Brasserie Blanc

OK, so if we’re just talking food & service, this place is 2 stars.
But if we’re considering ambiance, Brasserie Blanc gets bumped up to 3 stars.
My friend and I waited a ridiculous amount of time to be seated. The receptionist asked us to wait at the bar, which was packed so we didn’t even bother trying to order a drink and certainly could not find room to sit down. We awkwardly stood around for 45 minutes or so, and then was finally seated upstairs for outdoor seating. The décor inside was chic and simple. Since we dined al fresco, the atmosphere was light and airy. It was a warm summer night in London, just as the sun was setting… so it was picturesque to be dining above street level.
But alas, given the price for the food, you would expect the meal to be memorable. It wasn’t. I had a better tasting burger at the Shake Shack…

Very convenient location — perfect for pre-​opera lunches or dinners. It’s also located above street level, so helps get out of the street level crowd.
Ambience was pleasant — simple but sophisticated enough. With the doors open, it felt like semi-​outdoors, which was perfect for this crisp fall weather.
Good was good but not outstanding. I would give them very scores for the bread and dippings that came out at the start — quite a variety, and I really loved the different olive pastes. I ordered the dressed crab as main, but it wasn’t that fresh. A far cry from the likes of the Wright Brothers’ seafood.
Service was prompt. We had very little time to start of our opera, but managed to finish all our mains in time.

This was one of the last places we ate at because we wanted to eat in the Covent Garden. The atmosphere and scenery is quite nice minus the smoke smell if you eat outside. The heaters automatically turn off and we had to keep switching them back on.
The receptionist wasn’t that nice and the service was pretty bad. She tried to convince us to stay inside and told us the outside seating was closed, but there was at least 10 people eating outside still? The food tasted okay and was bland. The food was too pricey for what you get.

What what what? Looks like my experience was miles apart from most?!
Given that we were due at the theatre for War Horse that night — and that my friend and I have an astonishingly bad track record with London theatre* we decided to just pick a place nearby-​ish and book a table. We also have an astonishingly bad track record with picking places to eat (or failing to, usually walking along «seeing what else we can find» until we’re too weak to move any more and just happy to sell our souls to Costa for a sandwich) so when I saw that there was a Brasserie Blanc on the roof of Covent Garden Market, I was thrilled! Sure, it’s a chain, but I’d eaten in the Leeds one with my mum once and it’d been lovely.
*side note to explain our terrible track record with London theatre: years ago, we booked for Lord of the Rings, but our tickets were moved by two weeks due to «Aragorn» breaking his leg. Strider no more. When we did make it down (with understudy in place), we got lost, missed the first five minutes, and became those horrible people who hate who come in late, heralded by an usher’s torch. At least we were on the end of a row… The next fail was when we went to see Les Mis, when the barricade revolve broke down and they had to stop the show for ten minutes while they fixed it.
Anyway, in finding our way back later that afternoon, I used the Unilocal map, and couldn’t help but notice the star rating. Oh no! What had I done? In efforts to avoid our theatre curse had I doomed us to culinary misery?
No.
I feared attitude and snootiness: we were welcomed like old friends.
I feared inattentive or careless service: our waiter was a delight, happy to make recommendations and to talk about our evening ahead («Oh, War Horse! I’d love to go; I’ve heard such good things!»)
I feared substandard food: it was delicious. My ham hock terrine was garlicky heaven and a perfect mix of textures, and the pan-​fried mushrooms for which my friend and I both opted were a fluffy delight in cheesy sauce.
Add to this the fact that we were watching the evening light sweep over Russell Street from the roof of Covent Garden Market and it really couldn’t have been less than four stars. A star crumbles away for the smelly stairs on the way up and for the disappointing un-​swish toilets, but otherwise, hooray! Admittedly, we were there at 5:30, and it wasn’t very busy, so that might be why we were treated to good attention. I’m very sad for everyone who didn’t have as nice as time as we did :(
Yum yum yum, would go again. Must learn how to mush my rooms like that.

