Monday, July 05, 2010 - The menu reads like a dream, literally, something your subconscious might wish. There is a whole course just of sausages. I started with the petit aioli, so beautiful I wish I'd taken a picture of it...A continued with a magnificent burger. I guess it was about 6in tall, but not absurdly large in diameter. It was a 'Frenchie', so had Morbier cheese and confit pork belly as well as the beef patty, but it wasn't even the accessories that made it. Rather, the beef had a wonderful tenderness and made a delicious, full-frontal attack that wasn't just a heap of salt.
Saturday, June 05, 2010 - The menu is Franco-American meaty, but all the appeal is provided by brilliant service from friendly French staff in maroon shirts...Neither of us could be done with puds, and we left agreeing that the borderline rapturous reception for this newcomer, elsewhere and on the foodie blogs, must have more to do with imaginary imperial garments than anything else. On this form, Heston will kick Boulud so hard that this mediocrity will take its rightful place as an overflow pen for those who can't get in upstairs.
Tuesday, June 01, 2010 - Along with his famous burgers, another of Boulud's specialties is sausages: you can have them either as a starter or a shared platter. We went for the former option, since obviously we were still a bit low on protein and also we adore sausages. Gliding - painfully - past the Thai spiced link and the boudin noir one, we settled on the (extremely helpful and witty) waiter's recommendation: the Beaujolaise, with mushroom, onion, bacon and red wine. A good choice: the rough-textured pork was bursting with herbs and lacquered in a perfectly composed sticky gravy swimming with sweet onions. Heaven.
Sunday, May 30, 2010 - The menu is a riff from a tarted-up bistro. There's a lot of charcuterie, which is a good thing. I approve of abused pig bits, and they're unfashionable in restaurants these days. When was the last time you were offered pate? Here they have four: coarse country, fine country, compote of beef cheek, and lamb. There's some well-made salami and ham. It's all a good start. The main courses are less impressive. My beer-braised featherblade was the best: an intensely reduced slow-cooked shredded bit of beef. Grilled lamb chops with tabbouleh were fine; halibut with asparagus wasn't.
Sunday, May 30, 2010 - Bar Boulud is great. New York has always been more adept at doing the smart, buzzy urban brasserie than we are, and this feels like that sort of animal, from the hefty bare floorboards through the slick lighting and the red leather banquettes to the big open kitchen. It has an energising rush and clatter...is a kitchen that knows what it's doing with pressed bits of slow-cooked animal. Best is its coarse country pate, and another of chicken liver, pork and cognac. If their home-cured ham is a little indifferent, pink folds of thinly sliced salami, the colour of a baby's cheeks, are salty and fatty in the right way.
Saturday, May 29, 2010 - The place itself isn't immediately appealing: it's subterranean, with a ceiling so low as to attract only the most gifted limbo dancers. The tables are cheap wood veneer, unburdened by white cloths. The decor is predominantly beige and brown...I tried the 'beer braised feather blade', an old-fashioned beef carbonnade, but with a difference. Instead of lumps of stewing steak, it offered a whole slab of feather-blade that was tender enough to eat with a plastic fork: gooey, fibrous, aching with more flavour than any steak of living memory, it was sensational. (M Boulud told me later it had been cooked sous-vide for 72 hours straight.)
Wednesday, May 26, 2010 - I try two of those burgers. Boulud's perfectionism is demonstrated by the home-made buns: cheddar-flavoured with the 'Piggie', piled with smoky BBQ pulled pork; and black pepper brioche with the awesome 'Frenchie' - a hypnotising melange of Morbier cheese and confit pork belly...So why isn't it love? It's the room: I can't get on with it at all. Designed by super restaurant designer Adam Tihany, it's as joyless and functional as anywhere recently vacated by Alan Partridge.
Monday, May 24, 2010 - What tempted me to Boulud's burger joint was the promise of 'made on the premises charcuterie' by Gilles Verot who is rumoured to turn out terrific terrines, powerfully good pates. Our shared plate for two was a bit light on quantity, but was spot on for quality. Lapin de garrigue was a light slice of Provencal pulled rabbit with carrot, courgette and herbs, all bonded by a delicate jelly. The rabbit in particular was superb. Compote de joue de boeuf - shredded slow-braised beef cheek with onion confit and pistachio was deeply unctuous.
