In tune with Antunès

Diners with a decent memory - and sufficient miles on the clock - will recall that for four of five years in the mid 1990’s Joël Antunès cooked at Les Saveurs in Mayfair. Despite the handicap of a windowless basement dining room, this classic  restaurant was highly thought of, and spangled by the Michelin men. Then Antunès left these shores and set off on a world tour which ended with him cooking in the U.S.A.  Now, in an echo of Bruno Loubet’s triumphal return to London, Antunès is back and plying his trade under the banner of Kitchen Joël Antunès in a smartly refurbished ground floor dining room at the Embassy on Old Burlington Street.

It’s still possible to trip over Mark Fuller’s glittering Harley Davidson outside the Embassy but the co- owners of the restaurant and terrace are Jacobi Anstruther-Gough-Calthorpe and Dan Kapp. They have quite literally, spared no expense and the dining room now sports a floor made out of French limestone, a Carrera marble bar, soft leather seating and a smattering of classy modern art -  think Banksy and Tracey Emin. Having upgraded the room the next step was to work on the food offer – enter Antunès freshly back from America and to a suitable blare of trumpets.

The food style is described as “Provençal” and the menu lists a succession of dishes that manage to be traditional, simple and attractive all at the same time. Starters range from an excellent “chicken liver parfait” (£9) – very light and fluffy and well seasoned, delightful; to  a “Dorset crab salad with avocado” (£14); and an outstanding “hamachi ceviche with citrus dressing” (£14) – that’s the Japanese Amberjack to sushi cognoscenti – very good to eat but surely something of a wild card in both Mayfair and Provence.

Mains include a really novel “beef tartare frites” (£19) the patty of chopped beef bound together with a sharp mayo – a tasty departure from the classic raw egg. “Roast lamb belly with salsa verde” (£23) comes on a bed of vinegared lentils that balances any undue fattiness. “Traditional coq au vin “ (£19) is as dark and as sticky as you could wish for, but purists would niggle that the “coq” was too small a bird, this is a dish that needs an tough old fowl to survive the long cooking. “Roast diver scallops, fricassée of spätzle” £24 – good. Large scallops, cooked precisely, interesting little bits of spätzle. The puds are inventive – look out for “Le Kit Kat, caramel, Tonka bean ice cream” (£9) – like the soggiest, richest most self-indulgent chocolate bar you have ever scoffed. Or there’s a “Tarte Tatin with vanilla ice cream” (£9) solid and sticky.

Service is slick and there are plenty of twists and turns to the wine list, plus a sommelier astute enough to have some interesting bottles available on the foothills of the price list. Because this restaurant is the portal for a buzzy nightclub (Le Baron, head office in Paris) it means that it is easier to get a table at lunch or in the early evening.  The beautiful people start to assemble at 10pm. Meanwhile Antunès continues to cook well-mannered, well-seasoned food that leans on classical French technique and is none the worse for that.

Kitchen Joël Antunès, 29 Old Burlington Street, Mayfair, London W1S 3AN. (020 7494 5660 www.embassymayfair.com)