Went for a drink for a friends birthday and although it was OK the prices are high (due to the location) and the venue is not that special. Cocktails and mocktails were very nice, and the staff were pleasant. I have eaten here in the past as well and I remember it being really good (although, very expensive as well).

Worst place I have ever been! Clearly cause they are based in the centre of town, attitude is sky high!
Clearly if you not having dinner you not «good» enough to have a table nor a service! Reception was one of the worst one I have came across!

Full disclosure: this review is only for the drinks/​bar area!
We came here late on a Friday night and it was buzzing but not overly crowded.
The USP of this place is definitely the location! It’s in the heart of Covent Garden with lovely view perfect for people watching. They also have a decent cocktails and a relaxing ambiance. To be more realistic, Brasserie Blanc deserves a 3.5 rating but I would definitely return so why not round up?
If you’re in the area and are looking for a nice place to drink and talk, come here!

I don’t know why everyone is hating on this place. Honestly, I really enjoyed it. Beautiful scenery and atmosphere.
I was very pleased with the coarse-​cut burger I ordered and everyone else seemed to be enjoying their mussels and fries and the boeuf stroganoff was also good. They wait staff was very friendly and helpful and they accommodated our large party fairly quickly. The only complaint I can really say is that we had to sit outside and it rained but that wasn’t their fault. I would definitely eat here again!

Only came here for late night drinks in the bar, but it was lovely. Great atmosphere in the bar, good friendly service — no complaints. Interesting crowd, as being so central it seemed to attract a range of people (from tourists, locals, to people who — like myself– was trying to find a bar that was actually open late). They have a great range of cocktails and would certainly go back again.

I wasn’t too excited to go there, as I had seen that there were other Brasserie Blanc in the city. I assumed it was kind of a «Outback» but for French food. But my friend was excited and I had chosen the last restaurant we went to. The Prix fixe special seemed nice, and we decided to get the glass of wine as well. The wine was not very good, but not horrible. Then when we ordered, things started getting weird. They didn’t have one of the dessert options (sticky toffee pudding) and said they could replace it for bread and butter (what?). Then we noticed one glass of soda was never collected after the drink was finished. We asked for it to be, since the table was so tiny, but one of the three or four servers who were serving us said it was not her responsibility. Then another server took out plates with the cutlery we would need for the next course. We were left with dessert forks and knives… I really liked the entrée, but the main course was a little underwhelming. The pork was a little tough to eat, and I found a hair stuck to it. Then the dessert started taking a while… remember as it was a prix fixe, I had ordered everything at once. I ordered the apple crumble at least 30 minutes earlier. Well! It was not cooked. I gave up eating it as I only had a spoon and a fork and I needed a knife. The place was pretty, alright, but they are way over their heads. Oh and the glass of soda was collected after we left the table. Hurrah!

Terraza sobre el Covent Garden. Sólo catamos el bar y, bueno, buenas vistas. Demasiado glamour para chusma como yo. Merece la pena un vino blanco en la terraza si hace sol y no se está demasiado apretado. Como soy chusma clásica, prefiero la terraza de la Royal Opera House en el intermedio de alguna buena ópera.

Brasserie Blanc is … uuuggghhhhh.
My friend arranged a community manager meetup and she held it here. I’d never been but always enjoy Covent Garden, despite it being a monster tourist trap, so why not. It is a beautiful building, with a long curved roof on the second floor, overlooking the market.
And that’s all it has going for it.
The drinks are bad (weak or awful tasting), the food is worse, and the service is truly terrible. I was asked to start a tab and I figured, no problem. Handed them my card and my order and they came back with a little number. However, end of night, when I handed the number back, they gave me a bill for the entire table. And even though some people from the table had already left and paid, they had no idea who has ordered and what just figured we could take care of it. Not only that, when I asked why my tab applied to the entire table, I was told that, «this is the only bill we have. You have to figure it out.» That’s not the way tabs work, jackholes.
It’s a pretty space and I’d avoid it like the plague if I were you.

