Le Café du Marché – Restaurant Review

 

Cuisine:  French

Cost:  

Rating:

Where?:  Charterhouse mews, Charterhouse Square, London. EC1M 6BB.

Closest station(s): Farringdon, Barbican, Moorgate, Liverpool Street.  

Telephone: 0207 608 1609

Website: www.cafedumarche.co.uk

Café du Marché would struggle to hide itself away any further if it tried; in an area famous for its meat market and meat focused restaurants such as St. John it has not gone out of its way to advertise itself to death – it remains relatively unknown outside the immediate area; however it is a cracking place.

The main dining room has a feel that is very much like a French farmhouse kitchen with exposed wood and brick throughout creating a cosy atmosphere which looks well used without for a second becoming shabby. The menu is fantastically French; offering a selection of rustic and often little known provincial dishes.

The black pudding with which I started was some of the best I have ever tried and the ox cheeks with gnocchi with which I followed was divine; wickedly meaty and sitting in a sauce that saw me ordering more bread at the end of the meal to ensure I made the most of every last drop.

At £28.50 for two courses it seems reasonably priced and with the addition of house wine at under £19 the bill was less than I had expected. On the whole the service was good, with the exception of the waiter who took our order who didn’t seem to comprehend any of the dishes that we ordered, couldn’t explain an item on the menu and insisted on me telling him how many down from the top the wine I was ordering was as he couldn’t understand that order either – I can’t say I have ever had that problem before and I certainly hadn’t drunk enough to have reached the slurring stage.

Café du Marché is a great restaurant with a particularly wonderful atmosphere; the food was packed with flavour and would certainly be considered rustic over delicate. I will definitely be going back – possibly after some elocution lessons. 

Koffmann's - Restaurant Review

Cuisine: French

Cost:

Rating:

Where?:  The Berkeley, Wilton Place, Knightsbridge, London. SW1X 7RL

Closest station(s): Hyde Park Corner, Knightsbridge, Victoria.    

Telephone:  0207 235 1010

Website: www.the-berkeley.co.uk/koffmanns  

 Koffmann’s is a welcome return for Pierre Koffmann to the London restaurant scene having previously held three Michelin stars with the Tante Claire on Royal Hospital Road. Following his break he has returned to the Berkeley Hotel in Knightsbridge with a more relaxed effort in the form of a French brasserie, this restaurant will not win three Michelin stars however it is not trying to.  

The menu is a joy to peruse with little effort made to build up unnecessary pretention or theatre; from snails, bone marrow and wild mushroom to Gascony-style black pudding with Darphin potatoes and fig chutney – there is something refreshing and exciting about the menu. The a la carte sees starters around £12 and mains around £25; for this you get excellent produce cooked in ways that simply attempt to draw out the quality of the produce.

The pig’s trotter salad with which I started was fantastic, I can’t say I often eat salads in restaurants however the wafer thin slices of trotter with the artichoke and cauliflower worked wonderfully well and left me hugely satisfied. The calf’s liver with which I followed was also very good; I haven’t had liver that well cooked for quite a while. The wine list is again well thought out with something on offer from around £22; they also offer carafes which I found a welcome surprise – possibly for when that second bottle with the mains doesn’t seem quite necessary. On top of this the service was also of a very high standard without being intrusive, it also had a human edge to it which can at times be lost in a hotel setting.

It is the set menu that has drawn the largest crowds, ensuring that the restaurant has a healthy buzz at all times – at £21.50 for two courses it is excellent value. It is a shame that I now find myself coming to the one thing that lets Koffmann’s down, namely the décor. It is horrible. With so much going for it it is such a shame that you are forced to eat in such uninspiring surroundings. It certainly did not ruin my meal and I would recommend Koffmann’s however it has certainly fallen into the hotel trap that all too many restaurants do – seemingly believing that distinguishing features, or features at all for that matter, are unnecessary.

It is great to see Pierre Koffmann back in the capital and Koffmann’s is a positive addition; the cooking is excellent as is the service – just make sure you go there with good company so you won’t have a need to look round at the painfully bland interior. 

Le Colombier - Restaurant Review

 

Cuisine: French

Cost:

Rating:

Where?: 145,Dovehouse Street, Chelsea Square, London. SW3 6LB.

Closest station(s): South Kensington, Sloane Square, Gloucester Road.   

