Chez Bruce

[macrosan]

Lunch today at the home of Bruce Poole, with two colleagues.

The ground floor restaurant looks good, nice simple table layout just on the good side of uncrowded, uncluttered white linen table settings. I had asked for as 'private' a table as they could offer, as we had some business to talk over, and they obliged by giving us an end table. The welcome was friendly and efficient, so altogether we got off to a great start.

I started with smoked haddock and poached egg. I have no idea how the haddock had been  crisped, but the whole dish was light, tasty and excellent. My guests had white bean soup (pronounced exceptional) and a crab mousse which was also very much liked.

My main was lamb chops. Disappointing. The portion was small, the meat bordered on tough. The best I could say was that the dish was ordinary. It came with two small slices of potato and a dollop of red cabbage, and a side dish of macaroni gratin. Actually the macaroni was very good in itself, but none of these accompaniments lifeted the dish, or could hide its ordinariness.

My guests both had roast mallard, which they said was good but not extraordinary. They both commented on the portion size.

My dessert was apple tart with ice cream, which was superb. The tart was classic French, but baked a little crisper than the standard French finish, and I loved that. My guests had treacle tart and cheeseboard respectively, and both were delighted.

We drank a 1996 Saumier (red Loire) which was great at £38. The wine list, incidentally, was extensive and had a huge range of prices. I would like to explore the list with their sommelier one day :)

Service throughout was attentive, just the right side of informal, and the maitre d' was involved at all the tables thoughout lunchtime, which I always take as a good sign.

The prix fixe was £26 plus 12.5%. Total bill for 3 inc service was £150. There was much to enjoy, but I suppose the overall impression created was of over-small portions, and too much attention on the starters and desserts to the detriment of the main course.

Maybe lunchtime is the wrong time for them. Also they were very busy (pre-Christmas) and that may not have helped. I will go back one evening. For now, I'll put my conclusion on hold.

[Andy Lynes]

Thanks for reporting back so quickly. I have been both lunch and dinner and haven't noticed a huge difference in the food served, especially the portion size.

I am suprised that there was less than generous amounts even given my comment on another thread about them having been slimmed down a little, they used to be gigantic by Michelin standards.

     

[SamanthaF]

Chez Bruce is always near the top of the wish list for dinner for Scott and I.

I never usually manage dessert!

[Andy Lynes]

Nexty time, you should starve yourself on the day and have the cheese and a dessert, unmissable.

[Andy Lynes]

Macrosan - did you check your eGullet messages?

[macrosan]

I have now ;) I will do as instructed this afternoon. I wasn't even aware of the messaging facility before. Ahhh, you learn something new every day at eGullet

[Andy Lynes]

I must admit I was unaware of it until Jason sent me a message. It's pretty nifty isn't it?

Just in case others are wondering, you can send someone on this board a personal message by either clicking the word "messenger" at the top of the main board page, or the arrows logo with the word "message" by the side of it, which is at the head of every posting in each thread.

[Andy Lynes]

Macrosan - let me know what happens.

[Jonathan Day]

At the last minute we called Chez Bruce and arranged a table for 9.15 pm. "Could we have a non-smoking table?" I asked. "No, we've been booked for two weeks, you only got this table because of a cancellation. It's in smoking."

Too bad, because the small upstairs room is not only non-smoking, it is more peaceful and friendly than the more frenetic downstairs. And at this time of year, the late evening light coming through the window is very pleasant. The upstairs headwaiter is knowledgeable and helpful. A few months ago, after hearing a friend burbling over Chateau Musar, the Lebanese wine, I ordered a bottle. "I don't think you'd like that with what you've ordered," he said, and brought me a glass to try it. He was right.

As it turned out, our table downstairs was smoke-free; the downstairs headwaiter was earnestly trying to put smoking tables together. Now if the woman at the next table had used a bit less than a pint of bad perfume, it would have been perfect.

The food was very, very good. Bruce Poole was always talented -- we dined at Chez Bruce a week after it opened -- but he is now cooking with a confidence and verve that bode well.

