Three of us had lunch yesterday (21 May) at Le Bouchon in Spitalfields. The set menu for £10 for two courses was pinned up outside offered a nice choice, including merguez sausages, which we all wanted.
We went upstairs, which was nearly empty, the Maitre d' was very friendly but when we asked about the daily menu he realised that he had meant to change it - merguez were no longer on the set menu. What was on offer was not as enticing but we decided to stay. We ordered and then waited for over half an hour and had to catch someone's eye to find out where the starters were. Apologies were given and apparently there were staff illnesses, etc. We were offered a free glass of champagne which was a nice gesture but it did not make up for the length of the wait. The starter chosen by two of us of melon and parma ham was amateurishly presented - melon balls with small lumps of smoked bacon, but the other choice of asparagus veloute was very nice. For the main course, two of us had tomato tart with goats' cheese which was very small but edible but by that time we were starving. The other person had the lamb chop and potatoes. She said it was almost inedible and appeared to be more like stewing lamb and really chewy. We ordered a glass of house red wine, a glass of rose and a tonic water. The glass of red was £7.50, the rose £4.50. Later in the day, we were amazed to read the good reviews on various websites. We probably wouldn't recommend this restaurant, especially at lunchtime if you are slightly pushed for time - it just wasn't good enough. It was a pity because Le Bouchon in Battersea has a history of serving really good food and we expected more. RW
french brasserie in the belle epoque style specializing in seafood and traditional french cooking , good steaks, verylarge terrace available