La Brasserie

Full disclosure: bar review only.
We swung by here on New Year’s Eve and the place was rocking. Rocking defined by a 30+ married couple, that is, but still. Plenty of champagne options, including a cheaper one (so you can drink to excess on NYE). Quite the people watching experience as we partied with the elderly, teenagers, and pros. I had the time of my life here.

My husband and I spontaneously stopped in on a weekday around 21:00. We sat at the bar, which was mostly full. There were a handful of tables still eating.
I got a glass of Prosecco (£8.50), and my husband got a Manhattan (£8.50). It was one of the weirdest Manhattans we’ve ever tried, though; a bit citrus-​y. Not our fave, but it was fun to watch the bartender make it. It looks like they have a good happy hour deal.
The bartender mischarged me for my Prosecco, which I noticed and he apologized for, but I didn’t quite believe it was a mistake by his reaction. Either way, always check your bill, of course!
Music was pop and included some American classics. Kind of a weird ambiance overall, but it’s a good spot for people watching.

A restaurant doesn’t stick around as long as this one has for no reason!
You will have a lovely meal in an energetic atmosphere will is fun. The food is well priced for London but if you go for the 2 or 3 course prix fixe option then even better. Usually with those types of deals, you’d expect the portion size to become smaller but that is not the case here.
Worth checking out for a more relaxed dinner out!

Had a terrific pesto risotto with fried cod. Perfectly cooked risotto and excellent fish, would eat it weekly but for the fact its a bit unhealthy.
Room is standard French and the service is the same. Sisters chicken supreme was good as were chips.
A fun lunch spot, especially now that Tartine is gone. A bit expensive but area i guess it goes with the territory. Also, no nicoise salad.

We ended up here after dining at Chisou. We decided not to go to any bars or clubs and wanted to be mellow. It was really late, just wanted drinks and the service was amazing. We couldn’t figure out what kind of wine we wanted and the servers was kind enough to suggest we can taste test the open bottles we were insterested in. We settled for a chardonnay and I had a mixed german wine. We were also brought bread and butter while waiting for our drinks. Did they know we were hungry or lightweights? hehehe
I would definitely come back here and try their food next time. The table next to us looked like they really enjoyed their dinner.

The name says it all, and it is exactly that: a Brasserie. Maybe not quite *the* Brasserie, but a good one nonetheless.
I ate a simple brunch of fruit cocktail and Salmon Benedict with a Cappuccino. I think they call the breakfast plate «Poached Norwegian» or something like that. The fruit bowl, almost shockingly, was very fresh and very tasty. I say this because it consisted of mostly tropical fruits, but what a pleasant surprise to get well-​ripened papaya in London!
The poach on the eggs were to order, which I thought to be silly, but quite fair and accommodating to its undoubtedly picky customers. Mine were perfectly soft, yolks a welcomed hue of orange. The salmon, I would like to imagine for the purposes of this review, was wild caught in the North Atlantic, free of GMOs and whatever else they do to them on the farms. It was delicious. The Hollandaise was thick and creamy, yet the muffin was a bit of a let-​down, bland really.
The coffee was fine, but weak. I expected a bit more in this department; it didn’t affect my experience at all.
That day, I remember it was a warm, breezy, and uncategorically sunny morning in Chelsea and La Brasserie added a beautiful compliment to it all.

Ooh la la, C’est tres Bien! — Yinnie C.
I stand by my french words. It’s a charming bistro in the heart of Kensington, right round the corner from Philip Lim (with stuff that Teresa C and I can only ever OGLE over but never buy…), you’re expecting this to be a bit snobby.
Non, Non c’est pas. (I don’t even know if this is correct– Its been 10 years since my last french lesson)
They whooped as we made our way out in our onesies, all the staff were decked as tigers, penguins etc. Yeah, I know. You’re reading this right. We turned up to a posh bistro as a fox, furry siberian leopard, giraffe and cat. And we got a free main because we did. Say Whaaat? They had a really good selection of mains actually, I got main envy, they kinda killed my veal like 3 times by deep frying it… but they serve stuff like beef bourgignon and lamb shank as well. I liked the food, I did but it was by no means wow food. It’s hearty food and it was a perfect catch up evening.
My only regret is– WHY DID NO ONE TELL ME ABOUT THIS GEM WHEN I DID MY POSTGRAD AT IMPERIAL. *rage*
Note to Self: Don’t wear a furry onesie next time. it’s bloody boiling in there.

