La Cuisine at Joël Robuchon

The day started well. Scored a goal at my Saturday football league! Then spent a blissful afternoon in front of the West Wing with multiple cups of tea. But the best was to come...

My boyfriend announced he'd booked a surprise dinner - Leicester Square, my only clue. We took a left at the Tube exit and he lead me around the corner - I spied the Ivy, but he lead me past, took another left and ta daaa! There was the slick, black exterior of Joël Robuchon. When I'd finished squealing unbecomingly on the street outside, we entered.

The building boasts L’Atelier on the ground floor, La Cuisine one floor up and a terrace bar on the top floor. We were whisked upstairs to La Cuisine, and seated among the bizarre apple sculptures (as in the fruit, tons of them). Carta di musica - crisp shards of salty, herby Italian bread - were served with butter and heavenly olive oil. Followed by a small amuse bouche of foie gras mousse topped with a Parmesan foam - 'mmmmm, like Marmite', pronounced my partner.

There's a choice at La Cuisine - a tapas-style tasting menu or an à la carte menu. I went for two tapas-sized starters, the Iberian ham and the langoustine fritter with basil pistou. The ham was silky and melt in the mouth; as for the langoustine, I can't tell you - I was instead served the chicory salad, topped with shaved truffle and apple. I hate chicory. Nuff said.

For mains I went for the quail stuffed with foie gras and truffled mashed potatoes. A lot teenier than I imagined, it was scrumptious beyond imagination. I also lapped up the little Le Creuset pot of mash, so smooth it was almost liquid; on reflection I think it was probably meant for my boyfriend. C'est la vie.

Another little freebie.... a to-die-for white chocolate & lemon ice cream lolly. Magnum-esque in texture, there was the added surprise of popping candy embedded in the chocolate. (I know it's no longer the unique gimmick it once was, but I ruddy love those types of Heston-ish devices).

To round off my evening of surprises, I ordered La Boule Surprise - billed as 'pistachio cream, caramelised spiced pear, vanilla ice cream from Tahiti'. It arrived... a chocolate egg with a teeny blow hole at the top. A mini jug of hot, salted caramel was poured over it and the entire creation just melted before my eyes, to reveal the ice cream and pear globes within. I'm drooling as I write this - it was toooooo good. My boyfriend narrowly missed getting a spoon shoved up his nose when he attempted to lean in for a bite.

I can't reveal the price as it was a treat i.e. the bill was hidden from my view. But here's the menu with prices for those human calculators.

Beam me up!
La Cuisine
13-15 West Street,
London
WC2H 9NE
Tel: 0207 010 8600