Balthazar, 4-6 Russell Street, London WC2E 7BN

Balthazar, 4-6 Russell Street, London WC2E 7BN

www.balthazarlondon.com

01/04/2013

She said: I had been observing Balthazar’s development over the past few months each time I was in Covent Garden with builders and decorators transforming this great corner plot by the market. Balthazar is immediately impressive; vast ceilings, distressed, large mirrors everywhere, pristine table cloths and old-style service staff buzzing around with the array of delights on large trays on their shoulders. The bar is attractive, glistening with various bottles and glasses and the interior has an art-deco feel to it. I had requested a banquette seat when booking which they obliged in a great location in the middle of the room giving us good people-watching opportunities. We were a bit baffled when asked if we would like to order bread when we noticed other tables were being given it automatically and upon checking whether it was complimentary we were presented with a basked of delicious bread options.

The menu offers a wide choice of French-inspired dishes and I started with the goat cheese tart which was very good. To follow I had the lobster black truffle risotto which was a little too fishy and salty but good enough. I ordered the Tart Tatin for dessert but it lacked the sophistication of a true tatin with chunky, chewy apple on a thick base so I swapped with his Chocolate Rocher which was much better. That said, Balthazar offers a great setting and good enough food at okay prices (three courses and coffees for two and one cocktail came in at £78), making it somewhere I would come back to with friends and family alike.

He said: Walking out of Balthazar I overheard a lively Italian tourist telling one of his mates: ‘dis iz da ottesta tabel ina towna, Lettuce a sea iffa we canna geta ina’. The PR bods working for Balthazar clearly earned their crust – the place was barely out of soft-launch and already tourists had it on their radar. Balthazar ticks a lot of boxes: the room has the wow-factor, the location is good (if you don’t mind tourist-land) and the food works: I kicked-off with a kale salad, followed with an ‘eggplant’ sandwich – yes, this French brasserie is actually American – and topped things off with a chocolate rocher. I enjoyed it all, and the knowledge that I had ordered better than she, which is always nice but does mean that she swapped her so-so tarte tatin for my delish rocher. Balthazar also makes their bread on the spot; I confess, dear reader, to a major bread addiction. The killer bread display in the window is what actually made me want to come here first. I also enjoyed the fact that the bloody Mary had no ice in it – the only right way to make it. Things I didn’t like: the service was still very tentative, which you don’t expect from an American-run place; and the coat-check was really badly organized; we, and others were waiting by the door for a good 10 minutes waiting for our things, blocking the way while the girl evidently ran to a very far away place to fetch our things. But, on balance, these niggles can easily be sorted out. And no, Mario didn’t get a table, because Balthazar is a winner, and everybody already knows it.