Chez Bruce London - Buy Reservations

Our lunch was exactly as we hoped it would be.
The food and wine were both spot on. Our lobster starter was well worth the supplement, it was exquisite, and the LambTagine was absolutely delicious. The food, the wine, the friendly knowledgeable staff, the ambiance, Chez Bruce has it all! .

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Having eaten here many times before we had high hopes of our evening. Firstly, we were upstairs and rather neglected, the sommelier did not come to our table, the menu was surprisingly disappointing and none of the dishes had a wow factor as in previous visits - our bill was just under £500 for the 4 of us and was not worth it alas - come on Chez Bruce get back to your old self!

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Often when we decide on a restaurant to visit it’ll be because of reviews on Google Maps, Tripadvisor or the like. However with Chez Bruce that wasn’t the case. We went because everyone who’d already been told us it was brilliant - and they weren’t wrong. We would have visited before, but we mistakenly thought it’d take ages to get there from Central London. In fact, even though no trains were running from Victoria to Wandsworth Common - the nearest train station - on the day of our visit, it was still only around a 30 minute trip by bus.

Our reservation was for lunch at 1pm but we rocked up at midday and hoped we could maybe grab a drink and get served a bit earlier. Instead we were escorted straight to our table - bonus!

We perused the menu whilst munching our complimentary Parmesan crackers. Chez Bruce doesn’t offer a tasting menu so a bit of thought was required, and this led as to a smoked salmon and leek wrap each for starter, one chicken and one pork for main and a carafe of white wine to share. We also had a lovely aperitif of a zingy blood orange Martini each and enjoyed an escelbefore the meal began.

The starters were tremendous. Salmon, colour of the deepest, er, salmon, wrapped in a thin, crunchy leek parcel which sat in a cracking sharp and sour sauce and a pleasant hint of dill. They were joined on the plate by a pair of light, smokey eel croquettes. Our mains were equally as good. My chicken breast had not a hint of dryness and came with a ballotine of chicken leg meat, buttery potatoes and a subtle but delicious truffle veloute. The bite of pork cheek I tried of the other main was so tender it was like inhaling meaty air and the morsel of apple tart with black pudding reminded me of a tarte tatin, but with a hint of savoury saltiness.

For dessert we both chose creme brûlée and that’s what we got. No bells and whistles, not even a coulis or berries, just silky custard richly speckled with vanilla and a bitter and crunchy but light burnt sugar topping. Perfect. A flat white each after our food and we were done.

Chez Bruce is a wonderfully relaxed and unpretentious place. All our servers made us feel welcome and there was none of the stuffiness of some Michelin-starred establishments. In fact the greatest compliment I can pay Chez Bruce is to say that anyone who might ordinarily feel intimidated and bewildered by a Michelin-starred restaurant would feel at ease here. They wouldn’t be daunted by tasting menus with dishes they might not like. Instead they could just enjoy fantastically cooked and presented food at, for the quality, a pretty reasonable price. We certainly did.

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There were some genuine highlights here where the kitchen (and bar!) demonstrated the kind of ‘cleverness’ expected at this level…but there were also elements which were simply ‘well executed’ and which I’ve seen just as well executed at say Côte or Brasserie Blanc…and for a fraction of the price. “Very good” is still very good…but it’s short of the “excellent” that this restaurant expects to deliver and which we expect as patrons.

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I came here for my birthday lunch with my mum and brother and had the most wonderful meal.

We were seated by a table near the window and while browsing the menu were served delicious parmesan crisps, fresh focaccia and sourdough breads alongside homemade butter. My brother especially enjoyed the breads and each time he was offered additional pieces, he very much obliged.

To begin, I chose the mackerel with smoked eel croquettes, my mum the rabbit rillettes and my brother the chicken with fresh pasta. We all really loved our dishes and found them perfectly balanced. I was glad that I tried something different because eel was not something that I would have wanted to try previously.

As a main I decided to go for the compte cheese, jerusalem artichoke and mushroom pithivier, my mum chose the trout and my brother the lamb. I was totally blown away by my main, as it was so simple yet so tasty. My tastebuds were certainly given a treat with all the flavours dancing around on my tongue.

When it came to dessert, the caramelised apple course that I had wanted was no longer on the menu and so I opted for the buttermilk pudding with rhubarb. My mum chose a crème brûle and my brother the apple crumble with clotted cream. My dish was good but not really my type of pudding and on reflection I should have chosen the hot chocolate brownie with ice cream.

After our meal we were given chocolate truffles and I even had a birthday plate brought out to me which was a nice touch. We were then offered some of the most incredible shortbread that I’ve probably ever tried. It melted in the mouth and flaked off in layers and was utterly sublime.

All in all this was a fantastic meal. I would highly recommend eating here and experiencing all that this restaurant has to offer.

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We found the service on our visit to be faultless. Also pleased they had acceded to our pre request concerning the table. But that is where the expectations of an amazing experience ended.

We have never been to a Michelin Star restaurant where we were asked to specify our choice of dessert at the point of ordering the starter and main. It made the experience feel like we were at a school canteen. We also noted that the menu choices had not really changed from month to month. Whilst the table was nicely private at the back and we sat side on, the chairs are wooden with no seat padding - an overthrow of Covid?? Not comfortable at all to sit any length of time on.

The food was not the star. The starter of lobster ravioli with bisque sauce was lukewarm and lacked any real flavour. It certainly is not worth the extra £7.50. The mains of duck and chateaubriand were ok but nothing to write home about. The hand cut chips were dismal in appearance and unappetising. The dessert of creme brûlée was the best bit.

Chez Bruce has 2 sister restaurants- the Glasshouse at Kew and La Trompette in Chiswick. We have eaten at both many times which far outweighs anything Chez Bruce has to offer. Would I return to Chez Bruce? Absolutely not. To be honest we do not understand how,based on this meal, they have retained their Michelin Star

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Limited menu particularly for main courses. The chateaubriand was served medium rather than medium rare as requested. Food arrived to table tepid rather than hot. Portions were on the small side.
The service & ambience were both good. However, the food should have been the star attraction but it was well below par, especially in view of the prices charged.

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We have eaten at Chez Bruce on many occassions. The food is always delicious and the service is perfect - time to rest between courses rather than being rushed. Fabulous wine menu and the sommelier is very helpful. The lunch menu is very reasonably priced. Highly recommended.

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The food was amazing and the staff were really friendly and attentive. We went there for a celebration and it was perfect … all in all it was a very special evening.

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Our go to restaurant for most special occasions. As usual the food and service was excellent. Have been going for over 10 years.

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