La Bouchee

I found this restaurant through OpenTable while trying to find a place in the area that is open for a late Sunday lunch (past 3pm). One of the reasons I picked this place was because it was described as an old antique wood-​finished restaurant typical to what you would find in Paris. I was hoping that this with decoration would make it the perfect place for a Christmas treat. We arrived and it was perfect. Gentle Christmas songs in the background and the ambience made us feel very welcome and warm. The staff seemed pleasant (and all seemed to be French!) and there were also many specials on the board to chose from. We started off with one of the specials and a salad starter. Both were amazing with their own subtly different salad dressings. Be warned the portion sizes are huge and hearty, even for a starter. So think carefully about your whole meal or come very hungry. The mains are very meaty. The Confit Duck Leg which my partner had was again huge but packed so much flavour. I had also gone for another special of bavette steak. Cooked to perfection with a rich red wine sauce. One downside I would say is the wine list. A great extensive selection but most are stuck with ordering a whole bottle only. There are only a few that you may order by the glass, shame if only one of you is drinking. Overall the experience was just what I had hoped. Romantic, welcoming, great service, special, affordable when you consider the portion sizes and very relaxed. A great find that I would be happy to recommend. (Visit — 21/​12/​2014 Lunch)

Good french bistro in Chelsea.
Upside: French onion soup was tasty and not too heavy to start out– good to share with your date. The duck leg confit was cooked to perfection with some crispness on the outside and plenty of tender duck on the inside. The sea bass came with its head on and my date asked for it to be removed. Other than that the fish was cooked well. Both entrees were plentiful.
Ordered a bottle of Merlot which was the cheapest red on the menu but did not disappoint. We stayed well after we were finished our meal sipping wine.
The bad: we were charged for bread and butter– over a pound each for two slices of bread. I would expect bread to be included.
Also the waitress (who was very nice) told my date that the fish didn’t come with a side so she should pick a side. Also charged for that.
Overall minor quips on an excellent tasting meal but they keep it from being five stars. On a side note the service was quite good which does not agree with other reviews here.

My wife and I just arrived in London and found this cute little place near our hotel for lunch. It was well reviewed in most places, so we gave it a try. I would have given four stars for the food, but knocked my rating to three stars due to indifferent service. One of our orders was forgotten (until we asked for it) and the wine ice stand was set far from our table and our glasses were not refreshed when we were ready — again, we had to ask for service. The food was OK, not excellent. Somewhat overpriced, in my view, but this is London…

Ambiance and service were excellent. Food was uniquely crafted and very tasty. This is especially important because I’m a French Food snob.

A restaurant that knows how to deliver basic French dishes. That’s what I was looking for and that’s what La Bouchee turned out to be. I had a table for one on the sidewalk, with a lovely view of the parade on Old Brompton Road. I started with a Ricard which was delivered expertly. The foie gras terrine was just right and the brioche was nearly perfect. This was followed by duck confit with small potatoes; a gentleman at the next table noted how beautiful the skin appeared and I had to agree. The flavors of the duck and potatoes, particularly together, outdid the mere appearance. I finished the meal with a cheese plate which was more than adequate. All plates went back to the kitchen empty, and I left in a very good mood.
The price was a little steep for me but probably not for London, so I have no complaints. Overall exactly the experience I was hoping to find.

I’m a solo female traveler and stopped by for a light meal. This is an intimate, tiny restaurant and I thought hard about posting a review — it’s a little gem I thought best to keep to myself. I enjoyed a fine steak meal here and found the staff to be charming and welcoming. It’s a fine little French place and seemed crowded later in the evening. Make a reservation.

Super cute place. Stayed in the terrace on a summer night. Very nice service and the Duck was the best. Wine choice is good and the red wine is excellent.
Loved it and would do again.