I started with a "salad paysanne with duck, fried calf's brains and red wine." This was a tangle of frisée scattered with smoked magret and tiny cubes of confit. There were equally small cubes of potato and a few croutons. The brains were panko'd and pleasantly warm. The "red wine" was a very small amount of a reduction that lent a little sweetness to the whole, and there were interesting herbs throughout. It all worked together beautifully. "This is Bruce's kind of dish," said the headwaiter, "all sorts of bits of animals scattered around in a salad." My kind of dish as well.

My wife had the risotto nero, which was perfect: deeply flavourful, each grain precisely cooked. There were tiny squid with it, and two slices of red mullet that had a nice flavour but were overcooked.

For the main, I had the stuffed rabbit leg. It was tasty but slightly tough and difficult to wrestle off the bone. The polenta was meltingly soft, and the beans exactly right in texture.

My wife's assiette de veau was problematic. I should have thought of this in advance and checked with the waiter, because it had sweetbreads and kidneys -- something I love but my wife struggles with. Should they not warn customers of these things? Perhaps. But it was very good.

For dessert I had the "plate of lemon and raspberry desserts", a long rectangular plate with, if I recall correctly, five different desserts: a tiny cake, a couple of mousses, a meringue filled with raspberry sorbet, and a lemon cream filled with fresh raspberries. My wife had the apple and cinnamon financier: "just like my Aunt Tillie's pound cake," she said, "but this one has a lot more flavour."

We drank a 1999 Pommard; it started out a bit thin but opened up as the evening went on. The wine list seems to grow deeper by the week, and there is a great collection of pudding wines. When we return for the tasting menu (see below) I intend to ask the staff to choose for us.

The service was efficient and friendly and spoke to the confidence and energy that have come to characterise this place. The waiters were knowledgeable about the menu, and the pacing was just right. The usual very good bread, a pleasantly salty loaf made with, I think, semolina, has now been supplemented by Poilâne bread. In the past they brought a lot of bread to the table, perhaps to fill in gaps between courses that were sometimes annoying. This time there was no need. In the past there was salt and pepper on the table. This time there was no need. Chez Bruce seems to have come into its own.

"We are delighted to offer seven course tasting menus by prior arrangement", says the menu. We had not so arranged, and in any event a 9.15 seating was a bit late for a seven course menu, but will certainly be back to try this.

Here is last night's menu -- it changes daily -- prix fixe at £30 for three courses.

Starters

Gazpacho andaluz

Rocket and spinach salad with shallots and parmesan

Salad paysanne with duck, fried calf's brains and red wine

Foie gras and chicken liver parfait with toasted poilâne bread

Scallops baked in the shell with leeks, carrots, pernod and chives (+ £4)

Grilled salmon with potato salad, green beans and turnips

Risotto nero with grilled red mullet and squid

Deep fried lemon sole with tartare sauce

Mains

Coq au vin with a gratin of stuffed macaroni

Côte de boeuf frites, sauce béarnaise (for two, + £5 per person)

Stuffed rabbit leg served with polenta, borlotti beans and pesto

Roast rump of lamb with spices aubergines, couscous and hummus

Assiette of veal with garlic purée, puy lentils and balsamic jus (+ £4)

Sauté of skate wuth beurre noisette, new potatoes and red wine

Fillet of bream with summer bean salad, fennel and tapenade

Roast cod with olive oil mash and gremolata

Puddings

Crème brûlée

Strawberry sablé

A plate of lemon and raspberry dessets

Tropical fruit salad with grapefruit sorbet

Hot chocolate pudding with praline parfait

Apricot and almond tart with Jersey cream

Warm apple and cinnamon financier, vanilla ice cream

Cheeses from La Fromagerie and Neal's Yard (+ £5.50)

Caramel ice cream or passion fruit sorbet

[Tonyfinch]

Coq au Vin with stuffed macaroni? Hmmmm

And what? No vegetarian main? Matters not a jot to me but surprising nontheless.

[Jonathan Day]

In the past, at least, Chez B have been very flexible about accomodating preferences. I have taken guests there who "forgot" to mention that they were strict vegetarians until we arrived. The restaurant handled this without missing a beat; I think they prepared a vegetarian risotto of some sort.

That stuffed macaroni gratin with the coq au vin sounded a bit odd to me too. If it's still on the menu on my next visit I will ask about it.

