Chez Bruce

The level of service has certainly dropped across the last year – having been a massive fan of the place for years…
Perhaps getting a little too complacent, which is understandable given the demand for tables, but dangerous never the less.
Listen to your customers a bit more Mr Bruce.

This is truly a fine dining restaurant that you could visit over and over. The value for money on the weekday lunch menu is criminal; would have been happy to pay twice the price.
The service is spot on; the water and wine were only topped up when glasses were running low.
We didn't feel pressured in any way, the staff have a real understanding of delivering everything at a pace that suits the guest.
The menu is suitably easy to understand and the maitre d' is on hand to confidently answer any questions. The choice if dishes available on the discounted lunch menu is fantastic.
The food we ordered was cooked perfectly and tasted excellent; all the flavours of the pork loin salad starter and the veal rump main course were well balanced and delicious.
The only criticism I have is that 3 dishes came with doilies as a liner between the plate and bowl. The rest of the restaurant doesn't come across as old fashioned and I am sure there are ways of presenting modern cuisine without using doilies.
Apart from that one (rather minor) criticism this is a restaurant we will be going back to and hope to try the other sister restaurants too.

You want a wedding anniversary dinner to go perfectly, and thankfully this one did!…though I must say I was getting a little worried it might not. We ordered, enjoyed exquisite focacia and parmesan crackers, supping a very good Chambolle-Musigny 2002 and waited for our starters to arrive. The food coming out of the kitchen looked and smelt divine…but it kept going to other tables…when enquiries were made (some 45 minutes after sitting down) it was clear that our order had been missed – apologies from the kitchen. Our starters arrived a few minutes later.

I have to say my original disappointment disappeared so quickly. My mackerel fillets with chickpeas (not normally something I would choose from a menu) was an exquisite blend of flavours and aromas. My wife had the fishcake dish – lets just say we had soon forgotten all about the delay. Would our mains disappoint – not at all! Again I chose something I would not normally order in a restaurant – chicken. This ballotine was full of flavour. My wife's rump of veal was wonderfully combined with risotto and other surprise flavours. Desserts did not disappoint.

What a surprise when nearing the bottom of our decanted Burgundy another comes along with compliments and another apology for the earlier delays – what a wonderful touch – and that was not a cheap wine!

Genuinely some of the finest food I have ever tasted – and better in my opinion than one Michelin star. The delay in getting our food has already been forgotten, but the tasting experience will linger for a very long time. Many thanks, Bruce and team.

What a let down.
After reading many reviews and having friends raving about Chez Bruce we booked a table for a culinary experience.
Starter, salmon with fennel – never had such a tasteless salmon, no taste of fennel either actually no taste at all.
Main, Côte de boeuf – again no taste of the beef and fairly tuff, bearnaise so, so and chips good. Dessert – the cheese platter and that was very good, nice selection of cheeses.
Not worth the money and wont be back.
For this price go to Rhodes W1 instead – brilliant.

There are very few good restaurants open on a Sunday Evening, fewer still that offer a full dinner menu not designed simply to offload the food past it's best into Fishcakes / Pies / etc. This menu offered a wonderful variety of dishes from hearty meat soup to Fish (smoked and raw) , Foie Gras and Risotto, just for for starters. The main courses were better still with even our fussiest guest, the pescetarian genuinely struggling to decide between the Cod, Globe Artichoke and the Plaice. I had a vegetarians nightmare of Ox cheeks with Veal sweetbreads which was absolutely tremendous.

Cheese arrived and a statuesque selection of around two dozen Cheeses from France and the Britsh Isles presented to the table. Most certainly a Cheese board worthy of note.

Food aside, this was my first visit to Chez Bruce since the refurbishment and in my opinion it is better for it, it is true that the tables at the rear of the restaurant are a little ‘cosy’ but I guess if you manage to land the extra table they squeezed in at 8pm on Saturday night, you'd be grateful for it. On the other hand, outsmart the masses and make the most of the dying hours of your weekend…

You can even park outside.

We went to this restaurant for a Xmas treat. We’ve been going there for years and have always had a nice time. The restaurant has undergone a renovation and expansion adding extra seats and introducing some new staff. The restaurant looks pretty, the atmosphere is good, but they really pack the tables in and there’s little room for the staff to move around. We enjoyed the food, but the service lets the place down. We arrived at 8pm and the meal took 2 hours 30 minutes for 3 courses (no coffee). There was quite a bit of waiting before ordering and before the courses arrived. At the end we paid the bill including the service charge and quietly and politely remarked to the cashier that the service had been slow. A simple apology would have sufficed and been the end of it.
Regretably, the front of house “manager” took umbrage at our remark. A forceful defense followed including some remarkable promises to check the CCTV evidence over night.. Appallingly handled, and a sure way to alienate the customer. It's also house policy not to ask customers whether they are enjoying the meal and if everything is OK, which doesn't leave a good impression. Seems that kitchen is not able to handle the increased numbers, perhaps putting pressure on front of house. Friends of ours have waited an hour before ordering food on a busy night.

