food bill when having lunch or dinner Tuesday to Thursday. Click here for more details.

4. L’Etranger, Kensington, London

Located in the middle of the Gloucester Road, L’Etranger, named after a book by French existentialist and winner of the Nobel Prize for Literature Albert Camus, serves one of the most eclectic menus encapsulating everything the London dining scene has to offer. Tastefully presented in minimalist decor of grey and lilacs the restaurant has become the epitome of chic and understated charm serving lunch, dinner and Sunday brunch.

Sample main course: Roast Label Anglaise Chicken Breast / Wild Rice/ Madera Jus  £17.50

Club offer: Members and their guests receive a complimentary glass of Moet and Chandon on arrival. Click here for more details.

5. Seven Park Place by William Drabble at St James’s Hotel & Club, St James’s London

William Drabble has firmly fixed himself at St James’s Hotel and Club gaining 1 prestigious Michelin star only one year after opening Seven Park Place.  The restaurant is set between two sumptuous dining rooms in the historic quintessential English gentlemen’s club (but of course women are welcome now!) William’s dishes are modern French in style but are made up of primarily British ingredients.

Sample main course: Assiette of pork with caramalised apple purée and braised celery ( 3 courses £61.00)

Club offer: member exclusively receives a 10% reduction from the total food bill when having lunch or dinner Tuesday to Saturday. Click here for more details.

6. The Vineyard at Stockcross, Newbury, Berkshire

An hour from London, in a quiet part of Berkshire, The Restaurant at The Vineyard continues to make waves in the culinary world under Head Chef Daniel Galmiche. The property is owned by Sir Peter Michael, founder and Chairman of Classic FM and displays numerous pieces of his vast art collection. The dining experience is refined and luxurious with an extensive wine cellar of over 30,000 bottles of old and new wine.

Sample main course: Cornish cod, coco beans, confit tomato, rosemary  (3 dishes £29)

Club offer: Members enjoy a complimentary glass of wine* for lunch dining and 10% off the food bill for dinner on days shown. Click here for more details.

7. The Vanilla Pod, Marlow, Buckinghamshire

The Vanilla Pod’s discreet dining room is tucked away behind the elegant black door in Marlow’s West Street. Once home to T.S. Eliot, one of the most distinguished literary figures of the 20th century, the elegant home has been transformed into a modern, stylish restaurant.

Sample main course: Poached Loomswood Duck Breast in Olive Oil with Lentils and Choux Croute (2 courses £15.50).

Club offer: Members receive a 10% reduction from the food bill when dining from the Gourmand Menu for lunch or dinner Tuesday to Friday. Click here for more details.

8. Chez Roux at The Cromlix, Nr Dunblane, Perthshire

Following extensive refurbishment, tennis star Andy Murray’s Victorian Perthshire mansion has now been transformed into a luxury five star destination.  Chez Roux Restaurant, overseen by the legendary French Chef Albert Roux and run by award-winning Executive Chef Darin Campbell, is housed in the glass-walled conservatory overlooking the grounds and offers diners a ringside view of the chefs at work in their extensive open kitchen.

Sample main course: Roasted Crown of Squab Pigeon with Confit Leg, Thyme and Potato Pancake, Hispi Cabbage, Smoked Bacon, Red Wine Sauce £23.00

Club offer: Members receive a 15% reduction from the total bill when enjoying lunch all week and dinner Sunday to Thursday. Click here for more details.

9. André Garrett at Cliveden, Maidenhead, Berkshire

Cliveden is one of the grandest hotels anywhere – a Grade I listed Italianate stately mansion in a 375 acre estate presided over by the National Trust. Once the former home of the Astor’s and the location of the notorious Profumo Affair in the late 60’s, this is the ultimate destination restaurant to enthrall for any occasion. André Garrett joined Cliveden House from his own starring role in one of Mayfair’s most celebrated restaurants and has been winning awards ever since for his carefully crafted signature dishes.

Sample main course: Grilled Herdwick mutton cutlet, shoulder Bolognese, ruby chard, white onions, smoked aubergine (3 courses £72.50).

Club offer: Member exclusively dines complimentary when dining with one or more guests on days shown. Click here for more details.

Not valid on the Market Menu for lunch dining or during Bank Holidays. Supplement dishes and tea / coffee are excluded from this. Strictly one card per table. NB. A National Trust admission fee of £6.75 per person for lunch and £2 per person for dinner will be added to your bill (excluding National Trust members).

10. The Great House, Lavenham, Suffolk

The Great House is an atmospheric and softly beautiful old house in the pretty village of Lavenham. Built in the 14th Century, the lovely Georgian façade was added in the 18th. It has been home to famous collectors, artists and writers and has been a shining light in the world of cuisine since 1985. Enter through a heavy, latched door into the atmospheric restaurant and bar where features include exposed beams and red bricks, plus a huge fireplace. Furnishing is contemporary and smart and the menu is uncompromisingly French and superb.

Sample main course: English Veal sweetbread, Braised with Port, morel mushrooms, carrots, Baby button mushrooms, glazed salsify

Club offer: Members and their guests receive a complimentary glass of house Champagne when enjoying lunch Sunday to Wednesday and dinner Tuesday to Thursday. Click here for more details.

Not a member? Join today for just £95.00 to enjoy benefits in these and over 400 other fine dining restaurants go to www.luxuryrestaurantguide.com.