After braving the rummage sale of mediocre gastronomic clip joints around the British Museum, patrons are known to smugly proclaim this cozy duplex their “discovery”—omitting the reality that it’s been presenting what it correctly terms “affordable gourmet” since 1995. How could anyone have ignored this bistro-style traveler’s gift, where nothing is processed and everything is made-to-order? Meals are more than reliable; in this area, they’re miracles on plates. The menu might include ample portions of nimbly executed dishes like pan-roasted duck magret, bouillabaisse, tequila-lime chicken, or beef bourguignon so tender you wonder if they’ve got Julia Child’s ghost back there. It sometimes offers 2-course set menus in the mid-£20s.