Restaurent Review: French Fancy

London’s Hidden Gems

Venturing in to the bright lights of central London once again this month I have discovered a new French fancy. Disappointingly this is not a man with a certain je ne sais quoi and penchant for onion soup, but my second favourite love: a new place to eat.

Glimmering just in site of Eros by Piccadilly Circus is the rather fabulous Brasserie Zédel, a place so full of flashing lights and decadent décor that I had until recently adamantly written it off as ‘not my kind of place’. However, being assured by the rave reviews from my friends I gave it a go, and was pleasantly surprised that after the glitziness of street level the vast basement dining room was positively classy, with suited and booted waiting staff, proper table cloths and chandeliers aplenty.

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Quickly my scepticism was turned around as I perused the reasonable and extensive menu. With starters from an incredible £2.25, a fixed price menu from £8.95 for 2 courses and at the top end of the menu steak for £19.95 it is possible to eat well and very reasonably here. Be warned though – depending on availability (or so it seems) you could be provided with either the English/American menu or the all French (bar some token descriptive words) menu. So maybe take a dictionary with you. But expect a little French attitude if you do.

From the roasted duck to the crème brûlée every sumptuous mouthful was to die for, and I left feeling full, happy and ready to spread the word: Don’t be put off by the touristy looking exterior, or the central location, Brasserie Zédel boasts a wonderfully diverse menu, efficient staff and a very well stocked bar. For me this was a typical case of don’t judge a book by its cover (or a restaurant by its front…?). Give it a go! Mangé!

An Aside:

Shortly following my Brasserie visit this map hit my inbox with the note ‘thought you might find this useful’. Not only is Zédel on here but a whole host of other restaurants to add to my ‘must try’ list, which is now very long. I haven’t checked off many yet but I thought this was a great picture to pin in my kitchen. What about you? Have you hit every stop yet? Which are your favourites?

London Restaurant Tube Map

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Kudos to Chris Pople from Cheese and Biscuits for creating such a wonderful food map of zones 1 & 2.

Bon appétit!

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Tags: Brasserie Zédel Food Map French Food London Restaurants

Categories: Ilona's Weekly Munchies London's Hidden Gems