74 Duke, London W1: ‘charming, Chic And Sterile ’ – Restaurant Review | Grace Dent On Restaurants

My mentation connected nan existent detonation of French-inspired eating ventures, successful London and beyond, is that galore restaurateurs these days consciousness that it’s overmuch amended to person a guidance – successful this case, pointing astatine Paris – than nary guidance astatine all. Take 74 Duke, a marque new, mock-Parisian brasserie conscionable disconnected Oxford Street that serves filet de bœuf, tarte au citron and potent Bastille cocktails and appears to person Mayfair’s mega-affluent tourer firmly successful mind. It’s an elegant, pseudo-Gallic, Emily successful Paris-style brasserie pinch outdoor seating – a spot to spot and beryllium seen, alternatively than immoderate confusing, pan-European, small plates trendy-wendy joint. And, zut!, its alternatively constricted paper sets retired its stall beautiful tout de suite, too: salade César, escalopes de veau, crevettes royale à la condiment thermidor.

So, yes, 74 Duke is très French, but it is besides a pricey, sterilised, movie-set type of France for diners pinch heavy pockets and only nan smallest yearning for existent French cooking. Decor-wise, it is heavenly wrong and out, for illustration a sleek backstage pitchy aliases objet d’art showroom that opens by assignment only. It is simply a dreamy blur of honey-coloured leather banquettes, elegant awnings, ivory paintwork, dainty doilies connected metallic platters, monogrammed cutlery, beautiful mahogany tables and nan kindest, astir diligent, white-jacketed staff.

‘Pretty, but without immoderate existent innovation’: 74 Duke’s tuna tartare pinch avocado and a citrus dressing

None of that is remotely Parisian, though;: not a jot. It is simply a charming, chic and sterile five-star Dubai formation resort-type Parisian restaurant, wherever each traces of nan sticky-carpeted, scabby-banistered Parisian all-day diner pinch fractious waiters person been wholly erased. Even nan air-conditioned aerial present smells costly – not that galore customers were sitting wrong connected this Saturday lunchtime. Nay, array aft array of Rolex-wearing, Birkin bag-clutching guests demanded nan al fresco option, retired location connected nan wild, lawless, Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome streets of London W1. While meek and cowed urchins specified arsenic myself thin to scurry quickly astir Mayfair and Piccadilly, existent wealthiness pulls up a chair, orders a 74 Duke martini and a wagyu cheeseburger, and sits backmost and enjoys l’air frais – aliases astatine slightest arsenic frais arsenic nan aerial tin beryllium while autobus and taxi exhausts blast their fumes complete your asperges blanches à la truffe d’été.

We ate nicely enough, but not memorably so. The little lunchtime paper offers a prime of 4 hors d’œuvres: goat’s food salad, breaded squid, tuna tartare and nan aforementioned achromatic asparagus. The goat’s food crockery featured a mini heap of good-quality leaves successful a decent vinaigrette pinch immoderate inoffensive food connected a crostini. Chopped earthy tuna and avocado successful a citrus dressing was likewise pretty, but without immoderate existent rotation aliases innovation. Chefs often declare that their food’s other constituent is “love” and that their passion is to woo nan diner, but location was small emotion successful grounds here. Which is astir apt for nan best, because love’s a grubby business, anyway.

‘Even nan air-conditioned aerial present smells expensive’: 74 Duke’s £38 pâtes morilles à la crème, aliases rigatoni pinch morels.

From nan grill section, we had a bavette pinch beurre maître d’hôtel, a rich, buttery condiment pinch parsley and citrus juice that was delicious, if a small lukewarm by nan clip it arrived.

Another main of poulet Gaston Gérard was besides a mini spot connected nan acold side, but nan tarragon and dijon condiment that came pinch it was outstanding. Other than that, nan only really notable crockery connected nan full paper tin beryllium recovered successful nan accompagnements section, hidden betwixt nan salade verte and nan haricots verts: namely nan gratin du ravioli du Dauphiné. Does anyone really request a broadside information of bubbling baked food ravioli to spell pinch their paillard de saumon aliases crevettes royales? Probably not, but decidedly bid it anyway.

‘I group astir it for illustration a lion demolishing an antelope’: 74 Duke’s multi-layered cocoa cake.

The dessert paper is simply a short database of mostly pre-made items, immoderate of which are profoundly un-Parisian patisseries, including 1 of those multi-layered cocoa cakes that person been large connected Instagram for astir a year, a immense 1980s Sara Lee gateau connected steroids that seems to activity nether nan premise that nary magnitude of cocoa ganache tin beryllium excessively much. Did I decorativeness it? Yes. In fact, I group astir it for illustration a lion demolishing an antelope. Does it person immoderate spot connected a French menu? Non. C’est ridicule, and I would beryllium much sniffy astir this had I not enjoyed each sticky, chocolatey mouthful.

74 Duke is simply a charming spot to walk personification else’s money should they wish to dainty you to luncheon wrong adjacent scope of Selfridge’s. You tin dip a toed into French-ish cuisine and you will understand nan paper moreover if you’ve not spoken French since you past picked up a Tricolore textbook astatine comp school. C’est bon, but only bon.

• 74 Duke 74 Duke Street, London W1, 020-3772 7722. Open Tues-Sat, luncheon noon-3pm, meal 5.30-11pm. From astir £60 a caput à la carte, positive drinks and service

• The adjacent section of Grace’s Comfort Eating podcast is retired connected Tuesday 29 July – perceive to it here.