Cte Soho

The food and service were exceptional and fantastic value for money (we had the set price menu but the normal menu wouldn't make a huge dent in bank balance either). Would happily have paid double for the experience we had! I had a delicious smoked salmon starter, followed by chunky fishcakes.

I liked Côte very much. We came here on a rainy Friday evening, after trying (unsuccessfully) to get a table at Bocca di Lupo down the road, and after wondering about popping into Busaba Eathai. Needless to say, we were put off by the long line of diners snaking into the foul weather. Stumbling upon Côte, we weren't disappointed at all. The restaurant is warm and inviting-looking from the outside, and we were welcomed enthusiastically at the door.

I was pleased to see some hearty bistro favourites on the menu such as rillettes, steak haché and moules marinières. We started by sharing the Bayonne ham and celeriac remoulade, which put me right back at the garden table I'd eaten at in the Ariège this summer - a lovely, understated way to begin the meal. Mains were solid, but I found my steak haché a little salty, and a touch rarer than I'd asked for. The monsieur was very pleased with the lamb shank he ordered and declared he could have eaten more. A side of french beans were just the ticket. We shared a bottle of Lérane Rouge and the evening passed by in a thoroughly pleasant way. Not once were we rushed, and sitting upstairs in the restaurant afforded good views of our fellow diners as well as a romantically rain-slicked Wardour Street beyond.

Almost fit to burst, but with curiosity getting the better of me, I managed a couple of spoonfuls of monsieur's chocolate pot with créme fraiche...heavenly.

All in all, an excellent meal - and one that made me glad we hadn't joined the soggy queue of people waiting outside Busaba Eathai. Four well-deserved stars.

Cote's website says "Simple freshly prepared French food at value for money prices" and I would agree. We came here at lunchtime and it was pretty full with mainly business lunchers. The atmosphere was quite a lively one.

The menu is long and there is much to choose from. I eventually settled on grilled tiger prawns with garlic and parsley which were good and garlicky, and a 10oz rib eye steak. The steak was quite tough and there was a fair amount of gristle which didn't impress me much, but their frites were excellent. My dining companions had much better-looking steaks so perhaps I was just unlucky. However, bearnaise sauce came with a skin, suggesting it wasn't fresh.

The waiting staff were nice enough. All in all, not an outstanding experience but good for a quick and good value lunch.

what can we say about cote, the best french restaurant around, one of the best in the uk, famous for the great food and the service.