Chez Bruce

I lunched at Chez Bruce this week and found that although the food was competently and daintily cooked, there was nothing distinguishing on the plate, nothing to add 'oomph' to the dishes. My main course of halibut with Jerusalem artichokes, kale, polenta was a plate of bland, sweetish flavours and textures which were hardly distinguishable from each other. Nothing wrong with it, but not what we expect from a Michelin starred establishment. My husband enjoyed his lamb, but no more than anywhere else. I think the cooking, although good, lacks charisma, and that's what we're looking for at this level.

Nice restaurant, nice, friendly service, but not particularly special, and not worth crossing London for. Avoid sitting near the cheeseboard!
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Lesley
Overall rating
Food 6 | Service 8 | Atmosphere 6 | Value for money 7
Saturday, February 06, 2010

My wife took me to Chez Bruce for a birthday treat today, and I had such a great meal, I thought I would write a little review. Now I must say that this is something that I've never been moved to do before, so straight away that should tell you how highly I rate the meal that I had today.

I've been to Chez Bruce twice before, the first time was wonderful and about 3 years ago, the second time was about 2 years ago and I wasn't that impressed, but this was by far the best experience I've had there, and I can honestly say they are back on top in my estimations.

I had the Tagliatelle of Oxtail which I can only describe as the most delicious starter I've ever eaten, with soft, meaty, melting oxtail - it was so good that I almost asked to send my compliments to the chef (does anyone actually do that these days?). My wife had fish goujons which were also lovely.

For main course, I had the Pork Belly, cooked to perfection, with beautiful flavorsome meat and crispy crackling and black pudding. My wife had the Halibut with endive tart, which was also delicious.

To finish, I was too full to have the cheese board (although, i will definitely try for it next time!) so I opted for the pear and almond tart, while my wife ordered the Black Forest trifle. I very much enjoyed the tart, but got major dessert envy because her trifle was just something else - yum.

Service was great, we were well looked after and didn't feel rushed through our courses. The price was also very competitive for such a high standard of food.

We'll definitely be back there, as soon as we can justify a special treat! Thanks Bruce!
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Shaun
Overall rating
Food 10 | Service 9 | Atmosphere 9 | Value for money 9
Wednesday, December 30, 2009

We had a family celebration there for my father's 71st birthday and will most definitely be going back! We went for the set lunch and left in a good mood, feeling satisfied and talking of our next visit... My father is not one to compliment easily and he was full of praise for this place.

Hats off for the subdued but attentive service, the superb food and the lovely intimate atmosphere!
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MLM
Overall rating
Food 9 | Service 9 | Atmosphere 9 | Value for money 9
Sunday, November 29, 2009

I took my husband to Chez Bruce for his birthday last night, and it will be a night we will always remember. The food was insanely good - I consider myself to be a fairly decent cook and sometimes feel that I could have cooked the meal better - not so at Chez Bruce.

We came away feeling that we had a truly special meal - the service, the wine, the care and attention to presentation of the food were all outstanding. The complexity and inventiveness of the dishes were a marvel - delicious, interesting and not too fussy.

We took the sommelier's recommendation on the wine, it was something I would never have chosen myself but was the perfect accompaniment to our meal. I was delighted to find when the bill that it was extremely reasonable price-wise.

We really enjoyed the unstuffy and convivial atmosphere - everyone seemed to be enjoying themselves. Everyone who worked there worked hard (but discreetly) to ensure that diners felt special.

We will be going back for other special occasions. While it isn't cheap, I still felt it was excellent value for money.
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Julia Cooper
Overall rating
Food 10 | Service 10 | Atmosphere 10 | Value for money 10
Thursday, November 19, 2009

Unlike many of your readers, I used Chez Bruce for a family celebration. The comments about the quality of the food and the service are not disputed.

Five of us had excellent food on a par with top west end or national restaurants.

The issue for me was that the ambience was a little 'ordinaire' and did not feel celebratory. I think this is somewhere you go for the food/wine experience rather than feeling your are somewhere special. The fixed price dinner menu is somewhat overpriced, considering that the same menu could be offered at

My other shortcoming was a feeling of being shoe-horned into the room: they really could not have fitted any more tables in, and it was packed on the recessional Thursday night (which also says something). It all got a bit noisy, and whilst the food was great, I was thankful to leave and get outside.

Toilets are up a very steep flight of stairs (warnings top and bottom).
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Brad Abbey
Overall rating
Food 9 | Service 8 | Atmosphere 5 | Value for money 5
Friday, November 06, 2009

My boyfriend and I dined in Chez Bruce last night for my birthday. We had an absolutely lovely meal, made with top-quality ingredients. The staff were excellent - attending to our every need without feeling intrusive. The restaurant was packed full but at no point did that impede on the service we received and helped to facilitate a great atmosphere.

