A couple of blocks from Charlotte Street, a corner boozer which gives a convincing British spin on the classic brasserie format; our early-days visit found it one of those rare places where there’s nothing really to fault.
Those Englishmen who believe that the classic Gallic bistro/brasserie offers the pretty much perfect informal dining experience (guilty, M’Lud) always harbour a lingering sense of resentment: why can’t the Brits convincingly carry off their own version of the same trick?
Well, perhaps they can. This new pub-conversion, just off Charlotte Street, comes pretty close. Somehow the chef manages to weave a menu that echoes that of a French brasserie (perhaps because he used to work at Conran’s très correct Boundary, in Shoreditch) but with a spin convincingly British enough to warm John Bull’s heart.
For example, the oysters here – the Colchester Rocks (£1.50) are a bargain worth seeking out in their own right – come presented comme il faut, in a tray of crushed ice, but with a cucumber salsa as well as the classic lemon and shallot vinegar. And very good they were. In fact, everything we sampled here – from the spiced lentil soup to the shepherd’s pie, from the mallard with cabbage and bacon, to the apple crumble with ice cream – was very well done.
But it was something about the range of the menu, and the variety of dishes and their prices, that made us think this was a pretty much perfect all-round eatery. A shopping lunch for perhaps £25 a head, or heartier, more convivial affair for perhaps twice that – the menu here offers that real brasserie flexibility which is often claimed, but rarely achieved particularly convincingly in practice. It’s supported by a selection of wines that’s similarly appealing and varied, all served by staff who are charming and on-the-ball.
So this really is one of those rare places we could not really find anything to fault. Only problem? The location is perhaps not the most obvious, but it’s well worth the two minute walk from Charlotte Street.
