Harden's survey result
Summary
“Classic French cuisine at reasonable prices” sums up the aim of superchef Raymond Blanc’s “jolly” mid-market brasseries (which sometimes suffer by comparison with his temple to haute cuisine, Le Manoir aux Quat’ Saisons). At their best, they provide “an overall pleasant dining experience” that’s “solid and dependable”. At their worst, the experience is “middle-of-the-road” going on “mass-produced”. The South Bank branch opposite the Festival Hall is “a great place”, while venues in the City, Chancery Lane and riverside Hammersmith are also usefully located. Another 10 are scattered across other English cities.
Summary
“Fair all-round, if by no means special” is a justifiable, if slightly harsh verdict on Raymond Blanc’s contemporary brasserie chain, whose branches are generally handy and well-appointed, and whose EC2 and SE1 outlets are often voted as “a decent place for a business meet up/dinner”. If it were not “trading on the name” of one of the country’s most famous chefs, its “reasonable” level of cooking might seem more laudable and less “formulaic”.
Summary
“Fair all-round, if by no means special” is a justifiable, if slightly harsh verdict on Raymond Blanc’s contemporary brasserie chain, whose branches are generally handy and well-appointed, and whose EC2 and SE1 outlets are often voted as “a decent place for a business meet up/dinner”. If it were not “trading on the name” of one of the country’s most famous chefs, its “reasonable” level of cooking might seem more laudable and less “formulaic”.
Summary
Even if it’s not “the most gastronomic option”, Raymond Blanc’s contemporary brasserie chain does have fans who laud its “pleasant” branches, and “reliable, routine French cuisine”. Critics take a similar view but from a glass-half-empty standpoint: “no big complaints, but the value-for-money is low and service so-so”.
For 31 years we've been curating reviews of the UK's most notable restaurant. In a typical year, diners submit over 50,000 reviews to create the most authoritative restaurant guide in the UK. Each year, the guide is re-written from scratch based on this survey (although for the 2021 edition, reviews are little changed from 2020 as no survey could run for that year).
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Restaurant details
Brasserie Blanc Restaurant Diner Reviews
"A reliable all rounder"
"A very pleasant meal if you are in the area"
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