We read the reviews of a bunch of places near Sloane Square, and landed on La Bouchee as a great-​sounding, relatively inexpensive French place. With pep in our step, we ran down to the tube and got there 10 minutes later.
The ambiance was great — it’s small but not too cramped, and feels cozy and rustic. The waitstaff were attentive and generally nice folks, putting up with our bad attempts at French and responding in English.
However, the food wasn’t as great as we’d hoped. We got the salmon and the chicken, both off the menu rather than specials. The salmon was pretty boring and a little overcooked (though after slathering on the sauce they provided, it was relatively good), and the fries it came with were meh. The grilled chicken was pretty good, though slightly tough on one end (the side with the bone was cooked perfectly though). The little tower of potatoes and zucchini it came with was good. We also had a wonderful pinot grigio /​sauvaignon blanc mix, but the Syrah was very flat (they asked if there was anything wrong and I didn’t ask for a replacement, so no problem here).
However, we saw that others were also getting bread, and after a few minutes with no food, figured we’d ask for some too. They brought it out and it was tasty if simple. However, when the bill came we were surprised to see that they had charged us twice for bread (~3 pounds)! Now maybe this is just culture shock of being an American in England, but I’ve never been charged for bread. Though looking at the menu, there it was a side. Strange, but OK. However, when we pointed out that we’d been charged *twice*, the waitress responded apologetically that it was because two of us had eaten the bread, and that she had gotten many complaints about this, but the owner refused to change things. It would have been nice if they had let us know this when ordering, but otherwise it sounds like it’s the owner that’s a tightwad, rather than rude waitstaff — so no points docked for them. They also charged a service fee, which was strange as I’m used to this happening only for large groups in the states (maybe this is a more common thing here?).
I recognize that it’s a bit silly to be angry over a few pounds (which seems like a lot for a quarter of a baguette, but whatever), but all the more reason I’d expect them to just waive the cost — especially if this was a common complaint. Overall we were disappointed and won’t be recommending this place to anyone.

Dude this place has the best THE BEST cote d’boeuf in London. Forget your Hawksmoor or Goodman or Sophie’s this place does something to a steak and I can’t fathom what. It is simply mind blowingly good. I’m up to one a month and I have to wait until next week, I feel like a kid on Christmas eve.

Great place for a date night! It’s small and romantic! You’ll need reservations. The restaurant is small and always packed. From soup to nuts, the food was great! Everyone is French, with heavy accents. You feel like you’re in France. Very nice.

Coq au Vin from the heavens!
So I’ll put it upfront that I lunched AND dined at this place… all on the same day. They offer among the best butternut squash soup I’ve ever had and if you’ve had a good look at my belly, you’ll just have to trust that I’ve tried quite a few remixes on the theme. The dinner visit confirmed their ability to offer ambrosia with the best Coq au Vin I’ve ever had. It comes to the table in a scolding hot, personal-​sized copper boiler and is carefully poured into a lovely ceramic bowl right before your eyes.
The chicken and vegetables are elegant are perfectly-​saturated with red wine sauce expertly put together by their able kitchen.
While not on the thick side like other variations of this dish I enjoy, this version is a bit broth like but oh-​so-​delicious and just ripe for some bread soppin’. MMmm! Wish I was back there slurping this down as I type the review. :)
It’s a shame that my fondest memories of French cuisine were from my recent trip to London and not from Paris a week or so prior.
La Bouchee is a quaint little shop in Kensington that a tight fit but intimate and darkly lit with brown woods.
If you are unBUTTen big, you’ll slink right into their tiny tables just fine, but if you have a classic Midwestern ass like I do, please avoid knocking over the adjacent table’s candle and flowers on your way in.

Would like to give this place 3.5 stars, but went for 3 over 4 because there is some room for improvement here, but I genuinely think it’s a good restaurant with a cosy, romantic atmosphere that isn’t trying to hard and has a robust menu done well.
We walked in here on a Thursday around 8pm and were seated immediately. Soon the place a was filled, and though it is small and crowded our table felt private. I always love soft lighting and candles, and the small wooden tables and benches add to the rustic romantic vibe.
The wine was spectacular, and the escargots and foie gras where as usual, very decadent and yummy. My only critique on the food was the room temperature brioche bread the terrine was served with … I am far from a French food expert, but it should have been much more thin and toasted, at least in my opinion. Other than that, I would say this is a classic French hole in the wall that’s worth a visit, especially if you’re around the ‘hood without a reservation.

Pur resto francais a Londres, je garderai un excellent souvenir de ce lieu, accueil parfait, les plats sont divinement cuisinés.
Je vous conseil le coq au vin. Les vins meme le moins cher est de très bonne qualitée.
Très bonne expérience, j y retourne dés mon prochain passage à londres.

