Oui Madame

Restaurateur Martin Lange has created somewhere intimate without being precious, stylish without trying too hard. The menu is designed for sharing, the wine list is thoughtfully curated, and the whole place radiates that rare combination of neighbourhood warmth and proper culinary confidence. Perfect for a lingering date night or a long catch-up where nobody’s watching the clock.

Here’s exactly what we ordered — the full Sidetrack to-eat and to-drink list, in the order we tackled it.

Eat: Tomato & Fennel Focaccia 🍅

We began, as all civilised people should, with bread. Tomato & Fennel Focaccia: warm, golden, dimpled focaccia scented with tomato and the gentle aniseed note of fennel, served with whipped basil butter that vanishes at alarming speed. Tear, share, and try not to fight over the last crusty corner. It’s the edible equivalent of a French grandmother’s approving nod.

Eat: Grilled Scallops 🐚

Next up: plump Grilled Scallops with parsnip purée, dashi, lovage oil and smoked scallop roe. The scallops themselves are perfectly seared — sweet, juicy, just the right amount of colour. The smoked scallop roe (usually discarded by lesser kitchens) adds a rich, oceanic depth, while the dashi brings umami and the lovage oil adding aromatic notes of celery and parsley.

Elegant, delicious, and the sort of dish that makes you sit up a little straighter.

Eat: Roasted Beetroot 🌰

Earthy, sweet and beautifully prepared, the Roasted Beetroot is served with tofu ricotta, black garlic emulsion, frisee and crispy garlic. It arrives with enough personality to hold its own among the richer plates. It’s the kind of vegetable dish that converts even the most committed carnivores (Mario can testify to that) — colourful, thoughtfully seasoned, and a lovely counterpoint to everything else on the table.

Fromage for Mario 🎩: Délice de Bourgogne, 30-month Comté & Bleu de Basque 🧀 🇫🇷

Mario went the classic French route and ordered the cheese plate with Délice de Bourgogne, 30-month Comté and Bleu de Basque. Three absolute belters: the outrageously creamy triple-cream Délice de Bourgogne (basically edible velvet), a nutty, crystalline 30-month aged Comté, and a punchy Bleu de Basque. Served with fig and onion chutney and crostini.

Drink: Primitivo ‘Acanto’ from Ionis 🍷

Paired with a glass of Primitivo, ‘Acanto’ Red Wine, Ionis — a ripe, generous southern Italian red with dark fruit and soft spice that stood up beautifully to the stronger cheeses. Textbook fromage-and-vin moment. 🧀 +🍾 = 😘 🤌

Dessert for me: Poached Rhubarb Baked Alaska, paired with a French 75 🍧 🥂

I finished with the seasonal Poached Rhubarb Baked Alaska — poached rhubarb nestled under a cloud of (vegan) meringue, with pink peppercorn notes and vegan vanilla ice cream. Light, bright, and far more elegant than the drama of the torching might suggest.

Alongside it, a classic French 75 (gin, lemon, sugar, champagne) — crisp, citrusy, and the perfect sparkling full-stop to the meal.

Oui Madame doesn’t shout. It simply delivers warm service, clever cooking and that lovely feeling of having found somewhere special before the rest of London fully catches on.

Book ahead (especially at weekends), arrive hungry, and say oui to basically everything. Evenings only, Tuesday–Saturday Book via the website.

Little Glossary (for the curious)

1. Confit – Slow-cooked in its own fat (or oil) until meltingly tender. Here it turns the usually discarded scallop roe into something rich and luxurious.
2. Duxelles – A finely chopped mixture of mushrooms (here shiitake) cooked down with shallots and herbs until intensely savoury. Classic French technique.
3. Délice de Bourgogne – A triple-cream cow’s milk cheese from Burgundy. Think Brie that went to finishing school and came back even creamier.
4. Comté (30-month) – Hard alpine-style cheese from the Jura mountains. Aged for two and a half years so it develops lovely nutty, crystalline crunch.
5. Bleu de Basque – A sheep’s milk blue cheese from the French Basque country. Creamier and milder than many blues, with a gentle tang.
6. French 75 – Classic cocktail of gin, lemon juice, sugar and champagne. Named after a powerful First World War field gun — and almost as effective at brightening the evening.