Brasserie
St Quentin, Brompton Road SW3
The Brasserie
St Quentin has always been popular
with Knightsbridge shoppers, and
visitors to the Victoria and Albert
Museum. In the evenings local residents
have patronised it with almost as
much devotion as the congregation
of the great Brompton Oratory basilica
which is directly opposite. Over
the past few years though, it seemed
to have lost its way a little, but it
was recently restored to the ownership
of one of its founders, Lord Rathcavan
and his pals, including Anton Edelmann
who was until recently executive
head chef of The Savoy. The name
recalls a revered food writer, the
late Quentin Crewe
We reviewed it
quite enthusiastically some six years
ago, and this is what we wrote then.
We hope to bring you an updated review
very soon.
Back to 1998:
The first good thing is that the authentic
Parisian brasserie-style charm with
its mirrors, prints, old French menus
and chandeliers, has not been messed
about with. The basement dining room
which was beginning to look very gloomy,
(I well remember being banished down
there when the main restaurant was
full), has now been well and truly
spruced up, making it a useful venue
for a smart party, or a much more pleasant
exile when in extremis!
The staff are a lot less stiff and
starchy now - they're still French,
but they smile a lot more and are welcoming,
which can sometimes be hard for the
Gallic race when faced with both the
English and tourists. I was sorry that
they have given up their traditional
waiters' aprons, but on the other hand
their business suits looked better
cut than many of their customers'.
In 1998, for £12.50 you could
enjoy a two course lunch or pre theatre
supper
(up to 7.30pm). Now, in 2004, the Prix Fixee Menu is £14.50 for two courses
and three for £16.50, so inflation has largely passed us by!
Back to 1998:
There's a wide range of Hors d'oeuvres
from Lobster bisque with fennel and
saffron at £5.80 to a Terrine
of Foie Gras, £10.40. My two lady
guests enjoyed a tasty grilled St Maure
goat's cheese with baby artichkes and
red onion dressing £6.70, and
snails and asparagus under a blanket
of light puff pastry delicately flavoured
with tarragon, £7.95. I had a
gratinée of smoked haddock with
spinach concealing a poached egg. Saving
up the delicious puncturing of the
soft yolk reminded me of a favourite
childhood treat. Pubs have rather hi-jacked
gratinée dishes these days,
so it was good to see them restored
to their rightful setting.
The diners on the next table were
a little ahead of us, and while we
were waiting for our main courses to
arrive, a vast Veal Holstein £16.50,
also with spinach and egg, plus a topping
of fresh anchovies, was delivered to
the lady on my right. She'll never
eat all that, I thought, but these
Kensington ladies are nothing if not
carnivorous. Her beau's roast rack
of lamb looked spectacular.
 Our
traditional calves liver with well
mouli-ed mashed potatoes £12.75,
was enlivened by a good sauce and plenty
of caramelised onions. Some crisp skinned
duck magret slices were pink inside,
and I very much liked its accompaniment
of a neat pastry tart with beans and
bacon. Also worth a mention oin despatches
was the rich sauce enhanced with foie
gras. If you are more adventurous,
do try the duck neck stuffed with all
those delicious quacky bits and pieces.
The lentil and balsamic sauce was yet
another hit on the part of the chef
saucier. All three dishes came
to the table with a similar glossy
brown sauce - but appearances can be
deceptive - each one had a very distinctive
personality and flavour.
Desserts are all £4.50 and include
Sorbet du jour, Crème
brulée, Tarte au citron and Truffe au chocolat. We had a Tarte tatin for
two which looked perfect but wasn't half caramelised enough for my taste. It
had been cooked to order and probably needed a little more time. The pear poached
in Loupiac with cinnamon ice cream was lovely.
The wine list is very French, as one
would expect, but the prices are not
unreasonable. We drank the house white
first, a fragrant Vin de Pays du Tarn
which I can recommend quite unreservedly.
Then we went on to the very honest
and drinkable La Vielle Ferme,
from the Luberon, made by the Perrin
family who make what is arguably the
best Chateauneuf-du-Pape.
This review dates from April 1998
Clifford Mould - revised 2004
The Brasserie St. Quentin, 243
Brompton Road SW3.
Tel: 020 7589 8005
The cost of your three course dinner with house wine is about £35.00 a
head (1998).
Open seven days a week: Monday to Sunday 12.00 - 3.00pm and 5pm -
10.30pm
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