Chez Bruce

herb

real bruce 13th October 2008

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I choose Chez bruce at the as I thought it has ample area and the bar is really nice for my friends 30th birthday as well as being very central and easy for everyone to locate. There was about 20 of us and the area they reserved was tiny. On one of the hottest days of the year. The staff and service were lovely though and the nibbles I ordered really nice

hither

Great Value Quality 29th August 2008

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This was the first Michelin starred restaurant which my husband and I had been to, and we certainly weren't disappointed.

We had an early evening booking on a bank holiday weekend, so weren't too crowded, but I imagine it could get a bit squashed when it's fully booked.

However, that would be my only negative - the food and the service were great. Every dish was absolutely lovely. I had fish and my husband had rabbit, and both were cooked to perfection. But the thing that we really talked about for weeks afterwards was the astonishing cheeseboard, which was huge and varied. It was tough to choose which ones to try, but the lady serving the cheese was very knowledgeable and really helped us to make the best selections.

We would definitely go again, given half a chance.

chrisp

Top drawer cooking at reasonable prices 13th August 2008

2 found this helpful

With more awards and accolades than you can shake a stick at, most recently London's Favourite Restaurant in Harden's Guide, Chez Bruce in Wandsworth is celebrating its umpteenth year as a destination restaurant, yet unbelievably still has only one Michelin Star. I've given up trying to work out what those Michelin people are on about these days - it was bad enough they rate dross like the Greyhound and Butcher and Grill in Battersea good enough to include and the Fox and Hounds not, but when a restaurant as polished and accomplished as Chez Bruce gets less than a top rating, they must be on a different planet.

So yes, I had a good meal at Chez Bruce. A quite brilliant meal in fact, as close to perfect across all categories as it's possible to get without it being one of those dreams where you wake up and find yourself hungrily chewing the corner of the pillow. After a slightly late start due to one of our party being stuck in traffic, just long enough to sample a glass of house champagne, we made our choices from the menu whilst munching down some of the best bread I've ever eaten - Poilane I was told - with superb butter. Staff balanced the service just right - not too intrusive but there when you needed them - and the wine selections made throughout the evening were very good.

The only thing I would say is that the room was quite dark, a little on the stuffy side and slightly cramped so I occasionally got an elbow in the back of the head when the table behind were being served. But I'm nit-picking - for food of this standard I would have put up with much worse.

My starter of "Hot calf's brain and ham hock terrine with sauce gribiche, crisp potatoes and red wine" obviously caught my eye on the menu straight away. Always a sucker for exotic ingredients I am sometimes let down by the end product, but not so here - the meat was tender and tasty with a lovely little breaded nugget of what I think was more brain on top (so rich it was like fois gras). Accompanying was a little fried quails egg (OK slightly passe these days but I thought it was great), a superb red wine reduction and gorgeous crispy potatoes. A riot of colour, texture and flavour this was an absolute triumph of a dish and I would have it again and again if i could. Great stuff.

Next up, "Boned, stuffed quail with salad paysanne, shallot puree, calf's sweetbread and roasting juices". Interestingly (and delightfully), this dish was served on two plates: One, a moreish salad of fresh bacon and roasted veg (an unusual combination to be honest, but made for great texture contrasts) topped with a piece of sweetbread; the other a meticulously boned quail (kudos to the kitchen for such a skilled task) served on a lentilly red wine sauce and cooked to perfection. The flavours were rich and satisfying, the portion very generous and the crispy fried potato on top a further experiment with texture. You would not want more from any main course.

Finally, and only just unable to quite live up to the lofty heights of the previous courses, was "Orange and saffron panna cotta with bitter orange sorbet, olive oil, lemon and honey". My only other experience with olive oil used as a dessert with a disaster - a watermelon and olive oil palette cleanser I had been served in Claude Bosi's Hibiscus restaurant in Ludlow. Then it was salty and weird, a flavour clash that had everyone at the table even unable to take a second bite. Here though, the oil was the subtlest of overtones to a zingy and fresh fruit dessert, spiced with alcohol and tasting of summer. Topped with crispy chocolate lattice - those textures again - it melted in the mouth and rounded off the evening very well.

Had I had the appetite of a sumo wrestler I might have been tempted to try the impressive-looking cheesecourse. As it was however, despite being stuffed to the gills and thus probably physically unable to even get a small goat's cheese medallion down my neck, there's always the residual guilt of paying for cheeses I could pick up myself from Hamish Johnston for a fraction of the price (and would taste no different), so I passed.

The bill came to around £70 - I wouldn't have felt cheated if I'd paid twice that, as I would have done in Pied a Terre or The Square. So then, brilliant value, top notch cooking and a thoroughly enjoyable evening out. Plus the G1 bus whisked me home from just outside the restaurant to my front doorstep. What isn't there to like about Chez Bruce?

