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Right at the end of last year, dangerously close to Christmas, three French brothers opened their door to London’s latest Parisian restaurant.  Blanchette (named after the brothers’ mother) is Soho’s answer to eclectic (yet traditional) French dining and seemed to be the perfect venue for my Friday lunch meeting.

Blanchette on D’Arblay Street, W1

I was meeting Fran Cookson, the PR guru behind the jewels at Astley Clarke.  Fran and I worked (hard) together on the Breast Cancer Campaign pretty bracelet launch last June and so a catch up on bracelet sales, a new plan and all things sparkly was well overdue.

Initially – as our meeting was scheduled for midday – we planned to just have a cup of coffee with a plate of French delicacies.  But Malik (one of the three brothers) had a different plan.  And so we were spoilt with a flow of dishes – from the most adorably cheesy beignets with onion confit, a pot of steamed mussels and a warm confit of salmon with duck and puy lentils to grilled beef onglet with snails (excuse-moi) and braised lamp shoulder with anchovy, rosemary and soubise sauce.

keeping the lid on our Friday feast…

warm confit of salmon with duck, puy lentils and herbs £6.50

beef onglet with snails in red wine sauce £7.25

I loved the interior of this 50-60 seater frenchie.  Mismatched chairs, plates and big communal tables (not all) is JUST my tasse du thé.  In fact, my date night rule of No White Tablecloth (as it 100% spells disaster) suggests that this might be a perfect place to book Him and me into next month.

what’s in the bag, Fran? (warm bread)

Meanwhile I caught up on all the jewel gossip: Fran recently organised a fabulous lunch at Scott’s to celebrate the launch of Astley Clarke’s Beyond Fine and the Fao collection. I was dying to hear how it had gone as some of the biggest names in fashion, modelling, journalism (let alone aristocracy) had attended. Jade Parfitt, Martha Ward, Camilla Rutherford, Mary Greenwell and pals had each been given a stunning locket (from the collection) during the lunch and, while they ate, an engraver was on hand to personalise it.

2 of the French food brothers behind Blanchette

While I contemplated how I would caption my own locket, our attention turned to the chips.  Fran confessed that she is – in fact – a chip connoisseur.   She cleansed her palate with a quick gulp of wine and focused her taste test skills. But these crispy frites were even off her scale.  Particularly when double dipped in a truly French béarnaise.

PROPER frites £3.75

We begged Malik not to bring any dessert.  Nor any more wine.  Fran need to return to the office and I needed a long walk home.

Blanchette, 9 D’Arblay Street, W1  020 7439 8100

I’m going to sound spoilt whichever way I write this.  If I’m honest, it was just another invitation somewhere lovely to eat something delicious.  I didn’t read the invitation closely enough and – for some odd reason – thought I was going somewhere else.  But it must happen a lot as Gaucho Afternoon Tea could easily have sounded like tea at the Groucho Club.

Gaucho, Piccadilly

Except it wasn’t .   But – perhaps because I had no preconceptions – it was actually not in the least bit disappointing.

Gaucho is, of course, the steak place.  Where MEN go to eat slabs of MEAT.  For a chain though, it’s ridiculously unbranded and VERY dark.  The floors, ceilings, walls and even toilets are all painted black and dimly lit.  So I suppose this helps to make you feel like you’re somewhere a bit … different.

dark but stunning toilets at Gaucho Picadilly

Anyway, I found myself visiting the Piccadilly branch to review their recently launched Argentine-inspired afternoon tea.  My tea guest was perfect.  She’s a party girl.  A real life person who lives to party and dance and – although I didn’t know her then – she grew up on manning the coolest club doors in this town.  So I set her to work – asking her to judge if this Isreali-owned chain staffed by an international bunch of fashionistas is cool or a little desperate?

Inside we found rather male yet plush interiors, some seriously pumping house music, animal skin walls and a beautifully laid table.

our table – laid for tea

tea for two. in a less conventional setting.

Of course, we ate it ALL – like good girls.

party girl and I. faced with a BIG tea.

And drank (both teas and pink champagne).

mini dark and white alfajores

tiny pots of ‘Dulce de Leche’

The service was ridiculously attentive.  Food on cake stands kept rolling out of the kitchen.

even a Malbec and berries sorbet to cleanse our palates

raspberry and custard eclair anyone?

Just when we thought we had run the course, out came more. And more.

lime jelly, mango chutney with passion fruit meringue

The only disappointment was the scone.  It was simply a bit dry, as if it had been re-heated before its exit.  Not a bad score really when you consider how much food we had reviewed….

We left feeling fat and happy.  And  a little high on all the sugar. In summary, high tea at Gaucho is a lot more fun than The Ritz.  Party girl suggested that it was a bit like ‘a spiked afternoon tea.  She thought that the team at Gaucho had taken something a little too formulaic and (dare I say) chintzy and made it … a bit cool.’

Gaucho’s Afternoon Tea with a glass of Veuve Clicquot Rose costs £45 per person