Boulevard Brasserie

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Boulevard Brasserie Description

By London standards Boulevard Brasserie, well established in its Covent Garden redoubt, is an old hand at providing excellent food and service since 1991. Surrounded by some of the best known and most vibrant centres of the London theatre, it is only 50 metres from Covent Garden Piazza; near neighbours such as the Royal Opera House, Lyceum Theatre and Theatre Royal on Drury Lane, ensure that Boulevard's credentials are impeccable.

But there's more to credentials than just having the right neighbours, well demonstrated by menus that provide for every occasion, be it a night at the theatre, a family celebration, Sunday lunch, a romantic assignment, or a good place to seal a business proposition.

The theatre menu is a tour de force, operating pre- and post matinée meals in afternoon and evenings at prices that are an incitement to take the best seats available in the theatre of your choice. Three courses offer four choices on each and a typical meal might consist of gravalax, followed by a minute steak with fries and Béarnaise sauce, and petit pot au chocolat or Roquefort cheese with spiced pear. Private dining rooms can accommodate theatre groups of between 25 and 120.

An à la carte menu weaves its way through an extensive range of dishes, all of which sound totally beguiling, thus transforming the choosing of your meal into a Choice 22 situation. Where to start? One of the greatest mistakes to be made when eating is to hurry, particularly when ordering. Let nature, not the maître d', have its way. Find space for some tartines, delightful little French sour-doughhh snacklets topped with Jambon cru ham, shredded duck and other delights, and revel in whole tiger prawns pan-fried.

La Français is never far from the scene and beef bourguignon and mash, confit de canard, steak frites and classic French onion soup sit comfortably with their English counterparts. The vegetables are a delight with a refreshing absence of root numbers and a light hearted hand applied to the rest.

However the ritualistic Sunday Roast is omni-present, made even more welcome by being served all day, thereby minimising the risk of getting overlooked by other events of which sleeping-in is but one.

A choice of some six desserts yields a classic crême brulée, sticky toffee pudding with vanilla ice cream, and a rhubarb and raspberry bavarois, and the French return with a triumphant ménage of cheeses, bandying around such names as Comté, Saint Maure, Fourne d'Ambert and Mǘnster, all served with quince jelly, grapes and celery, a very model of its kind.

The wine list takes a broad view and whilst there are some very attractive French options at least the New World has been recognised. Ample opportunities by the glass make exciting drinking a real possibility. A relatively short but very interesting range of after dinner treats for those with time and company on their hands is well worth considering.

Like many good restaurants nothing stays the same for very long with the exception of the standards Boulevard sets, which remain unremittingly high. A click on their Website will keep you up to date.