Jan Moir Are You Ready To Order

Galvin at Windows

Late February is the cruellest time of year for restaurants and the people who eat in them. The catering trade’s mid-month fillip of Valentine’s Day is over, a crushed red rose in the gutter for another year. All that stretches ahead until Easter are the long, bleak days of Lent and newspaper offers such as Dine Out with the Toytown Trumpet, two courses of cheap carbs and all the tap water you can drink for £8.50. Oi, mister! What? Put those bread rolls back where they belong.

Lots of customers, hit with the post-Christmas blues, are making soup at home and vowing never to set foot near a restaurant again, unless it’s to join a foie gras protest. Chefs are staring at the ceiling, praying for the first of the real spring produce to arrive. Together, we all find ourselves in the deep waters of the restaurant doldrums, without the chivvying breath of a fresh wind to urge us anywhere. What to do when you need a treat? Hope soars like an emergency flare when S remembers the raft of delicious bargains still to be had at many of London’s top restaurants. Michelin two-stars such as Le Gavroche, The Capital and The Square are, yes, expensive in the evenings, but much kinder to wilting February wallets at lunchtime. All offer decent set price lunches that don’t insult customers on a gourmet budget. Le Gavroche have a legendary three course set lunch at £48, including water, half bottle of wine and coffee, but not service. The Capital’s deal is three courses for £29.50, plus service and drinks, while The Square has a similar offer for 50p more.

At Galvin at Windows, the set lunch deal (with wine) is similar in structure to the one at Le Gavroche, but is a little cheaper at £45. It features a trio of choices in each course. On the day we visit, the options include starters of Jerusalem artichoke veloute with gnocchi and root vegetables; a terrine of pork shoulder, black pudding and foie gras with hazelnut dressing; and ballotine of slow-cooked mackerel with smoked eel beignet and potato butter. Main courses are risotto of wild mushrooms, mascarpone and aged parmesan; fillet of bream, braised fennel, pomme puree and nicoise sardine dressing; and magret de canard, pommes béarnaise and sauce bigarade.

Sounds marvellous says S, admiring the 360˚panoramic views from Windows, which is situated on the 28th floor of the London Hilton. The décor is a little corporate but the sparkling vistas of the capital, gleaming into the distance on this bright, winter day, are enchanting.

Ozone smack of sea freshness

To begin, we have the mackerel ballotine, which perhaps could have been cooked a little longer, yet that might have lost the ozone smack of the lovely sea fresh taste, so no complaints. Wispy tempura batter swathes two chunks of eel, while some crisp peels of fennel add a crunchy, fresh texture. These tasty, inexpensive ingredients are put together in such a dextrous way that diners miss out on nothing. Meanwhile, properly made risotto is difficult to find in a busy restaurant, but not at Windows. This version, nicely enriched with mascarpone, has perfect rice, each grain still with a little bite, and just enough wild mushrooms to give a good, woody flavour. The strong parmesan has a big umami hit and the generous shower of rocket and parsley on top of the risotto adds a welcome, bitter edge to the dairy opulence of the dish.

For pudding, S has vanilla pannacotta with a pleasant, lemon edge, served with a precision cut apple salad and an icy apple sorbet.

All in all, it’s a pretty good deal although it is not quite in the same league as the offering from Le Gavroche or the singular, excellent deal offered by Eric Chavot at The Capital. The Square is less convincing than both of the above, but still better than Windows in terms of food and service. The latter, in particular, is oddly second class in contrast to the first class aspirations of the food. One waiter drags his fingers down every tablecloth as he meanders back to the kitchen. Everyone means well, but there is a general lack of polish in the ranks. However, Windows is big on location and superb views, and this cannot be overlooked when celebration lunches are planned. The restaurant offers a choice of three white or three red half bottles; decent enough stuff of the type that might cost you about a fiver in a supermarket (for example Cheverny, Domaine du Salvard, 2006 and Cote du Rhone Mathilde 2006). Some might cavil about the portion sizes in general – with that last pudding dish in particular – but really, there is much to admire at Galvin at Windows. In this panoramic eyrie, the cooking, by chef Andre Garrett is really terrific. On the set lunch deal he makes the most of these less expensive ingredients, turning them into a banquet of fine craft and good judgement. His evening a la carte (£58 for three courses) has some extraordinary dishes; from a visit before we recall an excellent poche-grille of Anjou pigeon and the luxury of individually peeled peas.

Still, he manages a decadent gesture with lunchtime coffee – some handmade chocolates; a nice touch. Galvin at Windows which is run by Chris and Jeff Galvin of Galvin's Bistrot, one of our favourite restaurants in London - was awarded a rising Michelin star when the new grades were published last month. Everyone involved will be working extra hard this year to secure that first star proper; another good reason to visit.

• Galvin at Windows, London Hilton, 22 Park Lane, London W1.Tel: 020 7208 4021. Set lunch, £29 per person, or £45 including half a bottle of wine, water and coffee.