Thursday, May 13, 2010 - The charcuterie is fabulous. Even items that had me worried such as Tagine d'agneau - terrine of slow-cooked spiced leg of lamb with aubergine and sweet potato - were gloriously vindicated...Two main courses that stole my heart were Coq au Vin, so regularly traduced elsewhere, and The Frenchie, one of three burgers offered. Finding the perfect burger is not my holy grail but this dense patty of beef cooked medium rare served with aromatic Morbier cheese in a peppered brioche bun with crisp confit of pork belly and a tomato-onion compote came close to ultimate satisfaction.
Thursday, May 13, 2010 - The terrines and pates are served too fridge-cold, but once they warm up a little, what a treat. A small board gives you a big taste of chicken liver, foie gras, duck, beef cheek and lots of other bold flavours combined in many mouthwatering ways...Coq au vin was a very superior version, the red wine sauce reduced to almost syrup consistency, the meat tender...The 'Frenchie' burger used beef chopped on the premises, almost rare and of sublime quality; under the brioche bun was also a wafer of pork belly and a slice of Morbier cheese, which gave the dish a not unpleasantly 'ripe' aroma.
I arrived about 2.30pm on a Tuesday afternoon. Personally, I didn’t like the restaurant. The main area was crowded and noisy, the annexe where you can watch the kitchen was the same, so I sat in the lounge area where there are banquet seats and low tables. I ordered a Piggy Burger (£13.50) and a diet coke (£4.00). The diet coke was flat and tasted unpleasant. The Piggy Burger arrived without some of the accompaniments described on the menu. It was dry and unappetising. The chips came in a steel bowl and were thin and tasteless. It was accompanied by a very small portion of tomato ketchup. It was all served on a tiny plate which was inadequate to dine from comfortably.
Finally, I was on my own and thought the service was pompous and undistinguished.
At £19.36 including a 12.5% “discretionary” service charge added to the bill, this is poor value for money and one to avoid. Comment on this reader review
Jonathan Marks
- View all reviews by this user 3
Overall rating
Food 4 | Service 3 | Atmosphere 2 | Value for money 2
Friday, June 11, 2010
Bar Boulud
Love it! Went here yesterday for lunch with a client and we thought the food was superb, loved the sausages (had the Thai type), burgers were great, had the cheese to finish - great selection including the lovely stinking bishop which I love. We thought there was a great atmosphere in the room, the service was first class and without a large bill at the end - will definitely be returning soon! Comment on this reader review
Mandy Colley 9
Overall rating
Food 8 | Service 10 | Atmosphere 8 | Value for money 9
Friday, May 28, 2010
Bar Boulud
the frenchie burger was good, although we asked for medium rare and it was indeed VERY rare. I normally like my steaks bloody but not my burgers. The terrines were perfectly good, esp the pork and duck ones but we did not care for the lamb and beef so much. Cocktails are ok, not as good as in NY, and they were served slightly too warm for my liking. Only real dislike was the Aioli dish, it was just so plain and under-seasoned which would 've been acceptable if the ingredients had been cooked to perfection, but no, just bland and nothing special, esp the aioli. Macaroons were lovely. Overall it's a nice addition for London, esp for small bites as there are large bar areas for nibbles. But I wasn't too keen on the decor, it's just not that inviting, or anything special,and the atmosphere felt a little stale. WIll give it one more chance for the burgers and to try the sausage dishes. Shame other NY chefs are not yet enticed to come to London, we need a Batali and Vongherichten restaurant here! Comment on this reader review
6
Overall rating
Food 7 | Service 7 | Atmosphere 3 | Value for money 6
Wednesday, May 26, 2010
Thursday, July 15, 2010 - The Thai sausages were pretty delicious. And if you get the charcuterie, don't faff about...go large. LARGE. It's pretty awesome. Sea bass...now this...I'd like the recipe. This was pretty fantastic. I liked that it was crispy...The kitchen was fascinating and fun to watch. I like moving parts. I also like how you can sit at the bar right here and stare straight into the kitchen. That would be pretty cool for a solo diner. The Sommelier: I must give a special shout out to our wonderful sommelier. He was clever and funny and knew what we wanted and what we didn't know we wanted.
