THE LANTERN

FOOD AND DRINK
– 15
RESTAURANT REVIEW: CIGALON
KATHERINE WILDMAN IS TRANSPORTED TO THE SOUTH OF FRANCE TO
DISCOVER THE DELIGHTS OF CORSICAN COOKING
Any restaurant that boasts Rib of Camargue
Bull on its menu demands to be explored.
And, if the elegant and eloquent staff of
that same restaurant can say “Pieds et
Paquets” in such a way as to make the
classic Marseille stew of lamb’s trotters and
tripe sound like a sensual line of poetry, all
resistance becomes futile.
We visit Cigalon on Chancery Lane
one bright and sunny Tuesday lunchtime,
joining tables filled with smart-suited
diners and elegant couples. As restaurant
manager, Jocelyn, takes us to our seats,
the sun pours in through the glass roof
and filters through a line of parlour palms
that punctuate the middle of the light,
spacious dining room. On one wall a mirror
with honeycombed-glass panels echoes
the tessellated terracotta floor tiles and
delicate lavender-painted screens that
decorate the beautiful room.
We choose from the three course ‘wine
flight’ menu, where each dish is matched
to a specific French or Corsican wine.
While we decide, our waiter Alessandro
brings a selection of toasted breads to the
table, together with a dish of black and
green olive tapenade that packs a heady
punch of Mediterranean sun.
The tapenade is the first clue to the fact
that Julien Carlon, Cigalon’s Head Chef,
sources his herbs, mushrooms, olives and
olive oil from a Provençal supplier. The
flavours that emerge from his kitchen are
earthy and chewy – and sing of long days
spent under azure blue skies.
The second clue comes with our
starters. My companion chooses a delicate
salad of courgettes, tangled on the plate
and intertwined with piquant pickled
button mushrooms, roquette and fresh
basil leaves while I savour a tender fillet of
mackerel escabèche in a saffron bouillon
sauce, served with sweet julienne carrots,
finely diced tomato flesh and fresh parsley.
We devour our main courses in
appreciative silence. A sea bass fillet, all
milky white flakes and crisp buttered skin,
is served on a bed of sprouted broccoli
with a Pastis and fennel sauce. A generous
hunk of lamb neck – raspberry pink on the
inside, slightly charred on the outside –
makes an exquisite combination with its
accompanying black olive mashed potato.
Cigalon is housed in a former auction
house and named after the 1935 black and
white film, directed by Marcel Pagnol. The
film tells the story of Monsieur Cigalon, the
owner of a restaurant in a small village in
Provence, who refuses to serve any food
to his customers, deeming them unworthy
of his talents. Thankfully, Monsieur Carlon
had no such qualms when, unable to
choose between chocolate ganache with
yoghurt sorbet, aromatic rosemary cream
with a gloss of morello cherry coulis and
blue cheese with a saffron pickled pear,
we ask for all three, complemented by a
glass of honeyed Domaine Pieretti 2010
Muscat du Cap Corse.
Call today to book your ticket to
Provence and your chance to soak up the
flavours of the sun. No passport required.
Cigalon
115 Chancery Lane
+44 (0)20 7242 8373
www.cigalon.co.uk