Soufflés are the Elizabeth Taylors of the food world, with an irresistible mystique all of their own but also with a reputation for capriciousness. The baked egg-white raised confection – and I am talking about the hot, quaveringly unstable versions, not the cold mousse type – is nothing if not a diva, sinking to a rubbery mess at the slightest excuse. A draughty kitchen, a late guest, an ill-considered knock, all can result in a soufflé that’s more flop than froth.

It is the sort of dish that’s considered too risky for a dinner party, so opening a restaurant dedicated entirely to the airy delights seems to be asking for trouble. But that is exactly what Parisienne Estelle Idoux and her father Gérard are planning.

The father and daughter team are opening a London branch of their restaurant Les Soufflés, dedicated only to soufflés, this spring in Beauchamp Place, the chic London street just around the corner from Harrods that is also home to San Lorenzo, once a hangout of the late Princess Diana.

The Idouxs may be newcomers to Knightsbridge, but they are hardly novices at the restaurant game – they have run La Cigale Récamier in Paris for more than 30 years. Inspired by the chocolate soufflés of his childhood Sunday lunches, “the only time my father was calm and happy”, Gérard put soufflés on the menu there and they quickly became the bestselling dish. Their fame spread, attracting celebrities – Helena Bonham Carter, Gérard Depardieu and Catherine Deneuve are regulars – and Michelle Obama insisted on learning how to cook a soufflé with Gérard Idoux in the restaurant kitchen.

Not one to let America’s First Lady steal a march on me, I met up with twinkly eyed Gérard and the glamorous Estelle at a temporary kitchen in London to learn the secret to a reliable soufflé. I was in for some surprises.

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