BRASSERIE GUSTAVE, CHELSEA

Pascal, being French, loves proper French food…..and I, being a piglet, l love it too. Therefore we decided to give Brasserie Gustave in Chelsea a try on Saturday night - I follow their instagram page which always posts delicious photos of food.

Obviously I had checked out the menu beforehand and it was filled with traditional french dishes.

We started with some super soft bread and butter while we decided what to eat.

I was really torn over what to order for starter as I wanted both the snails and the coarse game terrine. In the end we decided to order 6 snails to share and a starter each - I had the terrine and Pascal chose the bone marrow.

The garlic and parsley buttered snails were served with crunchy croutons and tiny pieces of tomatoes and a pastry snail. I have always been a massive fan of snails, even as a young child and like nothing more than mopping up ever drop of sauce with bread. 

Unfortunately the snails were really disappointing - too much parsley and not enough seasoning or garlic. I think it is the first time ever I didn't lick the bowl clean.

I also ordered the coarse game terrine with toasted sourdough, green salad and gherkins. This was OK - nothing special, as before it also lacked seasoning. Plus the gherkins were tiny slithers in the salad, it could have done with more.

Pascal ordered the roasted bone marrow with parsley and gherkin salad and a red wine sauce. Unfortunately this did not live up to his expectations either, I tried a bit and found it incredibly fatty….although I have to say bone marrow is not my cup of tea!

For mains I was torn between the veal escalope "Diane" or the mussels. As I am still carrying some holiday weight from half term, I chose the moules marineres with fries.

The mussels themselves were quite bland and tasteless however the white wine sauce was absolutely delicious - I ate it like a soup and devoured the lot! The fries were also very good.

Pascal order the venison with almond potatoes, honey parsnips and red cabbage. This had the wow factor of being finished off on front of us on a little cooking trolley (I am sure the French have a much better word for it)! Unfortunately once again he was not impressed as the venison was slightly overcooked, plus he was starting to feel unwell as the bone marrow had been so rich. He didn't even finish his plate which is something I rarely see!!

As a side he ordered flat garlic mushrooms which were in fact delicious.

We decided against cheese and instead just ordered the bill - both feeling rather disappointed as we had had such high hopes. The restaurant hasn't been open that long (since June 2014), so maybe it is still having teething problems with the food - who knows - the chef has great qualifications. 

One thing I do know is that we won't rush back which is a shame as the service was exceptional - so friendly and attentive. It has the makings of being somewhere special, it just isn't there yet. Although it is worth pointing out that the restaurant has a gorgeous lower ground bar which looks super cosy, perfect for these cold, winter nights.

Brasserie Gustave

4 Sydney Street,

London

SW3 6PP

Tel: 020 7352 1712

Email: info@brasserive-gustave.com