[Andy Lynes]

Did anyone see this rather bad tempered, but nevertheless 2 star review from Fay Maschler this week? : http://www.thisislondon.co.uk/html/food/ea...top_direct.html

[Tonyfinch]

Andy,I don't think you can put Maschler's criticisms merely down to bad temper.. Comfort ,space ,service etc. are all a part of the restaurant experience and Maschler is clear that while the food may be exempary,these are negative aspects of dining at Chez Bruce these days.

I've never been to Chez Bruce and I have to say that that review would deter me, food notwithstanding. Maybe you can ask yer man Bruce for a response.

[Andy Lynes]

I wouldn't dismiss Maschlers criticisms on the basis of bad mood, but I thought the manner in which she made some of them was indicitive of her feeling a bit miffed at being given a naff table (especially the bit about the art on the walls). I am sure this will come up in conversation next time I see him.

[Jonathan Day]

We tried the 7 course tasting menu at Chez Bruce on 20th September. All but one of the dishes were from the menu (which changes daily), and as far as I could tell most of these were served in the same sizes as the menu. The Middle White pork terrine was a small portion and was not on the menu that day.

We had:

Cream of cèpe soup with a poached egg

A small terrine of Middle White pork, with an armagnac-flavoured plum embedded in it

Grilled mackerel, potato salad, mustard beurre blanc and potato

A goujonette of deep fried lemon sole with tartare sauce

Filled and daube of beef with celeriac purée and bourguignon garnish

The cheeseboard

Our choice of desserts from the main menu. On offer that evening were

- tarte tatin

- crème brulée

- a glazed plum tart chiboust

- valrhona chocolate tarte with crème fraiche

- hot chocolate pudding with praline parfait

- prune and armagnac tart with jersey cream

- rum baba with poached peach and whipped cream

- iced coconut partfait with citrus salad and lime sorbet

- vanilla pecan ice cream, pear sorbet.

We tried the first four of these.

At £60 for these 7 courses, it seemed reasonable value for money. The prix fixe is £30 for 3 courses, £37.50 for four, and the fillet and cheese together attract a supplement of £10.50.

Most of the dishes were good, and a few very good: the soup was perfect, and a wonderful way to start the evening. The fillet and daube combination didn't quite work: the daube was rich and flavourful, and as a result the fillet didn't quite stand up to it. The cheeseboard at Chez Bruce is outstanding, with a deep selection of English cheeses from Neal's Yard and a good selection of French ones from La Fromagerie. The Australian sommelier / headwaiter was knowledgeable about the dishes, made some good wine suggestions and knew the cheeses intimately. The dessserts, as always, were very good.

My impression is that the restaurant is still figuring out how to fit the tasting menu into the evening service pattern. We were asked to turn up at 1845, because they wanted the table back at 2115. This was fine with me, as I had arrived from Hong Kong at 0530 that morning. The service of the apéritif, white wine and first few courses was unplesasantly rushed. But then everything slowed down, and there were long pauses between the later courses. We left around 2230. As far as I could tell there was no pressure on us to leave, though the receptionist/telephonist cast a few worried glances toward our table.

It's hard for me to be totally objective about this restaurant because we live nearby and have dined there from almost its opening day. It isn't perfect. but all in all there is so much to like about the place, the service team, Bruce Poole's cooking, the wine list and, above all, the atmosphere they are trying to create, that I am inclined to give them time to improve.

[Andy Lynes]

JD thanks for the detail. I think they have been offering the 7 course menu for a while now, it was certainly advertised when I went last in May. It is quite an ambitious idea for such a busy place, so I'm not totally suprised that the speed of the service during the evening was a bit erratic. Which is not to excuse it or to say that either they or their customers should accept that that must be the case. But if you are serving 120 covers it must be a challenge for both kitchen and front of house to fit some tasting menus in as well.

[Paul Bell]

Had lunch at Chez Bruce on Saturday for the first time in almost a year and was very impressed with most aspects of it.

Started off as always with a beer in The Hope next door, this place has been re-done about three times in the last eighteen months but still does a decent pint of Pride (note to Andy I will have time before the egullet lunch for beer won't I?).

Then on to Chez Bruce, where everyone had clearly got up late as they hadn't even printed the menus when we arrived, judging by the number of times staff rang 'Bruce' I guess he was not in the kitchen, which may account for a couple of niggles but on the whole I do not think this was detrimental to the food.

