Le Boudin Blanc, Mayfair

Tucked away in the intimate Shepherd Market area of Mayfair is the cosy and bustling Boudin Blanc. Our family will be spread across the world this year; India, Poland, London and Holland so we had our Christmas meal a little early. Noisy, romantic and warm, this place is a firm favourite of ours, and deservedly so. 

Hailed by the press as a little piece of Paris in London, Le Boudin Blanc's food is really special. It's hearty yet refined, so despite being on the expensive side you come away feeling satisfied and suitably fuzzy! We started with escargots de Bourgogne persillés - snails in garlic butter - and a rather entertaining moment watching Kate trying one of Ben's Jersey oysters for the first time! Served with fresh lemon juice and Tabasco, they're an acquired taste. 

  

The Cornish crab meat with mayonnaise, spring onions and cucumber was creamy and fresh, and the wild mushroom risotto with truffle cream and parmesan shavings superb and earthy. Served with lots of freshly baked bread, we set about trading taster bites. 

We're a family big on our meat; we enjoyed succulent and rare 8oz fillet steaks, grilled and served with a tangy and smooth bérnaise, and lots of garlic butter and wilted spinach. We also tried a braised lamb shank with dauphinoise potatoes, mushrooms, onions and lardons which was tender and falling off the bone.  

The steamed sea bream fillet was butter soft, cooked to perfection and drizzled with a light ginger butter sauce, The fat and juicy cod cheek came with an unusual mushroom mousse and a decadent and rich lobster bisque sauce. Beautiful. 

The waiters were brilliantly attentive (perhaps a tiny bit pretentious, but it's Mayfair - we'll allow it). We shared dishes of crisp and fluffy frites, melt-in-the-mouth spinach and sprouts jazzed up with bacon and lashings of butter. We drank a fresh and dry 2012 Sancerre 'La Croix du Roy' wine which was delightful, and fast becoming one of my favourites - at £53 a bottle - eep! We managed to put away a few during the night - it was going down very easily. 

After such a lot of food Kate had to twist my arm (well, only a little) to share the hot chocolate fondant with praline ice cream and caramelised hazelnut dust. It was wonderful - just the right amount of bitterness, and nice and oozy in the middle. 

Full of Christmas spirit (and a double Baileys, Amaretto on the rocks, and couple of Jack Daniels) we waddled back home to open our presents and another couple of bottles of wine. 

Le Boudin Blanc's website is here. Book a table, this place is popular and is understandably busy.