BRASSERIE GUSTAVE

London, UK

Located at the border of Chelsea and South Kensington, Brasserie Gustave serves traditional French cuisine with a seasonal twist. The low-key street presence of the entrance hints to the fact that this is not a show-off place, but somewhere you come for great quality food. After being greeted by Richard Weiss, the friendly sommelier and restaurant manager, we were seated in a red leather booth. Like the exterior, the interior is pretty relaxed, with comfortable furniture and just enough decorative accents to create the French brasserie atmosphere. 

We started off with two refreshing glasses of Kir Royale while scanning the menu. For my starter, I chose the venison carpaccio with black truffle, while my friend opted for the hand-dived scallops, also with a generous helping of truffle. The venison had a melt-in-the-mouth texture, and was lightly dressed and not too oily. I managed to get a taste of the scallops as well, which were served with a delicious and slightly bitter parsnip mash. The scallops themselves were seared to a light brown, crips perfection, while being almost sashimi-like inside. So far we were very pleased with our meal. For the mains, I went for the fillet of sea bass with roast garlic and vegetables. The crisp skin worked wonderfully with the succulent fish. My friend had the entrecote, which he happily devoured and said it was to a very high standard. For my dessert, I had the chocolate fondant, which I believe is a good gauge of the quality of a French restaurant. It was gooey and dark, but it was served with banana ice cream rather than the usual vanilla. This didn't work too well, and a classic combination like that should be left as is. My friend ordered the caramelised apple tart, one of their specials, and it is intended for two people. He did his best to finish it on his own, but after our huge and tasty meal it proved challenging. I helped him out as best I could, but at the end we had to give up and consider ourselves done with a great, classic meal. 

In addition to the honest, high quality food, something that really stood out to me at Brasserie Gustave was the atmosphere. By 8pm the room was buzzing with people, and you almost felt like you knew the strangers sitting on the next table. Everyone was happy and friendly, and the slight bravado of the sommelier helped with this. The couple next to us ordered a bottle of champagne, which was sabered in a performance for all the diners to enjoy. Despite this showiness, I would say there was very little pretence in Brasserie Gustave, and that it seems like a true neighbourhood restaurant where food and good company comes first.

www.brasserie-gustave.com

We were invited to review Brasserie Gustave, and the opinions expressed are our own.

AUTOMAT

London, UK

A long-standing fixture on the Mayfair scene, Automat continually draws Londoners and visitors alike through its doors under bright yellow canopies on the ultra-chic Dover Street. Long considered as one of London’s original gourmet diners, Automat still manages to set itself apart from its competitors by offering delicious food in a comfortable and uniquely London ambience. The restaurant is laid out in three sections, where the front section facing Dover Street is a casual brasserie style section. Past the brasserie is the old school ‘American glamour’-style diner space, reminiscent of New York in the 1930’s with velvet booths and dark wood panelled walls and dim lighting; perfect for dinner on a gloomy London day. On the rare sunny days, the section towards the very end is my favorite dining spot, as it sits under a glass roof flooded with natural light and bustling with energy, making it the perfect getaway for a weekend brunch.  Typically the cheeseburger is my go-to order at Automat, as it serves an excellent burger, but on my latest visit with a friend I ordered the Eggs Florentine, whereas my friend ordered the Waffles, and we both opted to share a Truffle Mac n Cheese. The food arrived swiftly and with no fuss, and in moments we were devouring our entrees and side dish. The Eggs Florentine were very good, the brioche bun was well toasted, both the spinach and eggs were perfectly cooked and the hollandaise was made to a very good and expected standard; though it did not blow me away. However to be fair it can be hard to be blown away by Eggs Florentine, nevertheless I was very pleased with my choice. The Waffles were also very good; some of the best in London actually, and came served with cream, strawberries and blueberries. The Truffle Mac n Cheese on the other hand stole the show. I am usually very picky with mac n cheese as it can be hard to get it right with the accurate amount of cheese and correct texture. This small side dish was exploding with flavours and deliciousness and had just the ideal hints of truffle; it wasn’t overwhelming as truffles can be. Be warned though it is small but it’s very heavy and I do not recommend ordering it as a main dish as it can get a bit too much. Our meal left us happy, stuffed and satisfied, and as always unsurprised (in a good way) as Automat consistently delivers excellent food and great service.

www.automat-london.com

LITTLE SOCIAL

Little Social, the casual offshoot of Pollen Street Social, has been the talk of the town for quite some time now, and I finally booked a table way in advance. Even though this is the ‘cheaper’ version in the 'Social' group, it is still a pretty upmarket restaurant. We got a great table, the only one by the window. Nevertheless it was quite dark, due to the dim lights and the dark leather booth interior. There were some nice maps and pictures on the walls, but I don’t think they quite managed to achieve the relaxed, bistro look they were going for, as it looks a bit fake. The menu is a fusion of English and French food. I went for the Steak Tartare with a quail egg, which was very cute, but I did want a bigger egg. The meat tasted very fresh, it was almost the perfect steak tartare. For my main I had the braised Irish ox cheek with bone marrow and horseradish mash. The ox was amazingly tender and yummy, and the roast marrow tasted kind of like caramel. My companions who had the cote de boeuf, lamb, and crab salad were all very pleased with the food as well. We drank some great wine and champagne, which the sommelier convenitently went across the street to the Michelin starred main restaurant to pick up. After the main course I was really full, but had to try the strawberry and yogurt foam dessert. It was refreshing and full of flavour. The service was great, the atmosphere cool and the sound levels allowed us to have a conversation. Little Social lives up to its reputation!

 8/10 Pollen Street, Mayfair, London, W1S 1NE

COLBERT

For the longest time London has been in dire need of a good quality all-day brasserie, which wasn’t too formal or too casual. Lately, however, such brasseries have been popping up all over London, with the arrival of Balthazar from New York, the opening of the Zedel Brasserie and the renovation of the Sloane Square institution Oriel into the chic and charming Colbert brasserie. As the brainchild of the proprietors of The Wolseley, expectations were high! Since its opening, I have visited Colbert on many occasions at different times of day, and each experience was as pleasant as the other. My latest visit to Colbert was on a very sunny London day; it was the perfect day to have an outdoor lunch at one of my favourite lunch spots (Colbert, obviously!) overlooking Sloane Square. The ambience in the restaurant that day was particularly spectacular, which is obviously due to the great weather; everyone was smiling and happy. Upon arrival we were immediately sat outside and shortly commenced ordering our lunch. I went for the chicken salad and a freshly squeezed glass of orange juice, and my brother ordered the chicken club sandwich with a glass of iced tea. The chicken salad was basically a chopped salad served with mixed greens, tomato and avocado. It was light and tasty and the dressing was very delicious, although I feel the salad could have used a bit more dressing. It was the perfect light dish on such a sunny day. The chicken club sandwich was incredible; it came served in a baguette and can easily go down as one of the best club sandwiches I have tried in London. The taste is explosive and what makes it stand out as a unique take on the club sandwich is that it is served with full pieces of grilled chicken, with the honey mustard dressing and the endive salad on the side. Colbert proved to be the ideal lunch spot for such a beautiful day, and has now become one of my favourite restaurants to frequent in the neighbourhood. 

50-52 Sloane Square, Chelsea, London, SW1W 8AX