“It would hold its own in the 7ème!”; “absolutely authentic Gallic bistro-style grub” makes an ongoing hit of Eric & Sarah Guignard’s “treasure of suburbia” – a “lovely”, if “noisy” spot that invariably impresses; can its new café-offshoot really be called the French Tarte?
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AA Gill (24th May 2010)
Food 3/5 stars, Atmosphere 3/5 stars
The critic praises the “long and inviting” wine list and “agreeable” prices at this well-known suburban restaurant, and mostly enjoys dishes “that might come from the recipe section of The Lady; safe and commodious, with an elegantly raised pinkie” (bar pea soup which tasted “like the warm cud of a llama with a lung infection.”)
Matthew Norman (4th January 2010)
The critic visits a “minor curio” – “a cracking, authentically French gaff in Surbiton” – and finds it “packed”. “[A]nd no wonder when it serves such sparkling food at prices better suited to Tom and Barbara Good than to Margot and Jerry Leadbetter.” [Note for younger readers: the named characters were heros of definitive BBC Surbiton sitcom, the Good Life (1975-77) - very easy for old codgers in the media to forget that some readers weren’t even born then!]
The French Table was established in June 2001, with chef/patron Eric Guignard, who prior to this had worked with Phil Britten at the Capital. The restaurant is in a parade of shops, and has a long, narrow dining room with slate floors and taupe walls. The tables are what an estate agent would describe as “cosy”. The menu had starters mostly around £9, main courses about £18 and desserts at £6.50, with vegetables extra £2.95.
AA Gill (24th May 2010)
Matthew Norman (4th January 2010)
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