I welcome any restaurant that hosts a onesie party for their diners. Especially ones with a reputation in South Kensington like La Brasserie’s. It’s a brilliant idea that more places in London should adopt. This restaurant is very pricy (it’s near Harrods in South Ken and a fave of Princess Diana’s) but if you have the nerve to turn up in your onesie, you get a free gift. Your main is on the house. It makes your total bill at the end of the night much more reasonable.
I ordered the tomato and onion salad (exactly what it sounds like, a bit weird) and the boeuf bourginon, which was absolutely beautiful. I couldn’t savour it enough. Absolute perfection.
I couldn’t resist the dessert menu and ordered the Eton Mess. What a dream!
I definitely recommend La Brasserie if you can get in on the onesie party. The food is excellent but at a price tag. It’s honestly worth it. Where else can you eat a fancy French meal in a onesie at one of Princess Diana’s favourite hangouts?! That’s one of my favourite things that I can say about my time in London. :)

There is little wonder why La Brasserie has been around for over 40 years. it’s such a gem! Off the beaten tourist path, most people miss it by heading straight for the museums. I could have easily been in a bistro in Paris. I thought it was especially authentic our waiter took our order in French!
To start we had the Escargot and the Terrine de Canard. I’ve always been fond of escargot served in it’s shell, draped generously in garlic butter. There was plenty of bread to sop up every last delicious bit of it! The terrine was also fantastic, perfectly balanced with a red onion marmalade and, I think, a hint of sage. Next time, I’m definitely going to try the frog legs or the Terrine de Fois Gras!
For our mains, we had the whole grilled Sea Bass and the Entrecôte Grillée (rare). Presented beautifully, the sea bass lived up to expectations, falling easily off the bone. It was incredibly silky and the accompanying pesto full of flavour. Although potentially messy to eat as there can be small bones, the sea bass is worth the effort! Little potatoes, undoubtedly kissed with butter and a side salad round out the dish.
When it comes to steak, we love it rare and know it can easily be overcooked. Not here! On the first cut, we knew it was going to be good! Pepper sauce and frites on the side, it was all gone before we knew it. We didn’t need to season any of our dishes, which attests to them seasoned perfectly in the kitchen.
To round everything off, I opted for the lush profiteroles which I suggest sharing as the portion was generous. The cheeses were tempting, as were the other desserts. I would recommend even coming here for a coffee and dessert, with a side of people watching!
La Brasserie run specials throughout the week, the most intriguing being half priced Lobster on a Sunday. They also have a 2 or 3 course menu, as well as Afternoon Tea. Next time you’re in the area checking out the museums, take a much needed break around the corner here, you won’t regret it!

Havent had anything other than breakfast here but the meal was worth repeating. I had the croque madam and the cappuccino was excellent

If you want to pay very high prices for average food with rude service this place is ideal. Bizarrely for a French restaurant it’s run by Spaniards who seem annoyed for you to be there and forget that they are the only people that can speak spanish. Freezing cold air con, came before tasteless gravadlax and rubbery entrecôte. On the plus side it has a nice layout and there are other nicer restaurants nearby. Try them instead.

I just had the most expensive inedible salad for lunch today @ La Brasserie!
I always wanted to try this place– there is something about dinning alfresco and the red check table cloths that makes me feel the place is special and worth a try.
but this place proves me wrong
there were couple of napkins under tables and waitresses were talking very loudly to each other from distance (which is not a cool scene in a restaurant)
the main course Asparagus salad (no meat there) was freezing cold with no dressing and burnt cheese
I had two mouthfuls and asked for the bill
which was surprising to me — £25 for salad and water !!
not going back there there are plenty of places around to have good food and pay high bills

