There are posh restaurants. There are trendy restaurants. And then there are restaurants that serve exquisite food and are posh and subtly trendy, too. Le Gavroche is just such a restaurant. The décor is somewhat like a traditional Mayfair gentlemen’s club: well-padded chairs and British Racing green walls hung with tasteful pictures; this is not a place that wants, or indeed needs, to hurry. Chef Michel Roux Junior follows in his famous father’s footsteps and knows what his customers expect from this three-Michelin-starred restaurant. What they like is classic French cooking brought up to date, with no compromise on taste, and that’s what they get. The lunch menu is an amazing value at about $90, when you consider it includes three courses, water, coffee, petit fours AND wine. The Menu Exceptionnel, however, is big on expensive flavors, with prices to match. Recent menu items include hot foie gras and crispy pancake of duck with cinnamon, and Irish rock oysters and scallops poached in champagne. When a starter of artichoke stuffed with foie gras and chicken mouse costs almost $70, this is not a menu for the faint-hearted – or impoverished. However, that’s not why people go the Le Gavroche. They go for immaculate service, excellent food, served in an atmosphere that has everything to do with the food and very little to do with being noticed. Booking is essential.