LA BRASSERIE FULHAM ROAD SOUTH KENSINGTON

As I walked into La Brasserie on Friday night, I felt like I was being transported to Paris. The French staff, the red banquettes, the busy atmosphere and the slight hint of garlic make the restaurant typically French. La Brasserie opened in South Ken in 1972 and claims to be the first brasserie to be open all day in London. It is in prime location for the museums such as the V&A, shopping on the Brompton road or Walton Street and is in perfect position to people watch….especially if it is sunny and you have a table outside….not at this time of year though!

We navigated our way through the busy bar and restaurant to our table and immediately ordered some drinks, olives, bread and butter whilst we perused the menu. The bread was warm, the butter was salty and the olives delicious.

The menu is characteristically French - for starter I was torn between the scallops with pea puree and crispy pancetta and the mussels cooked in cider and cream but we ended up ordering the salmon rillettes with pickled cucumber for me, half a dozen snails in garlic butter to share and Pascal had the coarse duck pate with onion marmalade.

All were delicious and I can easily say the garlic butter which accompanied the snails was one of the best I have ever had - we went through two bread baskets mopping it up! I adored the salmon rillettes and they went perfectly with the pickled cucumber and Pascal was a huge fan of his tasty duck pate.

There was plenty to choose from for mains such as different types of steaks, sole meuniere and beef bourguignon however we both ordered the confit de canard with gratin dauphinois and spinach. This was amazing, the duck was perfectly cooked as the meat just fell off the bone and I loved the crispy skin. The gratin dauphinois was more cheesy than creamy with very thin slivers of potato, the whole thing was extremely moreish.

Obviously there was room for pudding…

I went for the creme brûlée with rosemary and orange - I was a bit put off as I prefer a vanilla creme brûlée but in the end I was not disappointed, the pudding just had a hint of rosemary and orange and it was luscious. If only it had been double in size…..

Pascal had a selection of cheeses - a Roquefort, Corbier and a Camembert - a great assortment.

The bill came to £130 and that also included two glasses on wine and an aperitif. Service was efficient, quick and friendly. We left the restaurant stuffed and satisfied…..we will definitely be back, maybe for afternoon tea next time or for supper so I can order exactly the same all over again!

La Brasserie is open from 8am-11.30pm everyday. 

La Brasserie

272 Brompton Road,

London

SW3 2AW

Tel: 020 7768 1686

Email: enquiries@labrasserielondon.com

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LETRANGER SOUTH KENSINGTON

The two restaurants Pascal and I have been to recently have played ear splitting music non stop and it made it impossible to hold a conversation or even hear yourself think - maybe I am just getting old, but I am really not keen on having supper in a nightclub. So when we walked into LEtranger on Saturday night and it was peaceful and elegant with gorgeous chairs and soft lighting, Pascal and I thought we were in Heaven! 

LEtranger opened in 2002 and the food is a combination of Japanese and French cuisine and the restaurant has won awards for their exceptional wine and champagne lists. Originally Pascal had thought the concept of Japanese French fare very unappealing, however we came here for my birthday a few years ago and he was immediately won over by the delicious dishes.

The menu is extremely varied so I was at a total loss on what to order - I was torn between the crispy squid or scallops but in the end went for the scallops as they are something I never cook at home. They were roasted and served with Parmesan puree and truffle foam.

These were delicious, the scallops were tender and perfectly cooked and the Parmesan puree tasty like cheesy mash. My only complaint was there wasnt enough truffle!

Pascal went for the terrine of foie gras with brioche and I had serious food envy as this was really good as it was rich but light at the same time.

For mains I went for fish as I have a tendency recently to overeat and then feel ill (such a piglet). I ordered the poached Scottish salmon with pea puree and teriyaki sauce and it was wonderful - such a good combination of flavours - I might even try to recreate this at home!

Pascal ordered the smoked Landes duck cooked 2 ways, pomegranate, asparagus & seared foie gras - according to him, this was unbelievable and even though I only had a tiny taste, I definitely agreed. The duck croquette was amazing and the foie gras literally melted in your mouth.

For sides we ordered truffled polenta sumo chips and roasted aubergine with ginger, chilli & cashew nuts - we didnt really need them but I am very pleased we ordered them!

We both decided to go for it and have pudding - Pascal had a great selection of cheese and I had a phenomenal chocolate fondant with vanilla ice cream.

Wow - what a satisfying and special meal. A fantastic dining room and setting with fabulous food and wine. The service was very efficient and friendly however as the restaurant filled up, the service slowed down and if I wasnt such a piglet I would have cancelled our puddings as we had to wait so long but in the end they were worth the wait! 

