FOLLOWING Boundary in Shoreditch Terence Conran's 'comeback' continues with Lutyens, his latest love letter to the classic French brasserie. Housed in a handsome Fleet Street building and named after Edwin Lutyens, the revered British architect who laid out New Delhi, Sir Terry's latest occupies the two lower floors of the 1930s Lutyens-designed former headquarters of Reuters, the famous news agency finally shutting up shop there in 2005 long after the rest of the British newspaper industry had decamped elsewhere.
While the setting will appeal to nostalgic hacks fond of harking on about Fleet Street's glory days, the menu, overseen by David Burke who last worked for Conran at Bibendum under Simon Hopkinson, should appeal to anyone with a love for polished French classicism in familiar dishes of snails, lobster mousse, rabbit wrapped in bacon, skate wing with brown shrimps and butter and peach Melba. Rather grandly billed as 'Lutyens, restaurant, bar and cellar rooms', its simple dishes are priced accordingly, its aspirations largely held up by its setting: crisp linen and smart service. Ironically, considering where - the building aside - Conran has taken much of his inspiration for Lutyens - you’d be pushed these days to find its equivalent in Paris for the same money.

85 Fleet Street, London EC4Y 1AE, 020 7583 8385

www.lutyens-restaurant.com

Open on the roof of a Peckham Rye multi-storey car park until the end of September is Frank's Cafe and Campari Bar.  Its summer-long appearance is in conjunction with a sculpture garden, entitled Bold Tendencies III, by the Hannah Barry Gallery. Frank’s is open from 11am to 10pm, Thursday to Sunday. Those wishing to hang with the local arty souls must avoid coming across as a plonker by making any mention of Only Fools and Horses as they sip a sunset Negroni while sampling plate of heritage tomatoes, sweetcorn and smoked paprika gazpacho or some grilled ox heart.

Temporary
10th Floor Peckham Multi-story Carpark, 95a Rye Lane, Peckham, London SE15 4ST   079743 379 726

www.frankscafe.org.uk
www.hannahbarry.com

John McClements, prolific pedlar of restaurants in South West London suburbs, is at it again. McClements' current portfolio, if he hasn't decided to open or rename something else while you’re reading this, includes A Taste of McClements and Tagine in Kew, The Grill Room in Twickenham and two branches of Ma Cusine - or to give it its full name 'Ma Cuisine Le Petit Bistrot' in Kew and Twickenham. The latest to join the scouse chef's ever-expanding and ever-changing suburban empire of reliable and by and large reasonably priced restaurants is Le Provence, which has just opened in Barnes and offers 'traditional dishes of Southern France with Mediterranean influences'.

7 White Hart Lane, Barnes, London SW13 OPX, 020 8878 4092

www.leprovence.co.uk
www.macuisinegroup.co.uk