Review: Brompton Bar and Grill
Founded by Chef Francois O'Neill in 2009, the award-winning Brompton Bar and Grill is a stylish, local bistro offering the finest seasonal cuisine and delicious cocktails. Its proximity to the V&A museum makes it the perfect choice for a delicious lunch or dinner.
Walking into the grill on a very chilly February night, you are instantly warmed by the aroma of delicious food, the classic yet contemporary décor and the wonderfully attentive staff.
Sitting in the middle of the restaurant gives the perfect oppourtunity to take in the grill's décor. The walls are filled with framed posters and prints from a bygone era, keeping you fully entertained as you wait for your first course. That combined with the mix of old classic jazz and blues tracks and the delicious house Rose wine we opted for left my guest and I feeling completely relaxed and at ease.
For the first course I opted for the mushroom soup. Mushroom soup is one of my preferred starters so from the off I had high expectations from the dish. And luckily I was not disappointed. The soup was incredibly creamy and light. There was also a plentiful amount of mushroom pieces which added to the flavour and texture. The bread we were given at the beginning of our meal complemented the dish, the butter melting in the warm soup. If the kitchen had said they had run out of food and all that they could offer for our two remaining courses was the mushroom soup, I would have been quite happy.
My guest went for the bacon & Egg Croquettes with Honey BBQ sauce. The silence that ensued as we both devoured our first courses was a sure sign that we both thoroughly enjoyed them. My guest said her croquettes were perfect. The bread crumbs were light and crispy and the centre just melted in your mouth. The sauce complimented the dish well and was a nice alternative to a tomato sauce. I did feel that finishing the generous portions we were given may come back to bite us in the bottom by dessert.
For our main course I couldn't resist the duck with green beans and roasted shallots. Duck is one of my favourite dishes and one I rarely have so when my main came to the table I am not ashamed to say I was quick to dive in. The sauce the duck came in was delicious, rich but not overpoweringly so. I did wonder when I read the menu if this dish would do well to come with potatoes for example, but I found I was completely wrong. The sheer amount of duck on the plate meant I more than likely wouldn't have been able to manage them!
My guest went for the steak which she enjoyed but wouldn't necessarily write home about. The presentation of the dish was pleasing to the eye, the pepper sauce arrived in a darling little jug on the side of the plate and the garnish and seasoning on the fries was a nice touch- making essentially what is pub grub a tad more exciting.
Like with the starters though I again felt the portions were overly generous. The mountain of fries on my guest's plate were a sure sign we had no fear of going hungry.
Despite pulling into food coma station, it would be a sin to not try something from the dessert menu, especially as they all sounded delicious. I went for a chocolate mousse served with white chocolate shavings and homemade honeycomb and my guest went for honeycomb ice cream.
My mousse was quite heavy and not as light as I had expected it to be. Despite this the homemade honeycomb was to die for, and in all honesty, you can never go wrong with a chocolate dessert!
I was assured that the honeycomb ice-cream was also delicious. It was thick, creamy and full of flavour, a nice light dessert to end what had been a very generously sized meal.
The only downside to the dishes would be the portion sizes. Generous portions aren't always a good thing. After a sizeable starter I found myself feeling full during my main, and by dessert I was nearly in a food coma- which is lovely but it makes you reluctant to go out into the cold a make the journey home.
Despite this, I thoroughly enjoyed my evening and with the food being so delicious the generous portions were a tad easier to deal with!
The Brompton Bar & Grill 243 Brompton Road London SW3 2EP 020 7589 8005 www.bromptonbarandgrill.com
Walking into the grill on a very chilly February night, you are instantly warmed by the aroma of delicious food, the classic yet contemporary décor and the wonderfully attentive staff.
Sitting in the middle of the restaurant gives the perfect oppourtunity to take in the grill's décor. The walls are filled with framed posters and prints from a bygone era, keeping you fully entertained as you wait for your first course. That combined with the mix of old classic jazz and blues tracks and the delicious house Rose wine we opted for left my guest and I feeling completely relaxed and at ease.
For the first course I opted for the mushroom soup. Mushroom soup is one of my preferred starters so from the off I had high expectations from the dish. And luckily I was not disappointed. The soup was incredibly creamy and light. There was also a plentiful amount of mushroom pieces which added to the flavour and texture. The bread we were given at the beginning of our meal complemented the dish, the butter melting in the warm soup. If the kitchen had said they had run out of food and all that they could offer for our two remaining courses was the mushroom soup, I would have been quite happy.
My guest went for the bacon & Egg Croquettes with Honey BBQ sauce. The silence that ensued as we both devoured our first courses was a sure sign that we both thoroughly enjoyed them. My guest said her croquettes were perfect. The bread crumbs were light and crispy and the centre just melted in your mouth. The sauce complimented the dish well and was a nice alternative to a tomato sauce. I did feel that finishing the generous portions we were given may come back to bite us in the bottom by dessert.
For our main course I couldn't resist the duck with green beans and roasted shallots. Duck is one of my favourite dishes and one I rarely have so when my main came to the table I am not ashamed to say I was quick to dive in. The sauce the duck came in was delicious, rich but not overpoweringly so. I did wonder when I read the menu if this dish would do well to come with potatoes for example, but I found I was completely wrong. The sheer amount of duck on the plate meant I more than likely wouldn't have been able to manage them!
My guest went for the steak which she enjoyed but wouldn't necessarily write home about. The presentation of the dish was pleasing to the eye, the pepper sauce arrived in a darling little jug on the side of the plate and the garnish and seasoning on the fries was a nice touch- making essentially what is pub grub a tad more exciting.
Like with the starters though I again felt the portions were overly generous. The mountain of fries on my guest's plate were a sure sign we had no fear of going hungry.
Despite pulling into food coma station, it would be a sin to not try something from the dessert menu, especially as they all sounded delicious. I went for a chocolate mousse served with white chocolate shavings and homemade honeycomb and my guest went for honeycomb ice cream.
My mousse was quite heavy and not as light as I had expected it to be. Despite this the homemade honeycomb was to die for, and in all honesty, you can never go wrong with a chocolate dessert!
I was assured that the honeycomb ice-cream was also delicious. It was thick, creamy and full of flavour, a nice light dessert to end what had been a very generously sized meal.
The only downside to the dishes would be the portion sizes. Generous portions aren't always a good thing. After a sizeable starter I found myself feeling full during my main, and by dessert I was nearly in a food coma- which is lovely but it makes you reluctant to go out into the cold a make the journey home.
Despite this, I thoroughly enjoyed my evening and with the food being so delicious the generous portions were a tad easier to deal with!
The Brompton Bar & Grill 243 Brompton Road London SW3 2EP 020 7589 8005 www.bromptonbarandgrill.com