Brula

Brula’s dependable recipe – classic French bistro cooking in comfortable surroundings, served by people who care – won the hearts & minds of the Twickenham set a decade ago but still commands their loyalty today (‘lucky locals’, exclaims one envious soul). The kitchen is a touch more ambitious these days, serving the likes of oxtail croquettes with celeriac rémoulade, sweetcorn & toasted hazelnuts or sautéed lamb’s tongues with radishes & broad beans ahead of wild Dorset sea bass with pine-nut gnocchi, globe artichokes & saffron sauce; even their famous onglet steak has had a revamp, now garnished with snails & red wine. But the chefs seem able to cope – dishes come out of the kitchen looking & tasting good. Brula’s owners have spent time & effort putting together an all-French wine list to match the food, full of individual growers & carefully annotated with personal tasting notes.