Eat & Drink
Originally published on Wednesday, 18th August 2010
Koffmann’s
Master chef comes to Knightsbridge
The Berkeley, Wilton Place, SW1X 7RL - 020 7235 1010
www.the-berkeley.co.uk
Location
The site that Pierre Koffmann has chosen for his latest, much heralded restaurant – formerly Boxwood Cafe (a Ramsay enterprise) – nestled underneath the jewel box-like Berkeley hotel, oozes elegance.
Vibe
Koffmann is hailed as the daddy by pretty much every other chef worth his whites; Marco Pierre White and Tom Aikens trained with him, amongst many others. His Soho restaurant La Tante Claire (which opened in 1977) was one of London’s first sprauncey dining venues and, after rave reviews for his pop-up on the roof of Selfridges last year, Pierre decided he’d come back full-time.
Flavours
‘The Master’ is renowned for his good, old-fashioned, Gascon cooking and there are few surprises on the menu. I’m talking pig’s trotters, sweetbreads and snails in abundance but also scallops with squid ink and other tamer brasserie dishes such as calves liver Lyonnaise (that took two tries to get just right – even master chefs don’t do perfect every time). Refreshingly they bring you little pots of vegetables with the main courses so you don’t need to um and ah over spinach or green beans and the three course set lunch menu is only £22.50.
Décor
The usual tastefully muted tones are all present and correct, but the place doesn’t feel nearly as ‘hotelly’ and void of character as, say, Bar Boulud up the road. The tables to nab are in the lower level area where you feel a little more part of the action, and little touches down to the typeface used on the menu makes you feel like you’re in for something cosy but a little bit special.
Upshot
An affordable taste of Koffmann magic with, as a final flourish, Eric Garnier (who launched other chi-chi Knightsbridge Frenchie Racine) as maitre ‘d, this classy brasserie is a perfect fit in South West London.
