to beggar belief.

Côte's several dining rooms make nice first impressions and maintain these across every phase of a typical evening. The décor is tasteful and warm: there's soft lighting, classy fixtures, a muted navy/grey colour-scheme, music one doesn't notice without deliberate interest. Even better (and in welcome contrast to its Parisian progenitors), Côte's tables are spaced so as to permit uninterrupted conversation with one's dining companions. The stylish service helps, too; every waitstaff we engaged was consummately efficient and discrete, even graceful. They also all seemed to have French accents, but this was perhaps an illusion.

Côte's menu of French classics is focused and intelligent: you are not overwhelmed by choice, and you will spot many desirable items in no time. The starters appeared speedily, along with water in handsome earth-tone jugs. Instant Classic Status goes to the pissaladière, a flatbread baked with caramelized onions and topped with meaty olives and hardcore anchovy strips, decorated with parsley - big, warm, and inexpensive. We also had a tasty slab of duck, chicken & pork liver terrine, and a Warm Roquefort Salad - little endive canoes filled with walnuts, croutons and Roquefort chunks over which more blue-cheesy dressing is poured. The presentation was rather retro, but, like the Côte menu itself, each plate exhibited admirable coherence and clarity of purpose: each looked great and delivered a simple, distinctive, memorable taste.

This strong and steady execution, driven by clear-minded handling of quality ingredients, positively accelerated on reaching the main courses. Everything we ordered was a keeper. The chargrilled Breton half-chicken is not to be missed: a fantastic surprise to diners trained to reject chicken mains as snooze-button dishes, this chicken was golden, crisp-skinned and incredibly delicious, more so when slathered with garlic butter.

The kitchen handles its steak well, sending out a succulent butter-brushed ribeye and a juicy, peppery steak haché, a fried egg astride. All these came with decent shoestring fries, but it was the meat, clearly fresh and gorgeously cooked, that will keep the crowds returning. The fish was great, too: a special plaice filet was sautéed to perfection - delicate without being brittle, moistness balancing light char - then topped generously with leeks and blended into parsley-flecked potato puree, yielding an irresistible melty whiteness at which French cuisine excels.

Puddings are many and tempting. We tried only one, the warm chocolate fondant with vanilla ice cream. It was superb.

You heard it here: Côte is going to be Big. Food of this quality, with this degree of consistency, at prices this gobsmackingly reasonable, represents a new benchmark in local dining and should not be missed by any interested person. Here's hoping it stays just as it is; handles every crowded service with continued courtesy and grace; and never skimps on the butter.