I am in the middle of a dispute with one of the few places you can get decent French food in this country, or at least could, until very recently. As far as I can tell, my photo and description have been placed at the door and till of every Côte restaurant in the UK, with regular training given to staff as to what to do when tackling an unstable food critic.
I was not kind to Côte last Xmas in my review of their Sloane Square branch, and I have not honestly been back much to the Richmond one in recent times, but it was still providing workmanlike French food at a decent price, and was a not-terrible place to get some chicken and a glass of wine. The Ivy over the road, and Cocotte up the road were generally doing a better job. But I was pretty excited to see an email fairly recently saying, in effect, that they were sorry they had got so shit, but they were making up for it, and come back and try the new menu which went back to their Parisian Bistro roots. This coincided with their acquisition by a new company, so I was looking forward to the reboot.
What do Seafood Linguine, Gnocci, Chicken Salad and a French Onion Baguette all have in common? They do not belong on the set menu of a supposedly French Restaurant. The only thing half worthy of being there is the one remaining item, the Minute Steak. I expressed this by email, and got a somewhat defensive response. I expressed it via the medium of TikTok, and got a rather snotty response. I was considering upping the ante and standing outside with a sandwich board (it’s the only sandwich that should be anywhere near Côte), but Mrs Cannings already has a divorce lawyer on speed-dial, and I could see her hand moving towards her mobile.
Why the unusually long intro, even for me? Well, it was because Côte insisted that if I went to a Bistro in Paris there would be Seafood Linguine on the menu, and I so wanted to prove them wrong: But my next trip is to somewhere warm, where the only French people will be the ones I pass over on the plane at 35,000 feet, so I had to go to the one place in London that is more French that Brigitte Bardot cycling down a country lane with a string of onions round her neck, juggling Camembert, and (with some difficulty) whistling the Marseillaise and smoking half a pack of Gitanes simultaneously. That place? Brasserie Zédel.
Descend from the madness of Picadilly Circus through what feels a bit like a posh Caffè Nero, and you find yourself in what used to be the basement of the Regent Palace Hotel. Just go down there to look: Food and drink is optional, as it is one of the most magnificant 1930s interiors you will see anywhere in the country (certainly for free: If you have a few quid, pop to Eltham Palace for one of the other ones). There is an amazing bar, a night club, and the restaurant itself, which is huge. And yet doesn’t feel underground at all, so well is it lit and designed.
I was a little irked when we arrived, as we were kept waiting for our table for quite a while as the receptionist carried on an interminable phone call from a hotel trying to book a table for a guest. I think “Use OpenTable”, followed by a quick raccrochement, would have done the trick. But that was fortunately the end of the bad service for the evening.
I have long felt sorry for my father, whose hearing makes it hard for him to hear things well in restaurants, and as I get older, I am starting to feel sorry for myself, as lipreading becomes more and more of a requirement. However, in spite of the restaurant being very full, and even when some excellent music was being provided by the pianist and singer, we could all actually hear each other (which may or may not be a bad thing).
The menu is varied, and there is always a wide selection of value ranges with a good set menu offer, and a dish of the day. So for less money that at Côte you can get a decent meal and very small glass of wine. But I am a sucker for Choucroute, and while I always say I will try something else, it is my go to.
But first, we all started with the Endives and Roquefort. Côte (I may have mentioned them once or twice) used to be a great version of this, but the Zedel version is next level, with great chunks of cheese in it . It was almost enough for a main course (or 2 between 4 as a starter) – But as Roquefort is the king, queen and prince of cheeses I was not arguing. To follow, while I enjoyed my selection of pig on cabbage, my companions had sardines and sole (not all on the same plate). The sardines were very good, and the sole excellent. I greatly enjoyed the choucroute, but I think it needs a bit more kick and seasoning, as it was just a little lacking in the “chou”. One excellent piece of service was when my mother realised she had not ordered any vegetables. The kitchen managed to get some out to her almost before she took her first bite of fish: A real “bravo” for that, and an extra 1/2 a star.
Pudding seemed to slip down well, and we had a pretty decent bottle of Picpoul (although a tiny bit pricier than you might have wanted)
To be honest, the food and drink are a bit of a backdrop to the amazing room, and relaxed atmosphere. It is great French food from before food in France started to slip off the edge a bit, and the directors of New Côte should sit in here, and look at how many people come in for great French comfort food. And then look at their dwindling population. If you go to Zédel, you know you are getting good food at a good price, with brilliant ambience. Reliable, simple and good value: Just like a Parisian Bistro is supposed to be. Where is Classic Côte when you need it…
Conclusion
Overall Rating: 4.5
- Food: 4/5
- Drinks: 4/5
- Service: 4.5/5
- Ambience: 5/5
- Value: 4.5/5
- Would we go back? Mais oui
Brasserie Zédel: https://www.brasseriezedel.com/
