Chez Bruce

Looking at my recent posts as well as posts-in-waiting, it's evident that I have been eating out a lot lately, and eating at some really good places. Chez Bruce is definitely one of those really good places. It was a spur of the moment decision on a Saturday to treat Dave and myself to a night out and I decided to try Chez Bruce. The place was strongly recommended by my good mate Tess who has recommended other great places and Chez Bruce was no different.

The restaurant is quite simple from the outside but buzzing inside. We sat upstairs in the private dining room with a few other tables which was nice and relaxing. We were offered parmesan biscuits to start with which were nice and warm. I took one but on the insistence of the waitress took another. In hindsight I wish I took 2 more as they were rather moreish and made the bread that followed seem rather plain.

The menu is 3 courses for £45 which matches the quality of the food on offer. To start Dave had the poached lobster with scallop mousseline and herb beurre blanc which was amazing, albeit with a £10 supplement. I went for the thinly sliced pork with warm summer bean salad, salsa verde, chorizo and crackling which was quite nice but filling.

Dave obviously chose the more outstanding entree but luckily for mains we went for the côte de boeuf for two, with hand cut chips and béarnaise sauce so neither of us had the better dish. The meat was really high quality and cooked really well. And whilst it didn't look very big, we were both quite full halfway through the mains which was extremely disappointing as the chips were sooo good! Jack would have loved them. Our meal was accompanied with a rather pricey but amazing bottle of Spinifex red wine from back home.

We were pretty full when it came to dessert so Dave just went for a simple sorbet whilst I had crème brulee which was a tad runnier than I like it. It was a shame that we were so full as we would have loved to have ordered the cheeses from the board which was generous. We were so full that we passed up on the free freshly baked palmier biscuits but luckily the waitress packed a few for us to take home with us which was a perfect way to end our meal.

Like Tess, I highly recommend Chez Bruce. If you live in the Wandsworth area you really shouldn't pass it up as it's an extremely high quality local restaurant, perfect for groups, families and couples. Thanks Tess and thanks Bruce for a top dining experience.

What: Chez Bruce

Where: 2 Bellevue Road, Wandsworth Common, SW17 7EG

How much: 3 excellent courses for £45 (plus supplements: £10 for the lobster entrée, £5 for cote de boeuf (each), and £5 for cheese)