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Being more familiar with the West End, I’m a bit stuck when a friend suggests meeting for a weekday lunch in the City – where to go? A colleague recommends CORD by Le Cordon Bleu, where there is a choice of both café and restaurant. Such foodie pedigree is irresistible, and we need little persuasion to upgrade our casual lunch plans and book a table in the restaurant.

The setting is a Grade II listed building originally designed by Sir Edwin Lutyens for the Press Association, and the restaurant itself is bright and stylishly decorated in a serene palette. Tables are covered in crisp white cloths, while comfortable blue velvet seating invites long, leisurely lunches. From our table, we have a front row seat from which to gawp at the industrious comings and goings in the glass-fronted kitchen, and it makes for fascinating viewing.

Executive chef Karl O’Dell joined the team a year ago, bringing with him skills honed during his time at the likes of Michelin-starred Texture and Pétrus, and most recently The Monarch Theatre, Park Row. Along with his talented team – many of them Cordon Bleu graduates – here, his focus in on producing modern French cuisine with an emphasis on combining the freshest ingredients with innovative techniques to create dishes that reflect the essence of the season. There is a four-course tasting menu available at lunchtime, nine courses in the evening, but our appetite has been piqued by the à la carte menu, which includes some irresistible-sounding options. While we make our choices we nibble on the most exquisite mini brioche rolls – crispy and laminated on the outside, warm and flaky inside, they are like nothing we have ever tasted before. When the basket comes around again it takes all our willpower to decline seconds – we are determined to leave room for three courses.

I choose lobster and sea urchin raviolo to start, while my companion opts for the Isle of Wight tomatoes with burrata, which comes with a tiny shot glass of green gazpacho and a scoop of mustard ice cream on the side. It is evident that the presentation here is as much of an art form as the cooking: gorgeously plump, my raviolo is made from striking black pasta dough and embellished with tiny edible flowers. A spiced shellfish broth is poured over it with a flourish at the table. Indeed, there is a theatrical element to every dish that is presented to us, making the meal a real visual treat. The food might look too good to eat, but rest assured, it tastes even better than it looks.

Expectations high, we move on to the mains, sea bass for me, lamb cutlet with walnut crust for my friend. Both are excellent, mine served with a dashi broth that gives the tender, delicate fish an appealing umami bite. We share a side of crispy potato pave with black truffle and Comté which will take some beating.

We’ve been told that the hazelnut soufflé is not to be missed, but we’re both intrigued by the Saint-Marcellin cheese, and decide to share both. It is an excellent decision, the former is well worth the 15-minute wait – it comes fluffy and perfectly risen, served with a quenelle of cinnamon ice cream. After presenting it, the waiter cuts into the soufflé and fills it with warm caramel sauce. The latter, meanwhile, is unlike any cheese dish we have seen – presented like a dessert it is a delicate millefeuille dripping with melted cheese and truffle honey and topped with delicate slivers of Granny Smith apple and celery. We round the meal off with coffee and peppermint tea, served with beautiful handmade chocolates, and leave feeling pleasantly replete. With menus changing seasonally, we know that we’ll be back soon, and I urge you to go, too.