Monday, June 28, 2010 - You must order one of the famous burgers. I tried the French burger and the Piggy burger both featured densely packed quality meat but for me it was the additions on the Piggy burger which stole the show, namely the slow cooked to a point of sweetness pulled pork that topped the beef patty. Great, crispy accompanying fries as well. Continuing on the meat fest theme, you also shouldn't miss out on the sausages. The porky and super spicy Thai sausage was a firm winner at our table but if you want a total cardiac arrest on a plate try the rich and creamy truffled boudin blanc that comes on a bed of even creamier mash
Tuesday, June 15, 2010 - Surprise super star dish at Bar Boulud: the ridiculously-named 'chop chop salad,' with its crisp romaine lettuce, zippy ginger-soy vinaigrette, cashews, sesame crisps, avocados and lobster. And not dull, stringy, frozen-a-million-times lobster...The souffle I ordered on Wednesday evening wasn't bad, but what stole the show on both nights I ate at Bar Boulud were the fresh-from-the-oven madeleines. Light as air and lemony-good. You felt almost virtuous eating these, and they were a steal for 4 quid.
Wednesday, June 09, 2010 - The soup was beautifully mellow, redolent of a pumpkin soup (nearly). Greatly balanced flavours of the creamy versus the fishy. Leek, swede, juicy jumbo prawn, slices of razor clam, red mullet and rouille basted croutons. Stupendously hearty...Croque Madame was rubbish. Overpriced, dry, tepid, bechamel sauce missing, I don't know why I ordered this. I rather regret not having swapped this out for a small charcuterie board which would have enabled me to sample the Gilles Verot terrines.
Tuesday, May 18, 2010 - The burgers: I suspect they are using meat which is slightly too lean, but I also suspect that attention wasn't paid to the cooking (chargrilled) of our burgers; they were close to burned on the outside - which provided a needed crunch, albeit an unpleasant one - and cooked too much in the middle...Unlike the disappointing burger, the frites were outstanding. Thin, hot and crispy, they were some of the best fries I've ever eaten...The starters and desserts were fantastic, and by all accounts the burger is usually good, so I suppose we were unlucky. I'll be back.
Tuesday, May 11, 2010 - My main was a roasted chicken breast with wild garlic and artichokes. With great crispy skin and nicely seasonal, this was a comforting and rustic dish of classic French bistro food. A friend's burger, the classic Yankee, was perfectly proportioned and an ideal size for eating with your hands. The Frenchie burger, though, was on another level. The use of strong Morbier cheese, not an idea I would normally entertain in any burger, actually enhanced the flavour of the aged beef, and wonderful crispy confit pork belly stood in for a bacon slice. It was brilliant.
Tuesday, May 11, 2010 - Next up, a dish of Boudin Blanc, truffled white sausage with mashed potato. This was delicious, the sausage being almost as soft and creamy as the accompanying beautiful mash. I liked this dish a lot...I still prefer the Burger at Hawksmoor and more recently, a offering at Bob Bob Ricard, but...that is until the promised Frenchie burger (who's main defining characteristics are confit pork belly and Morbier cheese) was sent out from the kitchen for us to sample, cut into three pieces. It was cooked medium rare, and it was bloody delicious far, far better in my opinion than the Piggie burger that I'd ordered.
Monday, May 10, 2010 - The burger itself vexed me. I poked around and the advertised "confit pork belly" appeared to be two small bits of what looked suspiciously like bacon. I took a bite and the juices of the beautiful beef patty, perfectly cooked medium pink, flooded my mouth, only to be barged out of the way and invaded by the rather strong tomato and onion confit...The Gateau Chocolat-Framboise was much more highly accomplished, a classic combination of flavours well executed in an extremely rich dark chocolate cake. Extra flairs of raspberries filled with raspberry coulis, an excellent sorbet and even a decorative raspberry chocolate stick were all touches so drastically missing from my dessert.
Friday, May 07, 2010 - Chunky, porky head cheese, Beef Cheek with Pistachio that that tasted of corned beef. Pate Grand-Mere was Catherine Deneuve: smooth, refined, elegant. Pate Grand-Pere was more Gerard Depardieu: rougher but still rich with nuggets of foie gras...The burger was good and beefy and cooked perfectly to order - medium rare with a nice crust. I could have done with a bit more of the smokey, moist, BBQ Pulled Pork but that may have killed the taste of the beef. I didn't notice the advertised Cheddar in the bun but it did its job anyway. All good messy fun.
@wallace_anna Hope you found what you wanted!
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