Bistro Bruno Loubet dining room
Last week, I met Gourmet Chick and Londonelicious for dinner at Bistrot Bruno Loubet in Clerkenwell. I’d been there once before, back in March, soon after the bistro had opened in the Zetter hotel, and that time, the food had been very good. Clerkenwell is perfectly located between work and home for me, so I was glad to pay it a return visit when the three of us were debating where to eat. (The beauty of dining out with other food bloggers is that choosing the venue is half the fun).
bread served in a flowerpot - a super charming touch
Things got off to a bumpy start when the day of our reservation arrived. The bistrot called to confirm, and in classic passive-aggressive fashion, they asked if it’d be “OK” that they’d need the table back after two hours. I asked if I really had a choice and added that it would have been nice to know this policy in advance (for example, when I was making the booking originally). The restaurant’s response was that it was hard for them to know in advance that they’d need the table back at a certain time, which is kind of crap. How do other restaurants – who don’t limit the amount of time you can have the table – estimate turnover times?
Anyway, to make a long story short, at the two-hour mark, we were asked to pay our bill or move to the hotel bar. I was supremely non-plussed and felt like I was getting booted out. The first time I ate at Bruno Loubet, I enjoyed a leisurely and delicious meal with family friends, and this second time around, I left feeling kind of cranky, which is too bad, because our server that evening was attentive and helpful and generally everything you want in a server, really.
revised Lyonnaise salad (£7)
On to the food – like Gourmet Chick, I chose the revised Lyonnaise salad for a starter, and although I remember loving it the first time I ate at Bruno Loubet (poached egg and bacon on greens – what’s not to love?), this time around, I thought the greens-to-toppings ratio could’ve been a lot higher. The generous amounts of crispy, salty bacon overwhelmed the frisee, and the egg was overcooked and not runny. Sad.
Guinea fowl boudin blanc with leek fondue and chervil sauce (£7)
Guinea fowl boudin blanc (white sausage) was both impossibly light and heavy. The texture was memorably fluffy, but halfway through, the salt got to me, and I had trouble finishing the boudin. Good thing my dining companions wanted to try some, because otherwise, I would’ve been embarrassed that I hadn’t finished a meal comprised of a mere two starters.
lamb shoulder confit (£16)
Confit lamb shoulder was served in an unappetizing ball shape. And disappointingly, the lamb was dry and underseasoned, so I’m 100% in agreement with Gourmet Chick there.
wood pigeon breast, cauliflower, almond, quinoa and giblet sauce (£15.50)
Gourmet Chick’s pan-fried breast of wood pigeon was a winner, though the presentation was pretty hideous. Pigeon is too often served tough, but at Bruno Loubet, it was juicy, rare and had the richness that only offal can provide. If I weren’t so annoyed about the service, I’d say I’d return to BBL just to order this dish for myself next time.
Things being what they are, though, it’d take a lot to get me to return to Bistrot Bruno Loubet. Bar Boulud, where I’ve also been twice, delivers better service than BBL does; prices are similar, and Bar Boulud’s chop chop salad with lobster is still calling out to me. So, as handy as Clerkenwell is for me, Knightsbridge will be my destination the next time I’m looking for a casual bistro meal.
With a £30 bottle of wine and glasses of dessert wine, we paid £50 a person for dinner at BBL.
Bistrot Bruno Loubet, Zetter Hotel, 86-88 Clerkenwell Road, EC1M 5RJ; 0207 324 4455; closest Tube station: Farringdon
Time limits get on my nerves especially if through the restaurant’s own tardiness, you find yourself up against the clock. The only time a restaurant should ever set a time limit is if you turn up without a booking and they squeeze you in. Otherwise, they should leave you be and relax – on many occasions, you’re out of there after two hours anyway.
Agreed on all points!
I think I was more positive than you about the meal – probably mainly because I do think the pigeon was one of the best dishes I have eaten all year. In total agreement about the annoying table turning though.
True, that pigeon was mighty tasty, and if there weren’t something comparable out there, I’d overlook the (1) time limit on tables; and (2) the way BBL communicated that time limit, but I figure that’s the beauty of competition — Bar Boulud, similar genre, similar prices, better service.
i totally don’t understand the time limit thing — personally unacceptable in my book. must be a london thing though (maybe the brits will just put up with that kind of stuff that you just don’t see in nyc)! i remember we had to do the same thing when we went out. not fun!
Agreed, though what made it worse was that nobody told me about the time limit at the time I made the reservation. At least then you can still decide if you want to go somewhere else. Telling me the day of my booking really pissed me off.
[...] Celia has been born, the furthest away of which was less than a mile from my house, in Clerkenwell (Bistro Bruno Loubet, if you must know, and yes, the boudin blanc is still delish and the time limit on tables seems to [...]