There’s been a fluttering in the foodie dovecotes as one of France’s heaviest hitters opens a restaurant in the Dorchester. The message boards have been all a twitter with often ill-informed discussions and Monsieur D. has certainly not wanted for publicity. When I visited I was struck by how very very French the place was (I know that this should not have come as a shock given the name over the door, but we kind of expect that even incoming superstars will end up doing things our way, the London way).

The dining room is a symphony in muted beige, very soft, very gracious, very tranquil. Service glides about. There is what seems to be a compulsory manifestation of dodgy French taste – large and complicated china vegetables adorn each table. When viewed by a Brit these big, lumpy, items are dull and even vie for unsuitability and ugliness with those fabled animal sculptures made from cutlery at Le Gavroche. There are some elements of French interior design that we will never ever understand.

But we do understand the food. Alain Ducasse has written a menu for his Dorchester outpost that is only a quarter turn away from the old-fashioned, classical French cooking of yore – sauce Vin Jaune; sauce Grand Veneur; sauce Nantua; and sauce Albufera all feature proudly. From a technical point of view the cooking is very good indeed: A soft-cooked organic egg comes with crayfish, wild mushrooms and sauce Nantua – perfectly judged egg and perfectly made sauce – grand contrasts of taste and texture. The simmered duck foie gras with mango and dolce forte sauce comes to table almost quivering with an indulgent melting heart. Pumpkin ravioli come in a rich Parmesan emulsion that delivers a serious whack of umami. Main courses also have a classical feel – a dish of halibut presents firm fish on spinach and Jerusalem artichokes with a lemon and caper sauce. The roast pigeon is a runaway winner, exceedingly tender and with a superb croute pasted with dark meat and liver – for once an accompaniment that is straight out of the English tradition of game cookery. The cheese course offers two British cheeses and two from France, a thoughtful selection, all ripe and in good condition. The puds are also pretty momentous the rum baba comes with real rum and melts in the mouth. The assiette of apple delivers plenty of green astringency.

Mon. Ducasse hasn’t racked up a constellation of stars without being astute and you can tell that he has tempered the full-on, three-star, pukka French experience for his new home in the Dorchester. This place is not quite so fussy, it’s a bit less elaborate and it’s a lot more comfortable (in practice this means that when you choose your rum for the baba you get offered two bottles rather than the three options you would get in Monte Carlo).

This restaurant will never be a cheap option, but then it is not wildly expensive either – especially when you compare it with other players in the fine dining marketplace. The lunch menu offers 3 courses for £35. Lunch à la Carte - 2 courses £55; 3 courses £75 – beware there are some supplements, including a whopping £40 for white truffle dishes. For dinner 3 courses £75; 4 courses £95; and a 7 course tasting menu £115. This is a good place to enjoy a formal meal.

Charles Campion

Alain Ducasse, The Dorchester, Park Lane, W1 (020 7629 8866)