Racine is instantly a fairly likeable restaurant. It's unpretentious, rustic-looking and unassuming in a way which contrasts much of its local competition. There is enough Gallic background and feeling in its dark-walled room and home-styled menu to remind people that French dining can be far from pretentious and intimidating.
They did, however, have something to prove to me. On our first visit, I had not been overly impressed and I was hoping that, with a little more patience and time at our disposal, we would find out why this place had stood such a test of time in a competitive area of London.
Since time was not a worry, we both ordered starters and main courses. Mine was a no-brainer: a salad of poached egg, lamb's lettuce and salsify with truffle dressing (left). This is the sort of starter that leaves nowhere to hide and in the event it was not a problem. There was nothing too bitter, no exaggerated sweetness, nothing over-seasoned or lacking in flavour. Just rich, green leaves supporting the smooth and savoury salsify and a delightful earthy, spicy hint of truffle running through it. The egg was, needless to say, poached perfectly.
In a similar semi-extravagant vein, the wife went for mussels to start (right). Whilst mussels in a French restaurant should usually be a fairly rustic and simple dish of braising liquor along with wine, bread and a little cream, this was a different proposition. The mussels were served astride a mousse of garlic and saffron, adding sweetness to the naturally salty seafood. The texture of the mousse was an enjoyable play on more traditional accompaniments which worked, on the whole. The issue I took with this was the richness and size made it slightly over-rich in general.
Main courses were quite exciting since the whole card read like a list of stuff one just wants to eat and keep eating. The wife went for the enticing proposition of lamb confit with mogette beans, parsnip purée and rosemary flavours (left). If you get one thing from the picture, it's that it does look delightfully rustic. And it certainly was. Hearty in the extreme, the lamb was packed with flavour...but just, so much flavour. Herein lies the issue with slamming a plate full of bold tastes: things start to get lost. The garlic garnish shone through, eventually making the whole thing a breath-paralysing proposition when it did, where the white beans were lost amongst the strong sauce and purée.
My main course was a heavier idea than my starter had been; though braised veal, aligot (mash 'n cheese) and trompette mushrooms is heavier than just about anything else on most menus (right). This presented a similar issue to the wife's main course: a dense and ultimately unforgiving plate of food. That's not to say it was bad - the first two mouthfuls were amazing bundles of crispy-soft veal and buttery mushrooms, backed with smooth and rich potato. However, by the third I was starting to flag and the saltiness and richness of the dish was getting the better of me. For all the good things, I couldn't finish it and that, sadly, means they just didn't get it right.
We weren't totally sold on desserts since main courses had knocked us so squarely for six, but we remembered how lovely a chocolate terrine had been on our first visit, so we indulged our sweet teeth. The wife went for a classic favourite of hers; creme caramel (left). Personally I don't go for this as a dessert since the sharp saltiness of the caramel does not agree with me, and overly jellified desserts aren't my thing anyway. She knows her stuff when it comes to these kinds of things though, and the verdict was not good.
I was tempted by a rice pudding, a dessert which I had gotten into in a big way in 2012 (right). This came with a sweet caramel sauce which had been stirred through the pudding. All in all, it represented the sort of comfortable simplicity the main courses had been striving for but never reached. It was well-portioned, not overly sweet, enjoyably creamy and outright pleasant.Looking back over the meal, I was half-tempted to call it a success since I had very much enjoyed my starter and dessert. However, the big problem for me (or any diner) is when two out of two main courses miss their mark. As much as I love puddings, you just can't get away with falling short on what is essentially the main event for both diners.
As I began by saying, there is a certain something about Racine which makes it a place I just can't write off, but I am running out of patience. I know I'll be back here one day but I hope that when I am, the menu (or at least my choices) will exhibit a little control, balance and refinement to counter what really does make Racine enjoyable: their welcoming and generous nature. It's not a bad restaurant, just a slightly infuriating one.
Racine
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