Chez Bruce
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Chez Bruce seems to be a restaurant that has a good reputation but there’s no real buzz about. However, its alumni include the team at Medlar, Alan Stewart, formerly ofManson, and Pratap Chahal, occasional dining companion now in charge of the Greenberry Café. Based on those positive connections it has always seemed to be a place worth investigating. The lack of ability, until recently, to book on-line has meant it has been a restaurant that has been consistently overlooked in favour of more internet savvy places when planning trips back to the UK. Recently, though, they’ve implemented on-line booking so it’s now much easier to try the restaurant out.
Chez Bruce was established in 1995 with the intention of providing top quality food and very professional service in a relaxed atmosphere. It is part of the Nigel Platts-Martin’s group of restaurants that also includes The Square and The Ledbury. The restaurant overlooks Wandsworth Common and is in easy reach of Wandsworth common station. If, like me, you’re more comfortable going with the tube then it is a very pleasant stroll from Balham station.
Bruce Poole has collaborated with his head chef of 10 years, Matt Christmas to produce a menu carrying its influence from French & regional Mediterranean cuisine. The main dining room is divided into two parts and has an overall feel that is light and airy although I ended up in the smaller of the two rooms. The decor is restrained with simple white painted walls, regularly distributed pictures and mirrors and white linen clothed tables. Wait staff were all formally attired in the classic uniform of White shirt, with black tie, trousers & aprons. The service was unfussy but efficient throughout.
Chez Bruce was established in 1995 with the intention of providing top quality food and very professional service in a relaxed atmosphere. It is part of the Nigel Platts-Martin’s group of restaurants that also includes The Square and The Ledbury. The restaurant overlooks Wandsworth Common and is in easy reach of Wandsworth common station. If, like me, you’re more comfortable going with the tube then it is a very pleasant stroll from Balham station.
Bruce Poole has collaborated with his head chef of 10 years, Matt Christmas to produce a menu carrying its influence from French & regional Mediterranean cuisine. The main dining room is divided into two parts and has an overall feel that is light and airy although I ended up in the smaller of the two rooms. The decor is restrained with simple white painted walls, regularly distributed pictures and mirrors and white linen clothed tables. Wait staff were all formally attired in the classic uniform of White shirt, with black tie, trousers & aprons. The service was unfussy but efficient throughout.
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While ordering, a tray of parmesan crackers was brought around for each customer to help themselves to. The lovely, warm sesame crusted light biscuits had a wonderful comforting flavour and were a great way to kick things off. This was followed by the bread basket with a choice between rosemary foccaccia, sourdough and mixed seed bread, accompanied by a deep golden pat of butter. I did not go for the sourdough but the other two breads were very good with the mixed seed bread the standout.
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The starter of hare, spatzle and chestnut gratin with a Fribourg, bacon and sage crust was simply brilliant. This was a perfect dish after a long walk on a cold November morning with wonderful strong flavours throughout. The wonderful hare and its rich gravy was the base of the dish with tender smoky bacon, pearl onions and mushrooms. The spatzle added nice substance but was not in a high proportion allowing the hare to dominate. The crust combined crispy bacon, breadcrumbs for additional crunch and gooey vacherin. This was a delicious rich dish with no low points.
Main of chicken breast with herb-crusted ballotine, potato gnocchi, cep velouté and wild mushrooms was another lovely dish that was ideal for the season . The chicken with its salty, crispy skin was an excellent focal point for the dish although the supporting cast was admirable too. The mushroom sauce, roasted onion, girolles and black mushrooms played wonderfully with the chicken. The ballotine was also a delight benefitting from strong input from the parsley and dill dominated crust. The light potato gnocchi with their browned crispy crust were a great addition to the dish.
The prune, almond and Armagnac tart served with clotted cream was a great way to end the meal. The delicate almond combined superbly with the wonderful gooey prune and Armagnac for an almost Christmas pudding type flavour. The clotted cream was nice but made the whole thing a bit too rich for me. I was offered vanilla shortbread to round out the meal but I honestly couldn’t eat any. This was a real shame considering how much I’d enjoyed everything else.
Overall verdict
Chez Bruce more than lived up to expectation partly because the lack of buzz meant I wasn’t sure what to expect. The food was not showy but was uniformly superb with all dishes showing a real harmony between flavours.
Would I revisit Chez Bruce?
In a heartbeat. Based on this experience it came across as exactly the type of restaurant I’d happily visit repeatedly on lazy weekends.
Overall Rating - 4.5/5
Chez Bruce more than lived up to expectation partly because the lack of buzz meant I wasn’t sure what to expect. The food was not showy but was uniformly superb with all dishes showing a real harmony between flavours.
Would I revisit Chez Bruce?
In a heartbeat. Based on this experience it came across as exactly the type of restaurant I’d happily visit repeatedly on lazy weekends.
Overall Rating - 4.5/5
