Racine Restaurant

gastro1

Great French Inspired Bourgeois Cooking 4th July 2009

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Henry Harris is back as Chef Patron at Racine after a shortish stint as Executive Chef of the Soho House Group. I have eaten Henry's fine Bourgeois cooking for more years than I care to count going back to Hilare, Bibendum and 5h Floor at Harvey Nicholls.

It turns out that Henry also knows and worked with one of my best friends from University at The Old Ship in Brighton many moons ago. Strangely all this became apparent when Henry and I engaged on Twitter in a discussion on La Meranda in Nice.

Racine reminds me of several Paris restaurants that now fall into the category with a delightful room that has a wood floor, brown leather banquettes with mirrors above them and pale yellow walls.

Racine though is really about the food and as you can imagine when the Chef Patron has spent his formative years working with Simon Hopkinson you are most likely to be guaranteed well executed classic Bourgeois cooking.

John, Henry’s old colleague from Brighton and I had an exemplary lunch on Friday July 3rd 2009. The food and service was really top notch and as it turns out it was Henry’s last service before a well-earned holiday.

We were greeted by Henry who gave us some of his own home made delightful cured middle white proscuito .

I strated with Smoked duck, French bean and girolle salad which was really very good indeed. The beans were perfectly cooked “al dente” and the duck was succulent with the delightful small girolles complimenting the ensemble of ingredients.

John was delighted with his Lincolnshire smoked eel, salmon roe, watercress and horseradish salad.

To follow I had Filet au poivre made with a lovely piece of well hung Filet served with hand cut chips and simple mixed leaf salad. The sauce presumably made with a veal stock reduction was really delicious and worked well with the tenderest but not necessarily the most flavorful cut of beef.

John said his Breast of guinea fowl, peas, broad beans and tarragon was really outstanding.

We drank a half bottle of Gewurztraminer, Cote de Rouffach, Rene Mure and a chilled Brouilly, Chateau de la Perriere as well as “several” Marc’s de Bourgogne with our espressos; we were really to full to be tempted by the classic deserts or cheeses from La Fromagerie.

Racine is a delightful restaurant with excellent service providing very good and well executed Bourgeois cooking based on well selected ingredients from top suppliers.

tedford

Excellent French cooking 8th December 2008

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If you want a safe pair of hands for unfussy but great French cooking then this is the place. It isn't cheap, and the waiting staff are standoffish and v French but that's the style they're after and it works. Can highly recommend the steak tartare (if you can stomach it). This is my Dad's second favourite restaurant in London after Chez Bruce if that's any kind of recommendation.

jmcfar

Excellent french cuisine 1st September 2008

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Racine is an excellent restaurant in South Kensington which serves absolutely top notch French cuisine. The atmosphere isn’t the warmest, but the waiters are all very nice. It is an expensive restaurant, but the food is incredible. Even the bread they put on the table was absolutely delicious! Some of my favourite dishes are the foie gras as a starter which is very good, the steak tartare, which was very good as well, and all the steaks are really delicious. This is without a doubt my favourite French restaurant in London, and I would certainly recommend it to anyone looking for a top quality French meal.

Sprotch

Racine - reliable good food 27th June 2007

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The Racine is arguable one of my favourite place in London. The food is consistently good and service thoughtful and efficient.
Only downside might be the atmosphere, which is brasserie-like and not very intimate.
The back room will grant you more intimacy, so request it if that's what you want.
Prices are around £50 per person, including wine. This is good value for the quality of the food and wine served.

freddie5540

16th May 2007

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I had always liked Racine, and I still do, but Galvin is far superior food in a similar style.

Steak tartare is fantastic and they ask how spicy you want it, which I like. It will not disappoint. If you like offal there is always great options.

The wine list is ok, mainly French but generally well sourced.

The service can be stuffy but not overly so. I would advise a visit, based on my experiences but i have known people who have not had a good time at all.

If you go let me know how it is now.

sue

Fabulous French 6th March 2007

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Racine is an excellent French Restaurant located between Knightsbridge and South Kensington. Entering off a busy road, you go through some large thick curtains and voila, you are in a serene, perfectly lit environment, filled with relaxed diners and attractive waiters.

Racine has fabulous service and traditional French food made from the best ingredients.

I have dined there a couple of times and have never been disappointed with the food. Highlights have included an amazing Smoked Duck salad, as a starter, and a main meal of melt-in-your mouth steak with béarnaise sauce and the tastiest chips I have had in a long time.

Oh, and not forgetting the Roast Grouse, available when in season - it is well worth a trip for that alone!