Androuet

Classical French food with a lot of claret.

Revisiting – lovely restaurant. Friendly staff. I'l return again and again.

Androuet serves up a cheese called “trufflew” which is made of, oh go on guess…ewe cheese infused with truffle (see what they did there?). Which goes to prove that spruced up Spitalfields hasn't managed to stamp out every trace of creativity. The new broom of change may have swept away the grubby/charming stalls of old (Squarepie survived but moved in to proper premises, sell outs) and replaced it with serviceable/bland chain eateries, but places like Androuet provide a little personality. OK, it's a very sanitised type of deli but it is a good spot from which to watch the crowds looking for “real” London amongst the carefully groomed stalls. Credit where credit's due, Spitalfields nail the indoor/outdoor eating thing: you get to soak up the pavement atmosphere (tres continental!) while remaining smugly dry undercover. So it's a great place for a light lunch with a girlfriend on an iffy summer day. The well-drilled waitress helps us order, in addition to the trufflew: a Comte, a Pecorino, and a Laguiole, as well as a green salad, caramelised onion chutney, quince jelly, a plate of serrano, and one sneaky small glass of Picpoul de Pinet. The cheeses are sublime: they don't look much on the board but quality here reigns over quantity. Everything else is really just a side-show, although props for the ham which is salty and flavoursome (if a bit fatty). To some £17.50 might seem a lot for a few small lumps of cheese but the meal (with bread and biscuits aplenty) is actually pretty filling and you'd end up paying that and more for a sit-down meal in most other restaurants around here anyway. Plus it makes a pleasant change for me not to feel sick with gluttony when I come out of a meal. To celebrate I hit Montezuma's, the best chocolate shop in the world, round the corner. Mmmm. You know, it's not so bad now they've taken the Spit out of Spitalfields after all.

This review has to be read in the context that it is written by an ardent cheese lover, so impartiality has taken somewhat of a back seat…! Despite working nearby for some 2 years, I did not know of Androuet's existence until fairly recently, which given my current struggle against middle-aged spread, is probably no bad thing. Trouble is, I will undoubtedly be making up for lost time with regular visits from now on. We had a table on the outside terrace which abuts Spitalfields Market, so great for people watching. Whilst the menu does cater for non-cheese fans, and we were briefly tempted by the “Slow Menu” (asparagus followed by lamb), we quickly came to our senses with two of us opting for the most unctuous tartiflette ever and the third choosing a proper croque-monsieur with chunky chips. We then shared a cheeseboard, which initially I was a tad disappointed with as the portions were not huge but as a supplementary course it was fine – whether it would suffice as a stand alone meal without a hefty price tag, I'm not so sure. The “create your own board” menu is great as it incorporates a good selection of both well-known and somewhat lesser known cheeses, all grouped into specific groups to enable a balanced choice. There are also charcuterie options and accompaniments, but to be honest, the cheese is so good it stands alone (although the charcoal biscuits were fab). Staff are charming, pleasant, friendly and willing to proffer advice if required. A visit to the shop afterwards made me feel that I was with kindred spirits and a return visit will not be too far away. I took a point off for the portion size on the cheeseboard (given that each individual cheese comes it around £4 a pop), but that aside it was a wonderful lunch. All fellow turophiles should, if not already done so, make a beeline for this little piece of heaven on Spitalfields…