Harden's survey result
Summary
This Gallic duo in Clapham and Putney (Balham is now closed, RIP) score well for “lovely classic French bistro food”, “good vibes from friendly staff” and a “really good value prix fixe lunch”. They also run sightseeing meals on luxury double-decker buses in London and Paris. Top Tip – “seasonal offerings (e.g. fondue, morilles etc) keep the menu interesting”.
Summary
“A banker for those who like traditional Gallic brasserie food”, this Gallic trio in Balham, Clapham and Putney provides an “excellent-value set lunch”, while the “à la carte covers all the French classics at reasonable prices”.
Summary
“Trying and largely succeeding” is a fair view on these jolly Gallic “neighbourhood bistros” in Balham, Clapham and Putney, particularly praised for their “excellent value set price deals”. Disasters are not un-known here though, and it’s also true to say that they can be “middling and inconsistent” (“I will return… but only with friends who know it!)”.
Summary
“Great fun” and “traditional” (if “pretty variable”) bistro cooking have won praise for this small family-friendly group with venues in Balham, Clapham and Putney. “Service is not always up to scratch, but it’s local and it’s French”.
Restaurant details
Harden's says...
Gazette SW11
A true neighbourhood restaurant, hidden away near the Thames in Battersea, offering simple Gallic fare; we found the cuisine generous, but rather lacking in finesse.
When you see menu of this notably unpretentious all-day joint, which opened up near the Battersea riverside early in 2007, you may feel that you have stumbled into some sort of Francophile heaven. This double-page job - printed up freshly every day - offers dishes ranging from pancakes and croques-messieurs to quite ambitious plats du jour - perfect, it seems, for everything from lunch with the kids to an informal romantic dinner (if you avoid the football evenings, that is). There is an excellent range of French wines (and other drinks) too, all at reasonable prices.
Sadly, on our visit, the food just did not live up to the promise. Bread set a upbeat note, and a reasonably-priced kids' pasta special was also good, but there were just too many duds. That's not to say that there's any want of generosity - if anything, portions are too big - but a seafood chowder was impossibly salty, and both a venison plat du jour and a floating island would have benefited from being half the size and twice as subtle. Coffee was also indifferent.
All, in our view, a bit of a shame. This is so nearly a hidden gem.
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Opening hours
dinner till 11.30 pm
Last orders: 10.30 pm, Sun 10 pm
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