In the Chelsea heartland, opposite Conran’s venerable stalwart Bibendium, sits the brasserie that time forgot. There’s a point in recent history acknowledged by all at which time all restaurants were rubbish. Ask your parents if you don’t remember it. It was the 70’s… the eating out one could do in the country without spending a serious amount of cash was limited to the soggy pub sandwich, fish n chips and the occasional treat at an Angus Steak House. In and outside the capital, ‘foreign’ foodstuffs like Chinese, Italian or Indian were treated with a modicum of suspicion and restaurants were grand, fusty and open for a couple of hours a day at best. The opening then in 1972 of La Brasserie must have seemed like a bold step forward for the poor folk of South Ken, coming 15 years before Simon Hopkinson, king of casual dining, picked up a knife across the road.
That’s certainly how the restaurant’s own website grandly remembers it, the first in London of its type, espousing the French style of all day eating and paving the way for ‘large groups such as Conran who picked up their flexible approach to eating’… How Terrence must have cheered. Step on 40 years and the foodie landscape, particularly in London, has changed somewhat. You know what’s occurred in the intervening years and, possibly due to their own innovations way back in ’72, the faux Parisienne schtick of La Brasserie is an anachronistic nightmare.
The classic all day brasserie menu comes straight from the 70’s. This in itself wouldn’t be a bad thing. Simple fare that if cooked well can’t be beaten. You don’t need to be a great chef to get it right, but a brasserie is more than the sum of its parts, that’s the point. Atmosphere is critical, as are the staff: when successful, both are warm and inviting while the latter is also efficient and snappy. Sadly none of these were the case… Walking in at 6.30 on a Thursday we were the only guests other than a brace of ladies who should have finished lunching by now and a florid ex hack and Private Eye target, making his younger, more attractive companion laugh uproariously. Over the next hour, this gradually changed, with the restaurant filling up with the trainspotter’s guide to the King’s Road. Ruddy young fillies and their polo shirt clad squires, Middle aged and well padded gents with that type of blonde ‘companion’ and slightly older gents with their wives daring a surreptitious sneak at the bronzed legs of the surly waitresses. A scene for the obscene.
My guest went for fridge-​cold prawn cocktail in a sharp Marie Rose sauce served in half an avocado. A venerable dish, much like the wilted iceberg lettuce that propped it up in the bowl. A renegade from Abigail’s Party, thankfully retired from most menus, here it seemed so perfectly appropriate. I got a little luckier going for 6 bland but innocuous snails, perched parsimoniously on their shells, reluctant to dive into the watery garlic slick, worried they’d bang their heads on the just-​covered base.
I followed that with one of the simplest dishes on the menu, here executed with a style and panache not seen since Ann Widdecombe’s last dance class. Like a classic Martini, I’ve found the steak tartare a good acid test of an establishment in the past. Simple ingredients, a painless recipe and absolute perfection when done with a modicum of care. The tartare had a grey-​green hue, from a distance disconcerting, closer up it became obvious it had way too much acrid gherkin chopped through the mix, a small amount of (albeit vinegary) relief, though not much. The salty, floppy shoestring fries slopped down next to it were as unpleasant.
It would appear I’d ended up the winner though, again, if you could call it a winning experience. My guest went for duck confit, a classic brasserie dish, the staple of French railway cafes up and down the country. Here the meat came almost medium rare, clinging determinedly to the bone. Plonked across a kilo of red cabbage, rubbery skin draped over the undercooked duck, folding into the dips and wrinkles, like a geriatric Blind Date contestant covering her saggy bits with a coquettish satin throw.
Given that my guest is astoundingly British, I knew he was being stretched too far when he ruminated about complaining. Blank-​eyed staff took the semi-​full plate away without asking about our enjoyment. They looked like they knew the answer and we didn’t get a chance to say a word. Against all sense of sanity, we were somewhat saved by desserts. Crème Brûlée was pre-​prepped and fridge cold, but whoever had made it originally knew what they were doing. A Tarte Tatin was excellent, sticky and caramelised and toothsome, but this was a little too little and a lot too late.

