Chez Bruce has been one of the most popular London restaurants for years. Consistently named by Harden's as one of the very best (and often the very best) place to eat in town, it has held a remarkable popularity and reputation in the capital for an admirably long time - the place opened in 1995. On the site of Marco Pierre White's legendary Harvey's, no less. A big act to follow, but the proof is in the pudding, and some seventeen years after Chez Bruce started, I was about to find out if all the popularity and acclaim was justified.
The first thing that struck me about the menu was its confused nature. The restaurant is branded as French but it has that typically modern knack of being kind-of-French with bits of Europe thrown in, leaning heavily on British food. Too many dishes looked over-complicated by one or two ingredients, hinting at a place that has hit its ceiling and is needlessly trying to push boundaries.
That said, the taste was rather pleasant. The pig's head was a soft and majestic meaty base with the crackling sitting on top as an enjoyable variation. The salad part of the dish was light, refreshing and well-complimented by the mustard. the mild cheese was somewhat lost in the mix though, which was a shame. Parmesan may have been a better bet overall. The main problem I had with this dish was the stifling inelegance of it all. The food was slightly drowned by the lettuce and it looked a mess.
Main courses differed from the starters by being a lot more basic and far more in line with the kind of clinical dishes I was expecting from Chez Bruce. The first - veal rump with morels, gnocchi and wild garlic - was a perfect-sounding dish, replete with simple ideas and great-sounding produce (left). The veal was moist, well-cooked and tender, with the creamed morels the absolute highlight. Sadly, the mushroom sauce was so good it nearly overwhelmed the dish. The elements were all well-executed but none apart from the mushrooms to warrant serious praise. And none which made the whole thing excellent.
The wife went for pot au feu duck with foie gras, tarragon jus and a brioche dumpling (right). A strange-sounding mixture at first, but when you think about it, one that should work perfectly. Pot au feu is a traditional French stew, usually made with beef. The addition of foie gras ties the duck in, with the brioche and broth bringing the whole dish together. In the event, it was another slight misfire with the broth literally and figuratively dampening the dish. The meat was well-cooked again but the whole thing ended up being a surprisingly uninspiring plate of food by the end.
Our first dessert was a chocolate pudding with praline parfait. This was ordered by the wife since I don't believe I could tolerate that many nuts in any dessert. It was rich, homely and comforting as you would expect a melting chocolate pud to be (left). However, once again it was a sad story of poor presentation; looking a right mess. The theme of the evening was a sorry state of bad-looking dishes and this was perhaps the messiest of the lot. You just expect that little bit of precision when eating somewhere like this.
At the end of the meal, we had different reactions. The wife was actually quite satisfied with her lot. This needs to be mentioned in the interest of fairness, but for me it was a restaurant quaking under the weight of historical expectation. There is something extremely frustrating about a place spinning its wheels as much as this and whilst I'd never go as far as saying it was bad, I expected a lot more. For the kind of experience Chez Bruce is aiming for, go to Kitchen W8.
Chez Bruce
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