La Bouchee

London is home to 190,000 Frenchmen, according to Bloomberg News, all defying President Nicolas Sarkozy's injunction to go home and help him hunt down economic growth. Why should they? The French community in London as achieved critical mass - there are French newspapers, French bakers and French restaurants, although not perhaps French schools. Apparently the state-run Lycee in London only has space for half the children of school age, and the French Ministry of Education will not expand it. Obviously a lever to apply pressure on the Anglo-French community to return to France.

All this makes for the increased availability of very high-quality French produce and services in London, primarily in the borough of Kensington and Chelsea, where most Anglo-French live. In Old Brompton Road, near South Kensington tube station, there is a particularly good rustic French restaurant, La Bouchee, that serves up simple, well-executed French food at reasonable prices.

La Bouchee
56 Old Brompton Road
London SW7 3DY
020 7589 1929

La Bouchee serves rustic French food with no twists. What you see on the menu is what you get. In my 2 trips there so far, I've had a very tasty duck confit with swiss chard and black cabbage, as well as a forester's beef rib. The Pretty Lady had the duck confit the first time, and what she called a "so good" sea bass the second time. There are also starters like authentic soupe a'la oignon, good warm salads (something I find is hard to do well), and also classic French desserts such as oeuf a'la neige, a surprisingly good creme brulee, and a pear tarte tatin.

The restaurant is a little cramped, and looks very rustic for something in central London. It's not a place for an intimate tete a tete. Rather, it's a place to stuff yourself with good French food and good French wine, with maybe a cognac for afters. Conversation has to be loud by necessity, but if you are willing to chill and chat, it's not too difficult. Besides, the best part of a restaurant has to be the food. Company, ambience and service is nice, but secondary. If the food is good enough, anyone can take almost any inconvenience.

Scores:

24 Jan 2008: TFQ = 25, CS = 23, S = 15, AD = 5, VfM = 8. Total = 76 points.

What does this mean?