Will be recommending it to everyone I know!
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Carly
Overall rating
Food 10 | Service 10 | Atmosphere 10 | Value for money 10
Friday, October 09, 2009

Fantastic place. The restaurant itself is nice enough but don't expect anything special decor wise. But the service has been impeccable on both occasions. Attentive but not overbearing staff, professional but not at all stuffy.

The food is very very good. £40 for top notch ingredients cooked exceptionally well. I know this is not a cheap restaurant, but value wise it is very good. You can pay much much more than this in central London for pretty poor food and terrible service.

The sommeliers have always been very friendly and helpful and on both occasions have suggested a different wine to my choice for less than my selection.

The only downside to this place is that the food is very rich and so good I've overeaten everytime and usually feel like I need someone to roll me out of the restaurant.
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Rev - View all reviews by this user
Overall rating
Food 10 | Service 10 | Atmosphere 7 | Value for money 9
Tuesday, September 29, 2009

I went with my girlfreind for her birthday. The best thing about this place is the service, which is casual and yet attentive. The waiting staff are obviosly passionate about the food and this really ads to the experience. In regards to the food I thought it didn't live up to it's price tag. Don't get me wrong, it is very good, but worth £100 per head( with ok wine) I'm not sure (my girlfreind thought it was the best food she had ever eaten so this is just my opinion)! I had the fois grois, which was good, but I've had much better (I would recommend chez manny in batersea for fois grois lovers). I then had the veal with artichokes and bolonese source, which was very inventive, but did really do anything for me. I also thought he quality of the veal itself was poor- it wasn't that tender, which for me is the whole point of veal. I've had much better veal in far cheaper restaurants. In all I would recommend going there, but if you are expecting a Michelin experience you may be dissapointed. As I say, my girlfreind loved it, so maybe I'm just a whinge!
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Jim
Overall rating
Food 6 | Service 10 | Atmosphere 10 | Value for money 2
Sunday, September 27, 2009

To focus on the positives first of all, the service in Chez Bruce is very good. OK, it's different to some fine dining establishments - for example, no-one offered to take our jackets, there was no amuse bouche etc., but the personal touch created by the Restaurant Manager, Edward, was absolutely fantastic. If only every restaurant could have a member of staff of his professionalism and customer care , and then I'm sure none of us would mind paying service charge. Not only did he describe in detail every dish on the menu, but he explained how food was cooked, as well as what the unusual names actully meant.

The food, however, was a disappointment, and it is that which left us feeling that the restaurant really didn't live up to its reputation. To cut to the chase, it was simply not offering the level of food we expected at a Michelin-starred establishment. Starters were good - nicely presented, and pleasant, if not outstanding. The main courses though, were totally ruined by too much salt. It's such a simple thing, and it could so easily have been overcome, if the head chef had opted to let the customers decide how much salt they liked. Incidentally, Chez Bruce is the only restaurant I've been to which doesn't provide salt and pepper on the tables. Consequently, the food is marred by a presence of salt which takes away from the quality of the cooking itself. You can't fault the tenderness of the lamb, for example, or the richness of the jus that is served - but if you flood it with salt, it'll just ruin it. Unfortunately, that left us feeling disappointed and let down - and it is the only fine dining restaurant I've ever been to where I had to ask for a course to be sent back. The salt problem put such a dampener on the meal, that we left after mains and chose not to experience the desserts. This comes from someone who likes salt in their cooking, and usually adds it at the table, but even I couldn't cope with this method of seasoning.

If you're looking for value, it has to be said that other restaurants in London are more fairly-priced. 3 courses at £32.50 on a Saturday, for example, is more than Claridges charges and the food simply doesn't justify the cost. The wine list catered for all needs, but the sommelier could have been more informative. For example, whilst everyone knows that Beaujolais can be chilled, not all Malbecs are - so perhaps it would be sensible to let customers know first.

If you live locally, and are looking for fine dining, then Chez Bruce is not a "no-go" - however, if you're thinking of going for a special occasion, and you really want to take pleasure out of the Michelin-starred fine dining experience, I'm sorry to say that you would do better to look further afield.
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Dom Aitchison
Overall rating
Food 6 | Service 9 | Atmosphere 7 | Value for money 5
Monday, August 24, 2009

Simply perfection everytime. Food is just amazing, service attentive but not intrusive. Ambience is relaxed compared to other high end restaurants. Overall it deserves the awards. Amazing, just amazing...
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Overall rating
Food 10 | Service 10 | Atmosphere 10 | Value for money 10
Wednesday, April 01, 2009