Boulestin

Cuisine - French

Cost - Premium range of starters between £9.00 - £19.50 and mains between £14.50 - £32.00. The desserts also vary between £7.50 - £19.75.

Star Appetizer - Escargots

Star Main Course - Pigeon Rôti

My Rating - 3.5/5

Bounjour my foodie friends! Today I bring you butter, garlic, loads of snails and some great wines… Yes, it’s the wonderful world of French cuisine. About a week ago I was invited to a wonderful blogging event which was hosted by the spectacular “Boulestin” in celebration of their new Christmas menu. Some of you older foxes out there will remember that the Boulestin was originally near Leicester Square and was opened in 1925 by French connoisseur and bon viveur, X. Marcel Boulestin. It then moved to Covent Garden, where it remained until closure in 1994. It is with great pleasure that I can now inform you of its return! Having originally been considered one of London’s most expensive restaurants, the Boulestin has now relaxed its prices, but kept its premium razzle-dazzle style. The food is still premium, but you will quickly find that it is worth every penny. Website here - www.boulestin.com

I LOVE French cuisine, so naturally I was quite excited about going to this restaurant. I know plenty of people who always tell me that the French use way too much butter and garlic in their food, but I must admit that I quite like that. If there is one nation that knows how to prepare a boomtastic steak with garlic butter and soft potato chips, it’s France. The boulestin stays true to the French name, and brings traditional French dishes to the forefront of modern London dining. If you are looking for a cosy reminder of the high flying Parisian lifestyle, then this is a great place to start.

The Boulestin boasts a very extravagant interior, with fine art covering the walls, flooring that reminds you of an old French café, a beautiful private outside seating area and a lavish private dining hall. This is the perfect place to hold the annual Christmas dinner with friends, or a cosy place to bring a loved one for a romantic meal during the festive season.

The menu met all the expectations that one should have of a classical French restaurant. It was filled with traditional dishes such as escargots, Foie Gras and Sirloin Steak, but it also had some more daring dishes such as Calf’s Head. Personally I found the Calf’s Head option a bit too intimidating, but I guess it brings a lot of novelty to a menu, which is important in such a competitive city. Menu here - www.boulestin.com/menu

The food itself was honestly quite delicious, and boasted an array of unique factors. It goes without saying that it was all quite salty, garlicy and buttery, but hey, when in Rome… or indeed France. It’s quite fair to say that if you are thinking about staying away from the calories this Christmas you probably shouldn’t go anywhere near a buttery Pommes Purée.

The Boulestin also has a great drinks list which is jam-packed with French favourites. If you like your French sauce, then do not fear, the boulestin is here. Drinks menu here - www.boulestin.com/winelist

The whole entire night was filled with wonderful dishes, great atmosphere, good waiters and good company… However, I do have to admit that there was one thing going through my mind throughout the evening. There was no show stopper. When I eat out I am always looking for that one dish that I will want to run and tell my friends about, and I didn’t really get that. Whether it be the amazing taste, or the novelty of the dish, I just want to see or taste something special.

Other than my picky sense of pretentious show stopping nonsense I can definitely recommend all their starters and their main courses. The pigeon in particular was extremely well cooked. It was soft on the inside, rough on the outside, and filled with flavour and shazam. The sauce was not too powerful for the meat, and the mushrooms combined with small pieces of bacon were a perfectly salty and yet smooth combo.

The desserts are all on the same level as the rest of the menu. If French is what you came for, French is what you get. Prepare yourselves for a beautiful Chocolate & Orange Mousse, a strong Lemon Meringue Tart, the Crème de la Crème of Crème Brûlée and as many cheeses as one could stomach after a rich dinner. The only criticism I had here was that the cheeses were a little bit too safe for my liking. I would have preferred an array of stronger cheeses that gave a PAW at the end of my meal.

So that was my fast paced version of the night's events. If you have been to the Boulestin before, or if you have any thoughts about my review, please leave a comment below. Until next time!

#restaurantreview #old