What a great find! Looking for dinner in the Kensington area, I turned to Unilocal and ended up dining at this beauty! So glad I chose this one!
A very cozy, dimly lit restaurant with seating for only about 30. I would recommended making a reservation, we came without one on a Sunday night and were lucky to end up with a table! The place was packed and the seating was tight — but it works here.
The service was some of the best we had while in England and I loved our adorable French waiter! I am not very familiar with French cuisine and was initially worried about what vegetarian options they might have (or not). But, there is a decent vegetarian section on the menu, and I ended up picking the dumplings, which were DELISH! They also have a great wine list and spectacular desserts.

Recommended by the staff at my parents’ hotel in the area, it was brilliant. I really enjoyed the intimate atmosphere and the attentive and loving service. The food wasn’t half bad either! I enjoyed the fish soup I had immensely.
I can see why it was named one of London’s top romantic restaurants. I was there with family, but everyone else was on a date. No doubt the atmosphere made each of those nights out successful … and even if not, the food is good enough to make up for rubbish company.

Good french restaurant, especially for the students/​young crowds.
The place was a bit too crowded by American standard but the food was absolutely authentic. It offers good value for my money.
However, don’t bring a large group (more than 4) there. We had a large table and because it was noisy in there, we couldn’t hear each other at all.

I took 8 friends and family to this for a big meal on a Sunday afternoon. It was fantastic! Nice wine selection, very reasonable prices, and most importantly, all the food was authentic and the service was really nice.
In the mood for simple delicious French food in an intimate setting? This is the place.
My wife and I will be back for sure!

Very authentic French cuisine with dishes almost all under 20 pounds! We actually went there for lunch and both opted for their Prix Fixe Lunch menu for 11.50 (appetizer and entrée). I took the potato and leek soup and steak frites, my chum took the pâté de campaigne and the moules frites.
Everything was delicious, and they cooked my steak like I asked (such a simple but somehow difficult thing for restaurants to do). They for sure fresh ingredients and take pride in their service and food, I’m just disappointed that I didn’t save room to try dessert. I will definitely go back and suggest you to come check it out next time you are by the museum area!

Pour y avoir bossé dans le passé (2001) et y être retourné il y a deux ans avec ma moitié, je né suis pas sûr d’être le plus objectif, mais ce restaurant restera un passage obligé à chacun de mes déplacement à Londres. Bonne ambiance, staff jeune et dynamique, nourriture excellente, cadre agréable (surtout en sous sol) bref, un très bel endroit pour soirées magiques (petit plus, leur cave à vin est bien fournie).

I went to this place with apprehension — reviews were mixed, indeed evenly divided both here and on other websites. So I suppose I was lucky.
People had occasionally complained that the service is rude or indifferent, but they were nice and courteous to us (and no, I’m not French, even though all the staff and most diners are). The meal was very tasty and the price was moderate — though I probably wouldn’t call it cheap.
Portions aren’t very large even for something like coq au vin, which comes in a little casserole, so this leaves plenty of room for desert. The place isn’t large, bordering on cramped, so it is essential that you book your tiny little rickety table for two ahead.
I found it refreshing that the wine list isn’t wholly composed of French wines.

This is a small (very small) French bistro.
I went there with a friend on an early Friday evening without a reservation and luckily we were able to start dining without waiting at all.
The food and wine were really good for the price. I especially liked the Foie Gras and Escargot (see my photos).

A good place to go on a third date when you *know* you want to spend the evening conversing and wining and dining in a memorable and dimly-​lit setting. An intimate and cozy bistro serving homey French food. The restaurant is *tiny* — so definitely make a reservation, or expect to wait unless you’re headed there at an odd time. But its diminutiveness is a major part of its appeal — it feels special and authentic; a bona fide independent French establishment with chalk board specials, pommes frites, escargot, and candlelit tables for two.
The food is good. And even though it’s French, there are plenty of option for a vegetarian (me) — hurray! I’ve eaten here several times with different sets people, and they’ve all said that their entrees were well-​done — everything from fish to spinach crepes.
Unfortunately, I’ve uneven experiences with the staff here. At times they have been warm and pleasant, other times ridiculously *slow* and unhelpful — to the extent that once I complained about paying their mandatory 12.5% service charge — it simply seemed unacceptable.
But if your looking for a more unique and romantic dining option, I wouldn’t hesitate to bring someone here… it beats those hard-​to-​avoid chain options any day.