Telephone:  0207 351 1155

Website: http://www.le-colombier-restaurant.co.uk

Neither state of the art nor cutting edge are phrases that I would associate with Chelsea’s Le Colombier; and that is part of the reason that I hold it in such high regard. Approaching this SW3 stalwart I felt it exuded a relaxedness that I rarely encounter in London. Sitting down at a table on the large awning covered terrace I soon had a refreshing G&T in hand and transported to a French seaside town. Its location, just off the Fulham road, is surprisingly tranquil for London and I can’t say I noticed the traffic until I trudged pack onto the pavement and into the outside world.

This is a brasserie offering a fine selection of the most French of dishes. The selection for both mains and starters is considerable, with a clear intent to keep the dishes simple and of excellent quality, from the vintage sardines, to the terrine de foie gras to the bean salad. There is a lightness to the dishes that, for me, makes it the ideal place for lunch. Being in an almost childish mood I  decided to go for the two French dishes for which I hold the highest regard, namely steak tartare followed by confit duck – not perhaps the two dishes that were best however for my health. Both were excellent, delivering what they should and there was just about the perfect amount of both too.

At around £10 for starters and £22 for mains the menu is not cheap – however I certainly did not feel it to be over-priced. The set menu of two courses and coffee for £19.50 is particularly good value. Unsurprisingly the wine list is French, with bottle available from the £19 mark and a fair selection in the low to mid-£20s.

Le Colombier is certainly somewhere to which I will be returning; I thoroughly enjoyed my meal, the wine isn’t hideously priced and the service was attentive. It does not try to be modern or to impress with foams and theatre; for traditional French food in a very French setting it is up there with the best. 

The Glasshouse - Restaurant Review

Cuisine:  French

Cost: 

Rating: 

Where?:  14, Station Parade, Kew, TW9 3PZ.

Closest station(s): Kew Gardens, Kew Bridge, Richmond.

Telephone: 0208 940 6777

Website: www.glasshouserestaurant.co.uk

Another restaurant from those that have brought us Chez Bruce and La Trompette, the Glasshouse attempts to use the same formula as the other; namely: good produce simply cooked, excellent friendly service and a smart whilst relaxed dining space.

The Glasshouse follows the formula closely and with very pleasant results. The foie gras parfait was delicious, the pork cheeks were excellent and though I can’t understand why the menu calls it ‘raw spicy beef’; the steak tartare again was a delicious plate of food with the flavours working well on the plate. The only disappointment was the salmon and skate ravioli which was a little tasteless, unnecessarily large and the pasta too thick.

The puddings were again good, however with the stunning cheeseboard on offer I would personally always choose that over dessert. The service was efficient and attentive; without however becoming intrusive. The dining area is plain but pleasant enough; there is something a little too sparse about it however it is only as offensive as neutral can be.  You will find a couple of decent bottles of wine for about £23 and I found a lovely Bordeaux for £25. The menu is £39.50 for three courses which doesn’t seem extortionate for somewhere which ticks so many boxes; you will also often find good lunch deals that make it great value. The Glasshouse is a reliable restaurant, not necessarily quite as good as its siblings but still rarely a disappointment.

Trinity - Restaurant Review

Cuisine: French

Cost:  

Rating:

Where?:  4 The Polygon, Clapham Old Town, London. SW4 0JG.

Closest station(s): Clapham Common, Clapham South.   

Telephone:  0207 622 1199

Website: http://www.trinityrestaurant.co.uk

I can’t quite put my finger on it, however there is something that I just don’t like about Trinity. Knowing the restaurants in South West London quite well, it stuns me that so few people ever seem to speak about it, despite after Chez Bruce it being one of the more upmarket restaurants in the area.

I don’t really understand what Trinity is trying to achieve, it has a look which reminds me of a Swedish log cabin (I haven’t actually been to Sweden, so perhaps that is no resemblance at all) and is tucked away in Clapham Old Town in a little street that gets relatively little footfall. Having entered we were greeted warmly and shown to our table in this clean, smart and minimalist dining room. One of the first things that struck me was the large number of staff – surely far more than a small restaurant needs. At no point during my meal could I say that I relaxed, the quantity of staff meant that there is an almost endless procession of people coming to the table each with some form of rather pointless role.

The pig’s trotter on sourdough to start was excellent, the crackling with which it comes was crunched through with glee. The mains however did not live up to this, my pigeon was pleasant however not particularly exciting and a little tough. The squid and risotto nero with which my dining partner followed again was so-so, however far too large and lacking delicacy or subtlety. The wine list allows you to find bottles from the £25 mark.

Trinity is certainly not terrible and it does an awful lot right, it just failed to prove a particularly enjoyable meal. I certainly found the service overly rigid and formal. I imagine that it would be a good destination for a business lunch and the chef’s table that overlooks the kitchen might also add that little something extra to improve the experience.  

