“I ought to be jealous of the tower. It is more famous than I am.” – Gustave Eiffel

What would you expect from a restaurant named after the architect behind the Eiffel tower? A stacked tower of Camembert? Intricate crepe art? A structurally sound crème brûlée?

Hmm, not quite… But Brasserie Gustave does have some pretty tasty dishes.

Taste 

 

To start I had something I had never had before, and was actually pretty scared to eat, the ‘Carpaccio de Biche aux Truffes’ (Thinly sliced raw fillet of venison with truffle dressing).

As a strictly ‘well done’ kind of gal, I was surprised to find that I actually loved this starter, the meat went well with the salad leaves and dressing. The other starters; snails, mackerel, bone marrow, were just a little too grown-up for me.

Next I had the ‘Supreme de Canard de Barbarie’ (Barbarie duck breast, turnip dauphinoise and cepes). This dish was absolutely delicious, I’m not a huge fan of turnip (is anyone?!) but they were not at all offensive in this dish. Also, not a fan of mushrooms (unbeknowst to me at the time, cepes  = a type of mushroom), but cover them in breadcrumbs and pop them on top of turnip dauphinoise? Delish.

Finally I had both the ‘Fondant au Chocolat, Glace à la Banane’ (Chocolate fondant, banana ice cream) and the ‘Crème Brûlée à la Vanille de Madagascar’ (Vanilla crème brûlée). Both were delicious, but I highly recommend the crème brûlée; caramelised on top and perfectly silky smooth underneath.

Effectiveness 

An effective meal is one that fills you up so much that you can’t imagine ever needing to eat again. I practically had to roll myself out of Brasserie Gustave (this may have been because of the two desserts, but who can say for sure?).

Convenience 

Brasserie Gustave is a short walk from South Kensington tube station on Syndey Street. I love the interior here, it’s casual enough for you to feel comfortable in but fancy enough to take your parents/other half/boss.

French food in London rarely comes cheap and Brasserie Gustave is no exception, starters begin at £8, main courses at £19 and desserts at £6.50. 

The crowd when I visited was slightly older, some groups were either coming from or going to classic music concerts. There is also a private dining room available for hire.

The general manager Richard Weiss goes over and above to make sure his guests are comfortable, for me, he recommended the most delicious wine for my crème brûlée.

The waitress did two acts of kindness that I loved her for: 1. brought me a glass of cold champagne in the first 5 minutes of me being there 2. took away the second table setting and chair when I told her I was dining alone.

The Head Chef here has worked at the Savoy and Ritz Hotels in London, and Michelin-starred Georges Blanc, L’Esperance Vezalay and Le Maugre in France.

The ‘R’ Factor  

I would definitely recommend this restaurant to someone looking for a place to eat for a very special occasion, but only with people who know their Moules marinière  from their Miel de Truffe, otherwise they might find little to eat.

But don’t just take my word for it, here’s what others had to say:

Brasserie Gustave: restaurant review – Jay Rayner for the Guardian 

Fay Maschler reviews Brasserie Gustave – Fay Maschler for The Evening Standard 

Brasserie Gustave: A Taste of Paris in Chelsea – SilverSpoon London

Credits

With thanks to Brasserie Gustave for the meal.

P.S. Don’t judge me for having two desserts, you know you would have done the same.