Went for early dinner on Friday evening, service was fantastic as we requested an extra chair for a friend joining us for a drink and we moved tables — was not too much bother at all. The food came quickly once ordered and the bill was produced upon request with no waiting which is nice to see.
The food was good, smoked haddock risotto was delicious and the moules mariniere was a good portion. The duck with blackberry sauce looked good and the onglet steak was also looking good.
The only gripe was the prices to be honest and although I wasn’t paying and being treated by my aunt and uncle, I felt it was expensive for the portion sizes and what the food was which is why I gave 3 stars and not 4 — my husband and I wouldn’t choose to go there again if we were paying.
Location is good and has a fabulous terrace and view of the market. Didn’t feel touristy apart from the prices!

Food was average and so was the service. I had dined twice at the Portsmouth branch before and it was great. This one is really below expectations and therefore overpriced for what it is. The waiters seem to be struggling to make it. We wanted to dine outside, but we were told they serve only inside, however, some minutes later we saw others being served at the balcony area…

Have eaten at a couple of RB’s Oxfordshire establishments, but this place, although in a great location, forgot to bring the food quality you might expect from the association.
Have to say the pumpkin soup I had was absolutely fantastic, hence the one star, but the boeuf bourgignon was crap. Tough as old boots and the mush that passed as the sauce was devoid of any onions!
I wonder the last time RB pitched up here? How to ruin your reputation…

If you find yourself in Central London looking for somewhere quiet for a drink then Brasserie Blanc is a great place to go. With the enviable location of being above the piazza in Covent Garden, the restaurant boasts beautiful views of central London.
I used to come here after work with a group of colleagues and we’d order a few bottles of wine and relax for a few hours before heading home or out for the night, depending on what day it is. With both the restaurant and the outside terraces, once the sun goes down this place feels very magical with the low lighting and soft music. That combined with lots of wine makes time feel like it’s standing still.
I’ve eaten here a few times and whilst I can say that I have no complaints about the food, I don’t believe it to be of the quality worthy of the name of a Michelin star chef like Raymond Blanc.
I have always come here mainly for their extensive wine collection and fantastic atmosphere after dark so I would advise using it as more of a drinks destination rather than a dining experience as being in Covent Garden there are thousands of alternatives.
For wine with friends on the terrace of an Italian-​style piazza in French-​style surroundings, head to Brasserie Blanc!

I’m sorry to say but this is a tourist trap. Placed on top of Covent Garden and attached to the Michelin chef Raymond Blanc this seems like a really nice restaurant from the outside, but is rather ordinary and not too great on the inside.
I have to admit the service was impeccable. They let me have my starter from the Theater menu and my main from the original starter menu. that was very nice of them. they also let us sit for a fair amount of time without pushing us out of the door to make space for other guests.
But the meal in itself … lots of meat and heavy sauces. Non of my food came out especially hot. I’ve could also tell that my friends Beef Stroganoff had been under the heater for a while. Personally i thought it was overpriced for what we’ve got, but my friends loved it.
One thing really baffled me: it was meant to be a higher class restaurant, but all over the place were these cheap clocks with a kind of fake, french provincial look to them… and they were for sale… in a restaurant?! Very strange.

Sadly, one of the worst food experiences in London.
Even though it’s located in the very pretty shopping/​dining/​entertainment mecca that is Covent Garden, this place was just awful. He ordered the beef bourguignon and it was totally dry – as if it spent 20 minutes in the microwave then moved onto a tanning bed for another 30.
My beef stroganoff was totally unpalatable and tasted like it had been cooked in movie theater popcorn faux-​butter, plated, then drenched with more movie theater butter. Know how bad it was? It was bad enough for me to whip out my phone after a few bites so I could spell check «bourguignon» and «stroganoff» before leaving a Quick Tip to remind me to review later. As if this wasn’t ghastly enough, it was garnished with a thrift-​variety Uncle Ben’s 5-​minute rice that was more watery than flavored.
Very few dishes make it to that dark, dark place in my mind where even the thought of it conjures images and feelings of wretchedness and nausea. This bourguignon is the reason I can no longer tolerate the smell of a movie theater or taste of popcorn butter.