There is often a three course lunch menu for around £25 which allows a taste of Trinity at a slightly more reasonable price, though for the same money you could go to Chez Bruce which to my mind provides better food and an infinitely more relaxed environment. 

The Wolseley - Restaurant Review

Cuisine: French

Cost:  

Rating:

Where?:  160, Piccadilly, London. W1J 9EB.

Closest station(s): Green Park, Piccadilly, Leicester Square.   

Telephone:  0207 499 6996

Website: www.thewolseley.com  

Having been to The Wolseley a number of times I still can’t quite decide what to make of it. My problem relates to what it is; for the prices you would almost expect a fine dining restaurant, however it could also fall into the café or brasserie sections too. 

Though a few years ago The Wolseley was the place to go in London it is not, I have come to learn, a fine dining restaurant; it is a grand café and at ticking boxes for a grand café it excels. Having opened at 7 for breakfast it then moves onto a lunch service, then an afternoon tea service followed finally by dinner that stops serving at midnight –a long and tiring day for anyone.

This elegant former car showroom and bank is a beautiful setting for all of your meals. For breakfast it can be highly recommended, certainly cheaper than most of the local hotels but offering an excellent and appetising selection of grub to give you a kick start in the morning.

Afternoon tea again is spot on; a tasty tea without the prices and pomp that come with the effort made just moments away in the Ritz and other hotels.  We then come to lunch & dinner. If looking for somewhere to pop into whilst out shopping at lunchtime and you are craving a classic, i.e steak tartare, duck confit or calf’s liver and you want to enjoy it in a pleasant environment, to be cooked well, served quickly and washed down with a decent glass of wine then The Wolseley is excellent; as it would also be pre or post-theatre. At £19.50 for calves lives and £18.95 for the seven hour lamb, whilst well-cooked it may be more than many want to spend at lunchtime.

What I would not recommend is going to the Wolseley under the impression that it is a fine dining restaurant; it is not set up to provide you with a drawn out relaxing meal – and the staff do little to improve this, often seeming rushed.  

Helpfully, the restaurant leaves a considerable number of tables free for walk-ins; allowing this to be a refuge from shopping or other daytime activity.  

Le Pot Lyonnais - Restaurant Review

Cuisine:  French

Cost:  

Rating:

Where?:  36-40,  Queenstown Road, Battersea, London. SW8 3RY.

Closest station(s): Battersea Park, Queenstown Road.

Telephone: 0207 622 2618

Website: N/A  

If you had asked me a year ago what I thought of the Pot Lyonnais I would have heaped praise on the place; it has now unfortunately started to slip.  The restaurant is open from mid-morning for breakfast right through lunch and dinner and then seems to close when the last people have decided to leave.

The Pot Lyonnais offers a bar menu including a burger and steak sandwich and also an a la carte menu offering most French classics. The establishment is huge, offering two bar areas, a specific dining area and then outside seating. The restaurant part is never busy, most people choosing to eat at the tables in the bar area. In summer the outside area, though on the pavement of a busy road, has a great charm to it and I would certainly recommend it as somewhere to have a relaxed bottle of wine after work. The beer is horrible – I have no idea what they do to it but it has a bizarre taste; this judgement being made having tried it at least ten times on different occasions.  

I have extremely mixed feelings about the food. The breakfast is a little hit and miss, the eggs benedict can at times be excellent but I have also had a couple of very poor experiences. The bar menu I would highly recommend, sitting outside in the sun recently eating the steak sandwich with frites along with a nice glass of Bordeaux is heavenly.

The main menu is again rather hit and miss. The charcuterie selection is impressively uninspiring, often containing a poor selection of not particularly good meats. The steak wasn’t great either – surprisingly poorly cooked for somewhere that ticks most other boxes for authentic French cooking. I would happily eat the confit de canard with pommes salardaise daily; it would however leave me requiring a triple heart bypass within a year but when furring of the arteries tastes that good then it may just be worth it.

The prices for the a la carte don’t usually appear too bad on the menu however for some reason each time I eat off it I am surprised at how the bill comes to generally spending more than I would want to pay for what I had received.

Overall I would recommend the Pot Lyonnais for a bottle of wine and a snack in the evening or a wonderfully relaxed lunch – I would not however go there for a three course evening meal, there are simply better looking restaurants, with better service and better food in the vicinity. 

Le Mercury - Restaurant Review

Cuisine:  French

Cost:  

Rating:

Where?:  140A, Upper Street, Islington. London. N1 1QY.

Closest station(s): Angel , Highbury & Islington.   

