Boulevard Bar & Brasserie

Set on three floors with a basement bistro, this very charming restaurant is situated in the heart of Covent Garden, a short step from many of the best shows in town.

The ground floor has scrubbed pine and oak tables for couples or groups of up to eight so providing an intimate corner or bonhomie as the diner wishes. Mirrors and photographs of Paris adorn the walls and floor to ceiling frosted windows face the street. The table settings are candle lit and welcoming. Upstairs, the French windows are truly magnificent with orange surrounds matching perfectly the green verdure in wrought iron window boxes.

The cuisine is imaginative without losing sight of its sound, time-tested origins. Starters such as pork, mushroom & bacon terrine and grilled goats cheese on rosemary and garlic focaccia make the point elegantly. Among the main courses, favourites include moules marinieres; braised ham with mashed potatoes and charcuterie sauce and sea bass fillet with garlic & rosemary new potatoes and red wine jus. Vegetarians are well catered for with vegetable tagine with almond and lemon cous cous or wild mushroom risotto among the choice of vegetarian dishes.

The set menu offers exceptional value with two courses for £9.95 and three for £12.50. Snacks and light bites are also available for those diners in an unseemly haste but with time to be tempted by such delights as minute steak sandwich with French fries; croque monsieur or a half pint of shell on prawns with home made mayo. Daily specials from the blackboard add even further variety: grilled tuna with chorizo salsa and stuffed chicken breast with rosemary jus are but two examples.

An excellent wine list compliments the menu. The selection shows a loyalty to French wines but New World and Spanish wines are also present. Several wines are available by the glass and the house wine is attractively priced at £11 per bottle. There is a wide choice for under £20 per bottle.

Finally, if one is of a mind to try to recreate at home the delights of the Boulevard Bar & Brasserie cuisine, then there is no better place to find the ingredients than the Boulevard Deli next door, yet another pleasant surprise from the thoughtful people at Boulevard Bar & Brasserie.