Funny, I always go here when I’m in a pinch. When my plans have fallen through, or I can’t get into the restaurant I originally wanted to go to. But that is so unfair of me to do to this reliable Chelsea establishment which is quite reliable.
With so many French bistros out there, I have always felt that this one actually felt like I was in Paris. Even sometimes with the occasional attitude from the waitstaff. Bistro chairs, tile floors and the zinc bar are all there. Menu favorites like onion soup and steak frite are consistently good and I have been going there for years. My favorite is their breakfast or weekend brunch, and I do believe they have some of the best scrambled eggs in the city. The eggs Benedict are very good too.
I think I must go back very soon.

«La brasserie» dans le quartier francais de la capitale londonienne… un hasard? je né pense pas. Son nom indique bien l’ambiance bonne enfant qui y regne. Le décor est moderne et simple. La carte offre une grande variétés de menus a des prix abordables. L’endroit y est très propre et accueillant. Les serveurs de nationalité portugaise pour la plupart mettent de la vie et reste tres efficace avec les clients. Que ce soit pour le matin, le midi ou le soir, il y aura généralement toujours une place pour vous!

Did You Know?
La Brasserie was one of Princess Diana’s favourite London hangouts?
Well you do now.
Funnily enough, it’s one of mine, too. (better to move swiftly on from the Diana/​Parisian-​French connection, I think)
This place feels very authentic and very relaxed, without being too casual. It’s the kind of place you could come for a lunch or dinner, with a few friends or family, or even with a partner. It doesn’t try to do things in an overly posh way just because of its location, but it does do excellent food very simply and very well.
It has everything you would want from a French place — lovely breads and cheeses, great fish and nice-​looking meat as well as wonderful wine (don’t drink them dry of Sancerre — I want some when I go back — but it is a bit nice).
Try it if you’re in the area — it’s one of the best places I’ve found in a part of town where places can be difficult to choose.

Enter to this place was a real pleasure for a french. I advice La Brasserie to all Londoner and others.
Thanks to this place I felt a little bit of Paris spirit, it a shame i came for the breakfast because is one of this place that you do not have other choice than to order Entrecôte frites

Simple, tasty brasserie food. Very dependable — not always inspired but very consistent. Onion soup, warm goat cheese salad, croques, and frites are all perfect choices. And of course a nice glass of wine and a warm dining room make for a very nice afternoon!

La Brasserie is one of my favorite restaurants in all of London. I love the ambiance, the selection, the service… it all works for me. French food, when it’s done right, is the best food in the world. La Brasserie certainly know what they’re doing.
Sitting outside during the day and people-​watching, or having a nice romantic candlelit meal at night, it is a great place to spend a few hours.
Also, on a personal note, I think this was the first place I ever ate escargots (as a 5-​year-​old or something) so… that’s something.
Try the duck salad and the Moules Mariniere. Mon dieu, that is good stuff!

La Brasserie has a lot to say for itself, and ok, much of it is justified. It just may be «London’s most authentic and celebrated Parisien brasserie»: from the menu to the décor to the waiters, it feels a lot like your typical brasserie in Paris. I suppose you can also believe that it is «London’s first all-​day brasserie» as the restaurant has been around for 35 years, and that’s pretty cool. Finally, stars and celebrities apparently do come here — and I know this is true, at least one time, because I saw one there (I think).
As for the food, it is very solid brasserie fare. Not exceptional, but I don’t think brasserie food is meant to be exceptional… It’s meant to be dependable. And a place you can go any time of the day. And have good bread. The bread here is yummy, and you can’t really fault the french onion soup or a simple steak with frites. The steak tartare is also nice.

La Brasserie is one of my favorite restaurants in all of London. I love the ambiance, the selection, the service it all works for me. French food, when it’s done right, is the best food in the world. La Brasserie certainly know what they’re doing.
Sitting outside during the day and people-​watching, or having a nice romantic candlelit meal at night, it is a great place to spend a few hours.
Also, on a personal note, I think this was the first place I ever ate escargots (as a 5-​year-​old or something) so that’s something.
UPDATE: Try the duck salad and the Moules Mariniere. Mon dieu, that is good stuff!