QueenB

Fantastic!! 21st November 2007

7 found this helpful

Chez Bruce puts fine dining in a league that doesnt need to be saved for one off special occassions due to its reasonably priced menu, great selection of wines and champagne, delicious cheese board - which I love! Yet, you still get that feeling that you're something just that little bit extra special.

The menu catered for everyone in my last group of 4, from starters to dessert! My warm onion tart was melt in the mouth and my partners hare starter was so rich and large enough it could of passed as a mains in most restaurants of this calibre! The cod and the lamb mains are making my mouth water just thinking about it...
The 'plate of chocolate' is a chocaholics heaven, though i'd opt for the cheeses anyday!!!
I honestly couldn't fault the food, and as a serious food lover who eats out atleast 2/3 times a week that is good!!!

With 2 bottles of chablis, 4 x 3 course meal, water and tip, it came to a grand total of £220. Show me somewhere in London you can get a meal of that quality and lovely service - it amazes me!

My only problem with Chez Bruce is how quickly it books in advance and how small it can feel on very busy nights - though that just adds to the charming atmosphere.
I saw someone else on here commented on about all the Yuppie type people but its not always like that, I've always found you get a mixed crowd.

FluffyRona

Great food but lose the hoorays! 31st October 2007

3 found this helpful

A fabulous room and genuinely impressive service make this a really special dining experience - not your run of the mill brasserie.

The food is imaginative, beautifully prepare and served with just the right level of attentiveness...but, and it's something that spoiled my visit, I can't bear eating in a room packed with people who are trying to outdo each other at every turn ("my range rover's bigger than your range rover", etc etc). I know its a symptom of where the restaurant is, but the introduction of some subtle background music or spreading the tables out a bit more would ensure that everyone is not subjected to finding out exactly how special little Tarquin's music teacher thinks he is. Sorry!

gtisi

Well worth a visit 28th October 2007

1 found this helpful

A very fine place to dine. Well cooked, well presented food matched to an excellent wine list and not too pricey for a restaurant of this standard.

caffeinehit

Amazing food 12th September 2007

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OK. So I said that River Cafe was one of the best places that I'd eaten in London, this would have to be one, if not the best places I've eaten.

The wine, food, atmopshere - everything was perfect. I have been meaning to go back since I went but just haven't got round to it.

Amazing food.

helenlewis

Chez Bruce, my spiritual home 31st May 2007

3 found this helpful

Trust me, I'm a (reformed) restaurant critic - this is the best restaurant in London.

Yes, getting there is a bit of a performance (involving, horror of horrors, National Rail) but coming out of the train station at leafy Wandsworth Common feels like leaving grimy London far behind and stepping into a scene from a washing powder advert.

That impression continues when you walk into Chez Bruce as the decor is traditionally French, with acres of crisp white linen and judiciously placed mirrors giving the small dining room the impression of freshness and space.

Chez Bruce has a Michelin star, and rightly so. I've never had a bad dish here (and it's become me and my boyfriend's 'occasion restaurant') and the sommelier is charming, friendly and not in the least snooty, ensuring you can get the perfect glass (or bottle) of wine to match your food.

Highlights from the last meal I had there include the foie gras with brioche (a staple of the starter menu), served with a glass of dessert wine and the perfectly-cooked entrecote and chips.

Chez Bruce is so good that I almost don't want to tell anyone else about it; it's hard enough getting a table there as it is.

TimMancs

28th May 2007

2 found this helpful

What more can be said - I'd just echo what the 3 other reviewers have said. Absolutely perfect place blending fantastic food with a laid back atmosphere and perfect service - and yes the wine guy was great. Took three friends here as we all had brilliant food - my highlight was the plate of lamb - wonderful. Definately 10 out of 10.

freddie5540

15th May 2007

3 found this helpful

This Michelin starred establishment rarely fails to deliver.

Situated opposite wansworth comman on the former site of the infamous Harvey's, Chez Bruce finds a good balance between great food and an unpretentious atmosphere. It has a highly detailed and well sourced wine list coupled with a friendly and helpful sommelier.

The food is always precise and balanced. Quail pithivier was the highlight of my last visit. Beautiful pastry and tender, flavouful quail served with a powerful shallot puree. From past visits I remember a fantastic 'deconstructed' Nicoise salad, Squab pigeon with foie gras and fillet of beef with oxtail crepinette. However the desserts have often dissappointed me, i had a particulary poor pannacotta once. I always opt for the fantastic cheese board nowadays, which is as good as any in london.

Chez Bruce is definately one of the best local restaurants in town.