After hearing all the buzz, I finally got around to trying Bistrot Bruno Loubet this past weekend. Opened roughly five months ago, the restaurant is located in The Zetter, a Clerkenwell-based boutique hotel on St John's Square, a very pretty classical square in an otherwise gritty part of London. It serves what I would describe as updated classic French bistrot food and it does so rather well.
Too often in London, I find the buzz around any number of newly-opened restaurants far outstrips the food so I was rather pleasantly surprised with the overall culinary experience. I started with a very tasty poached salmon on a bed of vegetables followed by a delicious dodine of quail with pistachios served with a well-chilled Sancerre. I stress "well-chilled" because I find that white wine is almost consistently served too warm in this country. To top it off, service was excellent - helpful, responsive and well-informed.
The only real disappointment came at dessert when a Valhrona chocolate delice came smothered in a pina colada sabayon. It was too sweet and too fussy given the charming simplicity of the first two courses but forgivable in light of the overall dining experience. I certainly plan on returning to Bistrot Bruno Loubet and am particularly eager to try it out on a cold or rainy night for dinner where the atmosphere is likely to enhance the experience even further. If you decide to sample the culinary charms of Bistrot Bruno Loubet, I would recommend that you make reservations to avoid disappointment. This is decidedly one restaurant that fully deserves the buzz surrounding it.
Sincerely,
The Luxe Chronicles
Comments