Brasserie Blanc, 35 The Market, Covent Garden, London WC2E 8RF

Brasserie Blanc, 35 The Market, Covent Garden, London WC2E 8RF
17/08/2012
http://www.brasserieblanc.com/

She said… I heard that Monsieur Blanc had taken over the space where Chez Gerard used to be in Covent Garden market. I had never visited the previous space as I was fundamentally opposed to their charging a ‘cover price’ but since this was no longer in place and I was curious about the Blanc chain of restaurants, I thought the restaurant atop the market was a good one to try. Alas, expectations fell short. The room itself is pleasant although the outdoor terrace is probably the place to be on a pleasant day. The menu was promising with a wide selection of dishes to suit most palates. And the prices were what you think you should be paying but never do in such a place. I went for the set menu which offered two courses £14.99. I started with a leek, potato and egg salad which was tasteless and stodgy. I followed this with a gruyere and onion tart. With this being a French brasserie I was expecting a light, thin pastry base with juicy caramelised onions and a subtle creamy cheese. Instead, a thick quiche-like concoction which looked like it had been reheated. Again, stodgy and flavourless. I had been planning to have desert but decided to cut my losses and went with him to a new bakery on Chandos Street. I don’t know if the location means the tourist factor is in play (i.e. food for people you’ll never see again so screw quality) but I would have expected more from the Blanc brand.

He said… If no one had told you that Blanc had taken over this place from Gerard then you would never have know the difference.  Both are functional and nice enough, and priced well. But if a sudden craving for good, affordable French food came over you, then this would not be the first place you'd think of; for that see Zedel, below. The setting is pretty nice though, as it's on the upper level of Covent Garden, overlooking the opera house. The terrace space has got to be one of the best in London; I'm not too sure about the part that's glazed, which can feel like a greenhouse. I enjoyed lunch (the company was good) but the Blanc name does raise expectations. For instance, my pea soup made a good first impression, but I got bored with the too-thick, samey texture, and found myself wishing that the portion was smaller, which really doesn't happen often these days. But for £15 for two courses you really can't grumble. And if you avoid the weekends, and its swarms of day trippers, then Covent Garden is actually a nice, convenient place to meet for a sneaky, extended lunch on a sunny day.