Le Cafe du Marche

Had a wonderful meal at cafe du marche.

The food was fantastic, especially the cote de boeuf, and the service was borderline psychic. Lovely atmosphere too, with a pair of musicians on piano and double base.

Quite pricey but worth every penny.
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10 Overall rating
Food 9 | Service 10 | Atmosphere 10 | Value for money 9
Monday, May 02, 2011

I was very disappointed with the experience I had at Cafe Du Marche last night. I went for a special occasion, and the food was OK, but the tables are far too close together. It's very uncomfortable physically and of course its intrusive socially. Worse, the restaurant seems to draw some noisy City types, who shout and carry on as though they are in a pub rather than a restaurant that easily costs £50 or £60 per head. I was very disappointed the management did not ask one table to keep the noise down. The couple sitting immediately next to them had to move, but still the table carried on shouting - much to the discomfort of everyone else in the restaurant.
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Walter
3 Overall rating
Food 5 | Service 5 | Atmosphere 0 | Value for money 1
Friday, March 18, 2011

Having read some of the reviews on this site I was rather perplexed by some of the comments and felt that I should contribute to London Eating for a change.

My wife and I take a yearly pilgrimage (on her birthday) to this fantastic little restaurant. As soon as you turn left into Charterhouse Square, the vibrant atmosphere of Smithfields is suddenly refined and you get a sense that you could be walking along a quiet street of a French village, well away from the touristy areas.

As you walk through the door, the manager is there to welcome, take your coats, introduce your waiter and show you to your candlelit table. The chairs are very comfortable, tables are generously sized and are laid with white linen and silver. There is an upright piano in the middle of the restaurant on which light background music is played ‘una corda’ so as not to overpower the intimate ambience.

The menu is admittedly lean, but better that a restaurant prepares a few notable worthy French classics than the alternative. The starter of mussels never fails to disappoint. Cooked to perfection the large bowl of assorted sized mussels is exactly as you would expect to find them cooked in Provence. For the main course, the signature Cote Du Bouef is outstanding. The beef rib is of an excellent quality, marbled with just the right amount of fat. It is served well charred on the outside and rare within. It literally melts in the mouth and has bags of flavour.

After a short break, I would recommend the amazing cheeseboard. The quality and variety of the many superb cheeses is di-stink-tive! One cheese is so runny (not to mention smelly) that it is served with an ice-cream scoop…

Despite some comments below, the wine list is thoughtful and prices suit all pockets. On our last visit, the House White was a dry flinty number, comparable to a Chablis and at £15 or thereabouts it was a bargain and a perfect accompaniment to the mussels. To compliment the beef, we ordered a delicious Cotes Du Rhone. The very reasonable price reflects a traditional wine that has become increasingly ignored in these days of trendy staunch 'New World' South American reds. A real Bargain.

The waiters are friendly and food and wine are served with the perfect amount of formality and elan however this is not a hype restaurant and it appeals to a different crowd from the wannabe set. As our yearly mission is a formal affair we dress up for the occasion but there are equal numbers of casually dressed diners. It's going to set you back £100 after wine, supplements and service but if you are looking for a French gastronomic treat in an intimate setting where you can feel comfortable and relaxed then this is a place you must try.
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Iain & Albany
9 Overall rating
Food 9 | Service 9 | Atmosphere 9 | Value for money 8
Monday, January 17, 2011

I ate with two friends at this restaurant last night. The ambience and the service appeared very convincing. However, my starter of fish soup was a brown sludge which was made palatable only by the condiments - croutons, grated cheese (cheap cheddar I think, very Morrisons) and a fish (?) paste of some description. The main course, a veal escalope, was absolutely vile. The meat was tough and leathery with no taste whatsoever. I should have sent it straight back but that would have meant my companions waiting for an alternative plate arriving, or me eating on my own after they had finished. So I ate a good portion of this dish, but when asked 'How was it?' I told them that it was shocking that a restaurant could serve such a piece of so-called veal. There was then much shaking of heads and talk about 'telling the chef' and they didn't charge me for this course. But any chef of quality would be thoroughly ashamed to serve both these dishes. I certainly won't be repeating this experience.
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3 Overall rating
Food 0 | Service 5 | Atmosphere 5 | Value for money 2
Thursday, October 14, 2010

Went for dinner on Friday. The atmosphere is fine and so is the service. The food was not good.