If you have a special occasion or just want a fabulous meal out, this is your place….we will definitely be back again soon.

LEtranger

36 Gloucester Road,

London

SW7 4QT

Tel: 020 7584 1118

Email: etranger@etranger.co.uk

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FRANCO MANCA SOUTH KENSINGTON

Arabella and I had a fantastic morning at the Science Museum - we especially enjoyed the launch pad area which has over 50 interactive exhibits - it was the perfect place to spend a freezing cold Sunday. We decided it was much better than our original thought of an open top bus tour….we will save that til summer….we do love being tourists in London.

Obviously we had to combine our educational visit with a lunch trip and so we decided to try Franco Manca which my sister has been raving about - she is vegan so we normally dont have very similar food tastes!!

I figured it would be popular and so we turned up at 12.30pm….it was only Arabella and us so I thought it wouldnt be too hard to get a table for 2….we got the last one there. By 12.45pm, there were people queueing outside!!

The menu is very simple - just pizza and a couple of salads and then apparently you can order charcuterie platters but these werent actually on the menu. There are 6 pizzas however you can make your own. Arabella and I decided to share a couple. We ordered a number 3 with wild broccoli, mozzarella and Gloucester old spot hand sliced sausage and then we built our own margarita with fennel salami and goats curd.

The pizzas are special as the base is made from slow rising sourdough which is baked in a wood burning "Tuff" brick oven made in Naples by a specialised artisan. The oven is super hot (500 C) and the slow levitation and blast cooking process give the pizzas their unique texture and taste….apparently this system was originally developed by the Greeks in the 5th century BC!

Anyway…

Both pizzas were absolutely amazing - I can see why this place is so popular - the pizza base is so soft and flavoursome and the ingredients are really fresh, plentiful and tasty. I never eat the pizza crust but here I couldnt resist especially with their garlic oil.

Service was prompt but not particularly friendly and they dont serve diet coke which was a huge disappointment but the pizzas were faultless. Some of the best I have ever had….and believe me, I have had a few!! They dont take bookings so I would advise arriving early or be prepared to wait as it appears everybody wants a slice of Franco Manca.

Franco Manca

91 Old Brompton Road,
London
SW7 3LD
Tel: 020 7584 9713

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MARGAUX SOUTH KENSINGTON

I had a dilemma last Friday night - I presumed that we would have no problem getting a table at our local Spanish restaurant Tendido Cuatro however they were fully booked and I had no idea where we should go instead. Thank goodness for the open table website - I managed to book us a table at Margaux, a French place on the Old Brompton road, I didnt know much about it but I remembered the Sunday Times giving it a good review a while back.

The menu at Margaux is full of French classic dishes and has a great wine list. The decor is very modern and urban (more New York than French) and it had a buzzy atmosphere and a mix of clientele from a local vicar to drunken ladies at their Christmas party in the private dining area.

Pascal and I both went for the seared foie gras with toasted brioche, apricot jam and port reduction. Seared foie gras is a favourite of ours - its not the easiest to cook and they rarely have it in restaurants over here.

The foie gras was really good - lightly cooked on the outside but soft in the middle. I wasnt that keen on the toppings (I should have read the menu properly as I dont like sweet and savoury together) but the foie gras was delicious enough to eat on its own. I will definitely be having more of this when I next go to France. Other starters that appealed were the ravioli of prawns and saffron or the aubergine and burrata salad (next time)!

For mains I had the quintessentially French dish of beef bourguignon with creamy polenta. This was incredible. The meat was so tender, it literally fell apart and the polenta was very creamy and warming - a perfect accompaniment - I dont know why polenta isnt that popular in England as it tastes so very good and makes a nice change from the usual potato.

Pascal had the duck leg confit with cocoa, pear compote and blackberry. He normally does not like food and fruit together either but he changed his mind here as he loved his meal - the duck was cooked to perfection.

We werent hungry for pudding however they had such a good cheese selection we had to tuck in - we shared 5 different cheeses with crackers and bread and it was like another meal in itself. All were amazing however a special mention has to be made about the truffle brillat savarin - it was out of this world and now my new favourite cheese.

A lovely meal with excellent, very quick service. It was expensive but the food was good quality, well presented and imaginative. To be honest I would go back for the cheese alone. I have a feeling this is going to be Pascals new favourite - a home away from home!! The restaurant also offers some great value set menus and is becoming well known for its weekend brunch.

Margaux

150-152 Old Brompton Road
London
SW5 0BE
Tel: 020 7373 5753

 

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