Settling in at this veteran bistro can feel like joining a lively party. A window-table blonde sips champagne,telling the gents on the next-door table about her trip to Paris. The gents greet a foursome coming through the brassy glass entrance. And isn't that so-and-so from the telly? But this long,mirror-lined room,busy as a train carriage at peak hour,is more than a neighbourhood hero with sharp service. For a quarter-century it has done a thriving trade in the classics:bubbling onion soup or juicy,charred steaks with a gravy boat of bearnaise. Goat's cheese on garlicky croutons with a tumble of frisee is another menu stalwart. Plump,pan-cooked scallops might come sans roe,with springy chunks of king brown mushroom. A tenderly cooked veal escalope is lapped by creamy mushroom sauce. Specials include fish and pork of the day and most mains come with textbook frites. Finish with ale flottante,a single airy iceberg of soft meringue.