Starters were mackerel with potato salad and bacon (very very good, warm potato salad with two decent pieces of grilled mackerel topped with crispy bacon rashers) and goujons of sole with tartare sauce (also very good and better than previously, the fish was more generous, the batter lighter and crisper and the tartare sauce more well rounded)

We both had the daube and fillet of beef as a main course, this was fantastic, fennel (I think) puree with a fillet of beef on top with a generous amount of daube of beef balanced on top of that, surrounded by an intensely flavoured red wine sauce.

Desserts were a very moist, bitter chocolate tart with jersey cream and poached plums with vanilla ice cream and madelines (sp), (which were excellent). The only fault in the whole meal came with the ice cream which was crumbly and granular, not at all up to standard.

Overall the meal was excellent, the cooking appears to have improved over the last year, the price has gone up but only by £1.50 to £25 which still makes it excellent value for the food and level of cooking provided.

The only slight niggles were a slight slackness of service e.g. at the beginning, they also printed the menus incorrectly with the weekday price at the bottom rather than the Saturday price, which is fine until trading standards come and visit, and the guy who took our order wasn't certain the kitchen could manage to cook my fillet of beef medium rather than medium rare! Which they did as I would expect but I do not know why he had to make a big thing about it?

Finally I am still unconvinced about the wine list or rather the prices on it, being a cheap git I like to order wine from the bottom end, and at Chez Bruce there isn't much of one, which I find surprising as both La Trompette and The Square have a large quantity of bottles at a lower price than the starting point of the Chez Bruce list.

Whingeing over, Chez Bruce is still one of our favourite places, the food is excellent and we are trying to fit in our next visit.

Paul

[tutti_frutti3]

I've been to Chez Bruce a couple of times. Very, very ordinary. Nice for that part of town, but not somewhere I'd go back to in a hurry.

I thought the best part of Chez Bruce was that it obviously served a more local, more 'English' clientele.

[Andy Lynes]

Finally I am still unconvinced about the wine list or rather the prices on it, being a cheap git I like to order wine from the bottom end, and at Chez Bruce there isn't much of one

I too am a cheap git and have always found the prices on the wine list to be very reasonable in the past, with a lot of choice between £25 - £35.00. What are they starting at these days (I haven't been for a few months)?

[Paul Bell]

For 'everyday' restaurant wine drinking I like to inhabit the good food guide territory of £18-20 (partly on the principle that if I want expensive wine I will drink it at home). I am happy to pay whatever it takes for the food but I dislike paying large markups on wine. I prefer to concentrate on the food although preferably with a lower end wine wine that accompanies it well.

At Chez Bruce there are only two bottles (I think) under £20, a southern french red and white at £17.50. There are a few in the £20-25 range including the old favourite on many lists Quinta de la Rosa at £20 (same price as Rhodes in the Square but more than Putney Bridge). There is a lot in the £30+ range.

I think my surprise is that the wine list is relatively expensive compared to the food, and also relatively expensive compared to the related Square and Trompette both of whom have a number of bottles under £20, admittedly some of which are fairly uninspiring but some are quite good.

Paul

[Andy Lynes]

Note to Andy I will have time before the egullet lunch for beer won't I?

Yes, I was going to suggest meeting in the pub before hand anyway, (and possibly afterwards as well).

[macrosan]

Yes, I was going to suggest meeting in the pub before hand anyway, (and possibly afterwards as well).

... and maybe in between courses too ?

[Andy Lynes]

Actually, lets just get Bruce to send the food over to the pub.

[Jonathan Day]

We recently had the 7 course tasting menu at Chez Bruce, and I posted a brief review: (click here).

Chez Bruce is far from perfect, but I struggle to see how it can be described as "very very ordinary", given both the ambitiousness of the cuisine and the quality of the experience they deliver. I wish there were a lot of restaurants in London of this calibre, but there aren't.

[bateman]

Being local to me I go there quite a lot, including a visit last Thursday, must admit the menu that day was the most dissapointing I have had there but still better than most places in Clapham. Really hoped the fried calves brain was going to still be on the menu, had that before and it was truly amazing but unfourtunitly not.

Yes the wines are a bit pricey but there is quite a nice range of half bottles and my companions house white I tasted seemed quite passable.

Does anyone know how much time Bruce is spending in the kitchen though, I have a feeling it is less and less these days...