wander to wonder: brasserie gustave

Now, I know my food pretty well, but when it comes to the kind of French bistro cuisine that Brasserie Gustave offers, my husband is the one to trust. He definitely gives BG his stamp of approval, and deservedly so - you're in for a treat with this one.

I had actually passed this restaurant countless times before as I often work in the area, but it's a little tucked away on the corner between South Kensington station and King's Road, and I never thought to go in. So I was delighted to get the chance to try it out for the first time, and now I'm wondering why it's not better known.

The interior is lovely, smart but welcoming, and the staff are very friendly, too. We started off with refreshing Kir Royals, which were the perfect balance of champagne and kir (I've had too many that were overly sweet with too much syrup). We took our time perusing the menu - it was a very hot day, we'd both had long ones and it was so nice just to unwind and chat.

For starter, I went for the Foie Gras Terrine with shallot and raisin honey, and E chose Roasted Bone Marrow with a parsley and gherkin salad and a red wine sauce. They came plated beautifully, and were equally delicious - I'd never had bone marrow simply spread on bread before, it was sinfully good! My terrine was delicious, and I would have taken home a jar of that chutney if I could.

We didn't take too long to choose our mains, as we both had dishes that jumped out at us. For E, it was the Tournedos de Boeuf Rossini (Buccleuch beef fillet with foie gras, spinach, truffle and Madeira Jus), and I had the Coquilles St. Jacques (Hand dived scallops, squid ink tagliatelle and pea puree). We were seriously impressed with both dishes - and both were, again, presented like a Michelin starred establishment. E's beef was cooked rare, the seasoning was spot on and there really wasn't a single criticism coming from him. My scallops were absolutely fantastic - fresher than fresh, succulent and cooked to perfection. The pasta was al dente (so important for me), and made for the ideal accompaniment to the scallops. Honestly, I'm running out of superlatives as it was all excellent!

We also enjoyed a lovely bottle of French red to wash it all down - I would recommend asking the sommelier to help you out, as it was just what we were hoping for.

Despite being pretty full by this point, we weren't leaving without having tried their desserts - their first two courses bode too well for us to miss out on them! We shared two classics, the Crème Brûlée and the Fondant Chocolat.

I'm happy to report that they lived up to our expectations - E makes a great versions of both desserts at home, so we're not the easiest to please with these, but they really did not disappoint. The chocolate fondant was so rich and dark, but not too sweet, and the brûlée was wonderful, too.

I think you get the idea that we thoroughly enjoyed our dinner at Brasserie Gustave, so I won't go on and on! I would highly recommend it for a dinner date, a decadent lunch, a girly evening... really, it fits the bill for most occasions. It's one of the best French meals I've had in London, so it should be shooting up to the top of your restaurant wish list right now!