The best laid plans of mice and restaurant writers.... as any glance at the television or newspapers will confirm, this week is chicken week. At long last the spotlight, (and hopefully the collective conscience of the nation) might be turning to the plight of the 860 million broiler chickens grown for the table in the U.K. every year. Why should farmers be forced into ultra-intensive production methods by a market that offers them 3 or 4 pence profit for each bird? Just when did cheaper than cheap chickens become an entitlement for the British housewife?

So it’s off to sample some really good chicken – like the whole roast blackleg chicken with foie gras at La Petite Maison. At this “homage” to Nicole Rubi’s Nice establishment the chicken is very good indeed – it’s not gussied up and it’s not fancy – just a top chook roast with care and attention. When the restaurant opened in June 2007 Jay Rayner wrote an eulogy to this bird that went so far as to compare it with the iconic roast chicken at L’Ami Louis in Paris. As I wandered into La Petite Maison my mind was set on a topical revisiting of that roast chicken. But it is unwise to make such definitive plans, while I was toying with the menu and a cold beer the chef Raphael Duntoye bounced out of the open kitchen for a chat. I explained that I was on a chicken pilgrimage and he nodded sagely. Then he started to talk about other dishes – a crisp salad made with red cabbage and apple; a delicate, sweet cured salmon in the Japanese style but with turnips standing in for daikon radish; and finally the whole roast leg of milk fed Pyrenees lamb – and at that point all good, chickeny intentions went out of the window. There is no better salesman than a chef talking lovingly about one of the new dishes on his menu. Who cares about chicken? Bring on the lamb. The lamb was served with roast tomatoes and an intensely savoury cous cous that somehow retained its granular texture. At some point in the process the lamb is lightly smoked – sweet marinade; juicy meat; slight smokiness – it all adds up to bliss. And then there is the legendary, almost boat sized, dish of perfect crème brulée.

To revert to the chicken question, I was due to visit the Duke of Wellington in Crawford Street, a new-ish gastropub, so I planned to pick a chicken dish from their menu and thus take care of my conscience. The Wellington is owned by the people who set up the Brown Dog in Barnes and on the menu it styles itself as a “Bar and Dining Room”. The whole “what is a gastropub” debate grows increasingly tedious and it seems foolish to worry over such definitions, however the Duke of Wellington was formerly a public house and now has gastronomic pretensions. The 24 seater dining room is upstairs. It’s a pretty, if crowded, room. The food is restaurant food, starters are priced between £5.50 and £9.50; mains £13 to £19.75; and puds £4.50 to £5.50. The wine list is fairly forgiving but dinner for two with a bottle of wine would probably land you a bill around the £85 mark. Granted this gastro-emporium is situated in the sleek heart of Marylebone but this is very restauranty pricing. And after scanning the 7 starters and 7 mains it quickly became apparent that the Duke was a chicken free zone. Once again it was time for lamb. The level of cooking is good at the Duke, “spiced pig’s head “cake” with trotters on toast, fried quails’ eggs and tomato sauce” was elegant on the plate and offered plenty of strong flavours. Another starter was the seared foie gras which came with an amazing silky puree of butternut squash. The main courses also impressed,  a “feuillette of 28 day aged “Longhorn” beef sirloin with buttered spinach and shitake mushrooms” did not need the pastry elements but was well made. The “grilled loin of lamb with fondant potato and confit garlic” worked on every level – a very good fondant potato, a head of garlic cooked to melting sweetness, tender meat. The only whisper of reservation is that some of the sauces verged on gluey over-reduction. But good food from a gastro-restaurant-pub-bar. Chicken rants held over for another occasion

Charles Campion

La Petite Maison, 54 brooks Mews, W1 (020 7495 4774)

The Duke of Wellington, 94a Crawford Street, W1 (020 7723 2790) www.thedukeW1.co.uk