Telephone: 0207 354 4088

Website: www.lemercury.co.uk

If you were to see the prices as you walked past Le Mercury on the corner of Upper Street and Almeida Street you would be forgiven for assuming that it is was a fast food restaurant - a fixed £3.95 for starters and £7.95 for mains. Rather than fast food however they offer dishes such as roast saddle of lamb with courgettes & rosemary jus and sea bass with crushed new potatoes and minted pesto.

The portion sizes are substantial, I recall having half a cow placed in front of me having ordered carpaccio of beef to start; however the rest of the dishes weren’t so absurdly sized. The cooking throughout is reliable however certainly not exceptional. The building is deceptively large, going up 3 or 4 stories. Le Mercury is a great option when looking for a restaurant meal without restaurant prices, the house wine being around £12 means that the bill doesn’t surge too far with the addition of a glass of wine or 2. The service is ok, though not first rate – however at these prices it is difficult to moan.

Le Mercury is seconds from the Almeida Theatre, making it perfect for pre or post-theatre dining when looking for a good meal that won’t break the bank or take an age to get through. 

Les Trois Garcons - Restaurant Review

Cuisine:  French

Cost:  

Rating:

Where?:  1, Club Row. London. E1 6JX.

Closest station(s): Shoreditch High Street, Liverpool Street, Old Street, Hoxton Rail.

Telephone: 0207 613 1924

Website: www.lestroisgarcons.com

 Les Trois Garcons is a truly unique experience, never before have I eaten surrounded by stuffed animals wearing tutus and fairy wings or underneath a multitude of chandeliers and handbags hanging from the ceiling. The dining room is bizarre in a good way.

In these East London surroundings I was treated to some exceptionally skilful French cooking - the Chateaubriand being one of the finest and best cooked pieces of meat that I have had the pleasure of tasting. The starters showed a great ability to bring out the best in the delicate flavours of crab and langoustine.

The service at Les Trois Garcons is excellent – the French waiting staff are extremely attentive and friendly. Looking around whilst eating I have rarely seem a dining room full of people who were so clearly enjoying their meals, there is little to complain about here.

At around £50 for three courses Les Trois Garcons is not cheap and the wine starts at around the £30 mark. That said it is certainly worth a visit, eating in this magical environment is a pleasure. Clearly others think so too as it is generally packed so a reservation is necessary.

If looking for an aperitif then Lounge Lover that has the same owners is only just round the corner and provides an excellent place to get into the mood for fine wine and fine food. 

Le Bouchon Bordelais - Restaurant Review

Cuisine:  French

Cost:  

Rating:

Where?:  5 – 9, Battersea Rise, London. SW11 1HG.

Closest station(s): Clapham Junction, Clapham South, Clapham Common.  

Telephone: 0207 738 0307

Website: www.lebouchon.co.uk

Sitting on the veranda of this French restaurant near Clapham Junction in the sun enjoying a glass of crisp white wine whilst waiting for my dining partner I had extremely high hopes for Le Bouchon. Alas, soon it started to rain so myself and my tardy guest decided to move inside to avoid the British weather.

The décor is simple, in itself this is not a bad thing however I found it rather lacking in charm. The seating was decidedly uncomfortable, ending up perched on bar stools around a small table in order to remain away from the absurdly loud television in the adjoining part of the restaurant.

The menu offers a fine selection of French cuisine, however it seemed to be an age before the rather rude waitress came and took our order. Our starters of terrine de foie gras and moules finally arrived and were decidedly average.

 Nevermind, it was onto the Chateaubriand which I was hoping to make amends and leave me satisfied in the way only a huge piece of bloody cow can. It was shown at the table in advance of carving and both myself and my dining partner gasped at the beauty of the this charred piece of meat. Unfortunately being shown the meat was the highlight of my experience of Le Bouchon. It was hugely disappointing to find that my first mouthful lasted considerably longer than I had expected. Chew chew chew chew chew .. hmm , still there .. chew chew chew .. wash down with wine … swallow. I have never had Chateaubriand that was so chewy and consequently not enjoyable. To add insult to injury the chips were also undercooked.

I did not enjoy my meal at Le Bouchon; the food was below par, the service was slow, poor and rude and the bill managed to come to considerably more than I was expecting. There are often offers on the food – however even with a reduction in the bill I believe that you could find better food in more pleasant surroundings for the same money. 

Almeida - Restaurant Review

Cuisine:  French

Cost:  

Rating:

Where?:  30, Almeida Street, London. N1 1AD

Closest station(s): Angel, Highbury & Islington.    

