L'Absinthe

Name: L'Absinthe
Address: 40 Chalcot Road, London, Primrose Hill, NW1 8LS, UK
Telephone: +44 (0) 20 7483 4848
Rating: 8

French Restaurant in Primrose Hill

8 / 10 from 1 review

Address
40 Chalcot Road
Primrose Hill
London
NW1 8LS

Map

History

Telephone
020 7483 4848

Cuisine
French

Region
Primrose Hill

Nearest Station
Chalk Farm
0.29 miles

Opening Times

Monday	Closed
Tuesday	Open 12:00 - Closes 14:30 Open 18:00 - Closes 22:30
Wednesday	Open 12:00 - Closes 14:30 Open 18:00 - Closes 22:30
Thursday	Open 12:00 - Closes 14:30 Open 18:00 - Closes 22:30
Friday	Open 12:00 - Closes 14:30 Open 18:00 - Closes 22:30
Saturday	Open 12:00 - Closes 16:00 Open 18:00 - Closes 22:30
Sunday	Open 12:00 - Closes 16:00 Open 18:00 - Closes 21:30

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L'Absinthe Picture Gallery

All In London Review

An unassumingly retro menu and fantastic value for money

Primrose Hill’s L’Absinthe has been around for five years now, making it a veteran compared to some of the restaurants that have previously lived at 40 Chalcot Road. Their combination of classic French food (confit de canard, steak frites, escargots) and low prices for the area have proved a hit; mains average £11 to £15, and this is after all the home of celeb haunts like The Engineer and pet shops frequented by the likes of Sadie Frost and erm, Imogen Thomas.

We start with the salade Lyonnaise, but don’t be fooled by the term “salade”, for this is a bowl filled with smoky bacon lardons, crispy croutons and a poached egg, with the curly lettuce leaves drizzled in mustardy dressing the least important element. The French onion soup is another filling option, with heaps of sweet onion topped with a hunk of bread covered in melted cheese. Clearly this is the food that winter was made for.

The confit of duck has meat so soft you could hold a drumstick up and it would fall off, and it’s coated in crispy, flavoursome skin, paired with tasty savoy cabbage and baby onions. The beef Bourguignon has the piercing aroma of thyme, tender beef, carrots and a large portion of mashed potato on the side to soak up the fragrant stew.

For dessert, there’s a rich chocolate mousse flavoured with coffee, and apple tarte tatin with ice cream, the latter could be a little warmer, but it’s a tiny point in an otherwise great meal.

About two years ago the owner bought the premises next door and opened Spirit of L’Absinthe, a café and deli selling quiches, croque monsieurs and Toulouse sausages, food that is several notches above average sandwich shop fare and that has saved me from many lunchtime hunger pangs. With the demise of Trojka a few weeks ago Primrose Hill lost one of its few affordable, quality eateries, so thank heavens for L’Absinthe, with its unassumingly retro menu and fantastic value for money.

Reviewed by Leila
Published on Nov 26, 2012