Restaurant Sauterelle is the youngest in the stable of London Conran restaurants opening in only November 2005. Promising simple classic French food and a constantly changing menu depending on the season it was opened at The Royal Exchange in Bank to compliment stable mate, and the very popular, Grand Café and Bar.

The location of the restaurant is superb offering views into the courtyard or alternatively on to the hustle and bustle of the streets of Bank. It was relatively early when we sat down for dinner so we were able to obtain a table overlooking the interior of The Royal Exchange and so had views over the gorgeous courtyard and Grand Cafe. The interior is quite sumptuous and made for a fine view over dinner.

Fine dining can get quite expensive but tonight we were taking advantage of a lastminute.com tasting menu offer which our friendly waitress informed us was actually fairly new. My brother was still in the middle of his “going veggie” experience and therefore had a relatively straightforward decision to make with his main although surprisingly two out of three starters were vegetarian friendly (rather than the requisite one.)

The food was very high quality but not actually all that adventurous but I guess with simplicity you can’t go too crazy. Or it could have been my options which where:
– Ham hock terrine, celeriac and apple remoulade
– Roast fillet of salmon, crushed potatoes and sauce vierge
– Chocolate fondant with hot chocolate sauce

Portions weren’t gigantic but the three courses were definitely enough to leave you feeling satisfied. And I was especially glad to see that the salmon appeared to be of a very high quality.

The service was very good from the maitre d’ to the waitress to our drink waiter. It was all very responsive and friendly without being overbearing. Hard to say how it would cope when the restaurant becomes a little busier.

It might seem strange to open two Conran restaurants in one establishment but what Restaurant Sauterelle is able to deliver over the Grand Café and Bar is a sense of intimacy, elegance and relaxation. This is not to say that Grand Café and Bar are not elegant but the sense of the hustle and bustle and business making seems to melt away in the face of the floating candles, white linen and quiet of Restaurant Sauterelle.