Telephone: 0207 354 4777

Website: www.almeida-restaurant.co.uk 

The Almeida is yet another of the D&D Group (formally Conran restaurants) ventures. The large dining room is light and airy; however a recent revamp has failed to add much character. I can’t quite put my finger on what it is that fails décor-wise, however the room simply has a slightly clinical feel – a little like a Debenham’s showroom; perhaps the Conran connection permits them a discount.

The food is French, brought together from carefully selected British produce. Having eaten at the Almeida a number of times the food is certainly reliable. The menu stalwarts are the charcuterie trolley and the slow braised suckling pig; the charcuterie trolley can be excellent however at times it seems that they have put in more effort than at others. The suckling pig is a delicious spit roast piece of meat that delivers what it should.

There is certainly nothing wrong with the cooking at the Almeida, it simply fails to inspire. The menu is remarkably static, it rarely (if ever) wows the customers and service is rather hit and miss. I have regularly had to re-order side dishes and drinks and on one occasion the reception staff were incredibly rude.

That said the prices have remained static for a number of years – at £25 for 2 courses a la carte. The best reason for a visit to the Almeida is for the pre or post-theatre menu, with the excellent Almeida Theatre sitting opposite. At £16 for 2 courses it is good value; however once you have added a side dish or two and with house wine starting at around £23, the bill soon starts to rise.

I certainly wouldn’t travel across London to go to the Almeida, it is however reliable French food – just don’t go expecting any wow factor. 

Mon Plaisir - Restaurant Review

Cuisine:  French

Cost: 

Rating: 

Where?:  19 – 21, Monmouth Street, Covent Garden, London. WC2H 9DD.

Closest station(s):  Covent Garden, Leicester Square, Tottenham Court Road.   

Telephone: 0207 836 7243

Website: www.monplaisir.co.uk

Mon Plaisir in Covent Garden is French, it is very very French. The staff are very French and the décor is very French – it purports to be London’s oldest French restaurant.

Unsurprisingly, the food is very French and clearly in the time that they have been open they have learnt how to turn out very reliable and well-cooked Gallic grub. The menu certainly ticks all of the boxes for a French restaurant – snails, steak frites, duck confit, steak tartare .. the list goes on.

The restaurant itself is nicely presented and as long as you aren’t the only people there an atmosphere is soon created. Luckily it is a popular restaurant and has a good pre-theatre following so there is a buzz at most times.

The starters are around £10 and the mains £19; for this you get extremely competent classic French cooking; the dishes are unlikely however to wow  – there is something a little dated about the whole experience. To my mind there is however certainly a time when it is exactly what you may be looking for. The house wine at £18 means that costs do not spiral excessively.

For me the greatest draw for Mon Plaisir is the pre or post-theatre menu. At £13.95 for 2 courses with its central location it is perfect for Shaftsbury Avenue and only a moment from London’s finest theatre (in my opinion) the Donmar Warehouse. For this you get a selection of two courses that are expertly cooked and often accompanied by side dishes that allow those who want a bit more to eat to fill up to their hearts’ desire.

Accomplished and reliable French cooking, for me the a la carte is a little on the expensive side however the pre-theatre is certainly worth a punt.  

Chez Bruce - Restaurant Review

 

Cuisine: French

Cost:  

Rating:

Where?:  2, Bellevue Road, Wandsworth Common, SW17 7EG

Closest station(s): Wandsworth Common, Balham.  

Telephone:  0208 672 0114

Website: www.chezbruce.co.uk

Having previously been to La Trompette, Chez Bruce’s Chiswick based sibling I had extremely high hopes for the meal as it is certainly the better known and often more highly praised older brother. I have to say that my experience at Chez Bruce was excellent. From start to finish the service was impeccable without becoming intrusive or overbearing. The tongue and brain starter was delicious, as were the potted shrimps.

The mains managed to keep up the high standards, turning out fresh and tasty food; my cod with olive oil mash was a great success. The puddings and cheese rounded off the meal excellently – the cheese board should not be missed. The wine list has considerable Gallic persuasion, not a bad thing in my book; with effort clearly being put into keeping the top section of the list reasonably priced – there are a couple of bottles for under £25. If you want glitz, glamour and pretention then don’t go. Chez Bruce serves up excellent food in a modest but pleasant environment with great service and decent wine to wash down each delicious morsel. 

My only real complaint about Chez Bruce is that they seem to have a rather small wine fridge, on a couple of occasions when I have order a bottle of wine they have said that they haven’t got one cold as they have just sold a bottle of it – surely they could keep more than one bottle chilled!

Despite the prices creeping up this Michelin-starred food leaves not too large a dent on the wallet, the lunch menu being particularly good with 3 courses for around £27; dinner being around £45. Certainly one of the best, if not the best, restaurant south of the river.