Le Cornichon

It was a risky bet. Plenty have tried to reinvent the wheel, or warm water for that matter, but few have come out looking good. So when these two childhood friends, who each forged their own path before reuniting around the same idea, announced they were going to reinvent the neighbourhood bistro — the kind of place where you stop for a morning espresso while scratching an Astro or Cash scratchcard (in moderation, of course), linger over a beautifully sourced and perfectly executed sausage and mash at lunch, or grab a pastis before diving into a first-rate steak tartare at dinner, all without fuss but with a genuine desire to feed people well — we were sceptical. Surely they'd miss a step somewhere. We arrived with a smirk, waiting for the slip-up: an overcooked piece of fish, a sauce lacking depth, limp fries. We came back. Then again. And every single time, in a packed dining room, we had to admit they were onto something. Their team is relaxed but impressively sharp, the weekday lunch menu never misses, the sea bream keeps catching our eye (and we'd almost rather not share it), the tarama is close to flawless, and the fries have that irresistible just-one-more-bite quality that keeps pulling you back. Against all odds, these two have reinvented the local bistro. We're grateful they did. And we can't wait to see what comes next.