With a dainty little bar downstairs serving gorgeous (strong) absinthe laced cocktails it’s a great way to start the evening (or lunch). Head upstairs and you’ll be transported to a room which feels incredibly French and a real air of sophistication. We sat down and snails arrived – they were outstanding. I’m reliably informed the recipe came from a very renowned Michelin starred restaurant where the head chef previously worked. With a pastry snail to complete the dish, these garlic and parsley drenched beauties were perhaps the best examples i think I’ve ever eaten. If you make it to Brasserie Gustave you need to make sure you order this.
Certain vegetables are just not worth eating on their own, but when the humble asparagus comes into play – that’s a whole other board game. Steamed to pure perfection, the asparagus at Brasserie Gustave was excellent. Perfectly seasoned and accompanied by a side of delicate hollandaise, it was a lovely simple dish. Yet, that hollandaise sauce needed much more tarragon – a little extra depth to leave a nice lingering finish on the palate wouldn’t have been a bad idea.
Grilled poussin with rosemary, garlic and lemon was another simple yet perfectly executed dish. Spread out on its back on all fours, this bird had a lovely marinade which only got better with the succulence of the poussin dripping out on to the plate. Accompanied by some shoestring fries, which were good – but really not my thing. You may as well be eating a bag of crisps. A pot of spicy, salty Tabasco based sauce was very odd, but something about it really keeps you wanting more and more of it. A strange concoction but one which worked very well, especially with that lovely grilled bird.
A skirt of beef cooked rare (more medium rare this time round) was served in a rich, deep and heavenly red wine shallot sauce, alongside some very strange elongated, crunchy fries. The meat was perhaps not the finest example I’ve eaten, but for a piece of skirt – it was bloody delicious. This is a piece of meat which really needs some love and tender to produce something that’s not destined for a stew. The sauce, as i mentioned was not only heavenly but one which needs to be bottled and poured directly down my throat.
Dessert of chocolate fondant and cherry ice ordered, with the usual fifteen minute delay – things really needed to be good for a wait this long, especially considering the amount of cold Loire white wine I was putting away. And they were. Cutting in to the fondant revealed a soft, very chocolaty gooey filling. Cherry ice cream was very well extracted and left the mouth quite literally salivating. A little crumble, caramelised cherries and a chocolate pencil – this was exactly how a chocolate fondant should be, and the rest.
But of course it didn’t quite end there. We still had yet another dessert. Profiteroles filled with ice cream and warm chocolate sauce. As appealing as this dish sounded, it was missing that little bit of oomph. The chocolate wasn’t the bitter kind you’d expect but instead smooth and moreish, while the actual profiteroles felt as if they were either from a packet or had been roaming around the kitchen too long, because they were definitely not as light as they should be. My rule is if they’re too crunchy, they should be in the bin.
I didn’t divulge in a flambe here, but if in the mood for a few potential fire hazards – I hear this is the place to be. Is this the best French restaurant in London? no. But it’s certainly a great addition to the London dining scene. Alongside its very close(ish) competition, Augustine Kitchen I’m now in close proximity to both – yet they couldn’t be any more different. The cooking here isn’t revolutionary, avant-garde or like something you haven’t already eaten before, but you’ll enjoy almost every mouthful of the food here. Service is fantastic, the manager a real infectious character, plus a selection of wines that will leave you crawling out of the door. What’s not to like?
7/10