The starter I had was just about ok, but the main course was disgusting, It was not what it said it was...it was supposed to be a pastilla (a Morrocan pastry). It turned out to be a nasty lump of school-dinner-at-its-worst upside down kind of dried out attempt at a savoury pudding. The coffee wasn't good either.

My companion watched as the dessert was assembled from a central counter...he noted that it didn't look hygienic at all.

The whole experience was torture; I was a guest so I couldn't say anything, My companion ate the same as myself and had the same comment. My hosts both had the veal main course which looked so dreadful I had to look away when they were served.

Had I been hosting the meal, I would have sent all the main courses back - what an insult serving food like that. It was really nasty.

I have eaten at this restaurant before, three or four times in the past ten years...but I would never, ever go back again.
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4 Overall rating
Food 0 | Service 8 | Atmosphere 6 | Value for money 0
Sunday, October 10, 2010

I think Le Cafe Du Marche is an excellent little restaurant with real atmosphere and a good selection of wines and a very tasty good value menu. It is just the right spot for an intimate dinner, or for a business lunch where the staff are discrete and well mannered and the clientele are similarly so. My firm have had large dinner parties there and they have been well catered and there have not been the sometimes frustrating delays in getting courses out on time. I have travelled all over the world and eaten in many different sometimes "fine" restaurants and I would still rate this place highly in comparison.
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9 Overall rating
Food 9 | Service 9 | Atmosphere 9 | Value for money 8
Tuesday, March 16, 2010

First off this really is a charming looking restaurant down a little cobbled alley with a rustic bustling dinning room.

However for me that is as good as it gets. The menu is not the biggest with about 8 choices for each course but what I dont like is there is a set price of £33 for 3 courses with plenty of supplements on top of this price. If you fancied the beef then another £7 is needed. On top of this they have a 15% service charge for very average service. So 3 courses ended up at £46 per head before any drinks or wines from a pretty expensive wine list.

As for the food it was not bad but just very average, fish soup was pretty good but everything else was over salted in my mind.

Overall not bad food, great looking place but to pricey for what you get and as someone who is not a fan of automatic service charges I found the 15% included over the top.(And this is from someone who takes the service off if it is not deserved and will leave up to 20% when it is really earned)
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Chris - View all reviews by this user
6 Overall rating
Food 6 | Service 6 | Atmosphere 8 | Value for money 2
Saturday, December 19, 2009

We were there last Saturday evening. Atmosphere and Service are nice although the tables are a bit close together.

Our main courses were tasty but nowhere near justifying well over 20 GBP a plate. Also the chocolate mousse for dessert was something you could get in a supermarket for a fraction of the price. On top of it there is a 15% service charge automatically added to the bill which is taking the micky really. Overall ok but we won't go back.
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John
5 Overall rating
Food 5 | Service 7 | Atmosphere 6 | Value for money 2
Monday, October 12, 2009

Just had a client lunch meeting at Cafe du Marche and feel its appropriate to comment on the fantastic quality of the food and the delightful service.

Was seated upstairs in a secluded corner which gave a good opportunity to discuss sensitive information without feeling concerned of prying ears.

The staff were very polite and knowledgable of what is on offer and the chef certainly knows how to cook good steak.
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10 Overall rating
Food 10 | Service 10 | Atmosphere 10 | Value for money 10
Wednesday, July 08, 2009

I went to the cafe du marche with my wife for a special occasion and it was just the right place. The restaurant is hard to find as it is on a narrow back street. The food was really good and the main course really stood out : I had pigeon (on special) cooke din a puff pastry with egg, nuts, veg and harissa sauce. it was an unusual comination.

THe starter was good with langue de boeuf sauce verte, though I was disapointed it wasn't served hot as they do in France. The dessert were nice and quite big.

It was really difficult to choose from the menu as everything looked so good.

THe services was excellent, the staff very friendly )almost too friendly and talkative at times) and they offered tap water, stiil or sparkling water, which made me feel good.

There was no wine for less than 17.50 I think , but the wine was excelent.

I also appreciate the fact that it's a menu only option at £33 so less stress about choosing and calculating.

My wife's food was also great: magret de canard with red fruit.

Definitely recommend this restaurant to anyone.
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olivier b
9 Overall rating
Food 9 | Service 9 | Atmosphere 8 | Value for money 8
Monday, May 04, 2009