Racine

The food here is very good but not quite the best Bistro in London, on our visit the rabbit was a little overcooked and dry. That said veal kidneys were cooked to perfection and calf's brain was pretty close.

The real sting in the tail is that prices do mount up as sides are extra and the service charge is a whopping 14.5%. The service here is very good, but there is a minimum wage in this country and there's no justification for a higher than average reccomended service charge.

Our bill was £35 a head- bearing mind we had only two courses and a glass of house wine each. It looks better value on the fixed price meals if you go at the right time. I'd still go back if in the area.
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Overall rating
Food 8 | Service 9 | Atmosphere 8 | Value for money 6
Monday, April 20, 2009

Have been going to Racine for couple years now. Last visit was last week, restaurant was quite busy for a Tuesday night. Food was brilliant as usual, had hot foie gras with a sauce with tiny slivers of orange peel, followed by veal kidneys on pureed potatoes, it had a piece of blue cheese on the top which melted through the kidneys - very nice. To finish, a clafoutis with a dessert wine. My companion had steak tartare followed by confit de canard on a bed of puy lentils and thyme, it looked wonderful and apparently it did taste wonderful. Dessert was a chocolate terrine with pistachio sauce. We had a lovely bottle of burgundy plus 2 Kirs, the bill came to approx. £150 inc service charge which for the quantity we had to eat and drink was very reasonable. There were so many interesting dishes on the menu it was hard to choose.
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Overall rating
Food 10 | Service 9 | Atmosphere 10 | Value for money 10
Thursday, March 12, 2009

Popped in for lunch at Racine a few days ago and was very impressed. First class food; ditto the wine and service. We ordered from the set lunch menu and found it good value along with three wines by the glass. The food really was excellent, from a chilled crab soup, through to bream and samphire, finishing with an absolutely text-book crème brulee. I see the crème brulee is mentioned in an earlier review and can well understand why. It was simply outstanding and perfect in every way. I happened to notice other customers seemed happy and relaxed, and heard one or two very positive remarks about the food. The food side of things cost under twenty pounds per head – for perspective, consider you could easily pay more than that for one ordinary (and boring) fillet steak in many places around town. Service charge may be on the higher side, but they were exemplary and in general I felt anything but overcharged.
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NGJ
Overall rating
Food 10 | Service 9 | Atmosphere 9 | Value for money 8
Monday, July 14, 2008

I took my girlfriend (now fiancée) here at the weekend. We both had balled melon and ham with fennel to start - this was well presented and delicious - the addition of what I think was Cayenne pepper gave the dish a little heat. For mains, I had the saddle of rabit with mustard sauce. The saddle and sauce were beautiful, and the addition of the liver and kidneys was very welcome. My girlfriend had the rump of lamb, cooked pink, which was also very tasty (though curiously liver like). The puddings were the only disappointment - I had the clafoutis which was dry and lacking texture. It was unlike the dish I have eaten in the Limousin so many times. My girlfriend had coffee creme brulée, which was a little too coffee flavoured to be palatable - a little like chewing raw coffee beans. We had 2 bottles of the delicious Cahors with the meal. The service was excellent. Overall it was a great meal - the prices were pretty reasonable for what you get, although a 14.5% service charge seems a bit much.
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NRS
Overall rating
Food 8 | Service 9 | Atmosphere 8 | Value for money 7
Tuesday, June 17, 2008

I had always wanted to try Racine, having been a regular at many of our capitals French establishments. Racine did not disappoint. The food was excellent and the staff attentive. Our waitress seemed to second guess that I wanted additional 'greens' to go with the quail and offered to bring a creamed spinach which was perfect. The Creme Brulee was the best ever.

Only one note of caution: the bill was probably twice what I was expecting once all the additonal bits were added. Also the place seemed to be full of ageing Americans which was a bit off-putting. However, I will change the time of day I visit next time. This will be soon.
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Overall rating
Food 8 | Service 9 | Atmosphere 6 | Value for money 8
Monday, June 09, 2008

Planning a serious shopping spree in Knightsbridge last Friday, a friend of a friend recommended Racine for lunch. As we were serious shoppers rather than serious lunchers, we only chose one course and no wine, but despite being small spenders the staff couldn’t have been more discreetly charming or our main-course scallops more delicious. An absolute excellent restaurant which manages to be both smart and yet relaxed, and one to which I shall definitely return.
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Helen B
Overall rating
Food 9 | Service 9 | Atmosphere 9 | Value for money 8
Wednesday, May 28, 2008

I must congratulate this restaurant if only for my own satisfaction. Having come from Japan, I always found western cuisine a bit too fussed over, a bit too heavy with not enough concern for the texture of fresh ingredients. Racine didn't disappoint me with it's attention to detail and was delighted to find the sauce light and subtle. I was so surprised the first time I went there, I went back to make sure it wasn't a one-off. It wasn't. I will happily go back there ignoring any invitation to 2* or 3* restaurants. Breath of fresh air to find out that it's possible to have an amazing dining experience at a reasonable price (for London that is).
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Akiko - View all reviews by this user
Overall rating
Food 10 | Service 9 | Atmosphere 9 | Value for money 9
Friday, May 16, 2008

Windows face a busy street close to Harrod's department store. The long room has a wood floor, brown leather banquettes with mirors above them, soft yellow paint on the walls, and recessed halogen lights.

There are short double tablecloths, and the chairs and leather & wood.

Plain flatware and glasses and salt shaker. This is a place where the food matters and the decor is plain.

It is lunch-time on a Friday afternoon. The place fills up quickly, clearly with regulars, as the somewhat older, well-dressed couples are greeted by name.

Delicious french bread comes with a gold foil wrapped round of butter from Echire, France.

I have a wonderful spicy steak tartare, with small bottles of green and red tabasco provided if I want to kick it up yet another notch.

This is followed by an excellent cucumber salad garnished with minched chives, and dressed with a light vinaigrette.

These are filling enough that I decline to order an entree, although I wisely have enough room left for dessert, or pudding, as it is called here.

Creme caramel melts in my mouth, light and perfectly flavored.

I choose to finish with hot jasmine pearl tea, and it steeps in a glass pot. Tea is always leaves here, not a bag, which is a charming additional attention to detail.

The food was quite good. I want to go back another time and try more.
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Loving Annie - View all reviews by this user
Overall rating
Food 10 | Service 10 | Atmosphere 10 | Value for money 10
Thursday, April 03, 2008

Had a fantastic meal at Racine last week - haven't been for a while and was impressed with a lighter menu - I used to find it a bit heavy and sometimes a bit pretentious. The service was discreet but friendly and very slick.

I will definitely be going more often to try out more of the new menu.
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Madeleine Chambers
Overall rating
Food 9 | Service 9 | Atmosphere 9 | Value for money 8
Tuesday, March 25, 2008

A consistently good restaurant. Cosy and relaxed, with v. professional staff, v. tasty food and a decent price.
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Overall rating
Food 7 | Service 8 | Atmosphere 8 | Value for money 8
Thursday, March 13, 2008