I had lunch with friends recently at Chez Bruce. Not realising that Wandsworth Common is quite a long ride from N1 we had to call the restaurant to let them know we were running late. Fortunately this wasn’t a problem, even on a busy Saturday.

Lovely venue, very French bistro look and crisp napkins neatly folded. We got a table in the middle of everything giving us the opportunity to experience the great atmosphere. The service was alert and helpful and so was the sommelier. Food wise we were sorted out quite quickly but wine wise it took us longer to decide as the wine list is excessive and we were looking for wines that would match the different dishes. The sommelier was very good here and we ended up with a chateau neuf du pape blanc and a lovely red burgundy Gevrey Chambertin.

For starter I had mackerel tartare with herbs, smoked mackerel, horseradish, apple & cucumber followed by roast cod, grilled squid, baby artichokes, pepper relish and salsa verde. My co-diners had risotto and crab and scallop tortelloni followed by choucroute of pork with cheek blanquette and sea bass with olive oil mash, provençale brochette and gremolata. All dishes were beautiful represented, portioned correctly for lunch and gave us room for cheese later. I often find it very frustrating when I read reviews and people are complaining about size when they only order a main course with a side dish. The entire idea is to have room for 3 courses without feeling hungry or full.

Back to the Mackarel, which was quite bland I am afraid. You would expect the smoked mackerel to give more flavour to the dish but this didn’t happen. Too much apple to my opinion, which was overpowering the fish and cucumber, and too little horseradish leaving out the kick. My co-diners were “yummying” over their starters and I was lucky to taste both of them. I agree, they were yummy! Main courses were flawless, perfectly plated with the right amount of each ingredient. My fish was beautifully cooked, crunchy on the outside, white and moist on the inside, and with a little transparent section in the middle. Perfect! When that is said, I would expect this at a Michelin starred restaurant. Co-diners were also “yummying” over their main courses.

We skipped dessert and went for the cheeseboard instead. The waitress was very generous with us. I think we all managed to get 8 different cheeses laid up on plates and we truly enjoyed it. Of course we had another bottle of wine, a fortified muscat from Australia, to go with all this, it would have been rude not to ;o) Coffee and petit four completed a great lunch.

The restaurant offers 3 courses for £35 for lunch and £45 for dinner. I find this very reasonable priced. We had a lovely day, lovely food and lovely service in a lovely restaurant. I will definitely come back another time and I will try not to be late. Thank you!

I have been to Chez Bruce three or four times and it's always a stunning culinary experience. Probably my favourite restaurant in London. The building itself is small and cosy but the atmosphere is one of merriment and people indulging in the best a kitchen can offer. The staff are always friendly and very helpful; they take your coat, seat you where you want (subject to reservations), and the manager, sommelier and waiting staff are very helpful in aiding you to choose a complementary wine or walking you through the more ornate descriptions of the dishes on the menu.

Oh but what dishes they are! Frequently, whilst glugging away at a nice St. Estephe with a mouthful of guinea-fowl, I wish that someone would reach across the table and stab me to death with my own cutlery, just so I am spared the disappointment of the rest of my life after the meal is over. But then I remember I can always come back another day and my desire to live once again burns bright.

Particular highlights from recent visits are the fois gras, which is generous and absolutely sublime. It comes with two brioches and if you require more then it is never a problem, and a warm tertiary slice will soon be in your hand. Similarly, the ox heart is simply the most succulent and melting portion of meat one could ever imagine.

I've only ever had one complaint with the food at Chez Bruce, and that was an offensive dollop of vimto-like raspberry ice-cream. The fact it was adorning the most delicious slice of cheesecake I have ever tasted (and I am a big cheesecake supporter) did assuage my pain somewhat. The last time I went there, maybe a fortnight ago, I had lemon mascarpone and limoncello gateau and blackcurrant sorbet and it was probably the most perfectly balanced dessert I have ever had. The sensation of it is one of refreshing the palate and then smacking it with delightful zesty flavours, each forkful is a pleasure.

So basically, just pick anything of the menu – it'll be fantastic. Similarly, the wine list is equally superb.

At £45 for three courses it really is an absolute bargain. This is a little treasure of a restaurant.

Our last restaurant experience was nothing short of a calamity at Hix (oh it's just won Time Out's top bars…hmmmm). This one was nothing short of culinary excellence. We have been to Chez Bruce over the years. My first experience must have been at least 10 years ago and more recent to that probably no closer than 5. There now seems to be no doubt in my mind that those tried and tested restaurants that quietly get on with the business of delivering expertly cooked food with attentive service and great ambiance are 99 times out of a 100 more likely to deliver your naturally and deservedly high expectations when you go to a restaurant where you know, even with the great value lunch time offers, are going to cost in excess of £100 for two.

This was my Father's Day treat and a chance for Lisa and I to have some time together after the last few weeks. Chez Bruce has a great lunch time offer of £19.95 for 2 courses or £25.95 for 3 – and it's a well thought through a la carte menu, not a collection of obviously cheap dishes. It was a Monday and yet there were plenty of fish dishes (fresh not frozen!) and that's what we chose as a main course but I am getting ahead of myself.

We ordered a bottle of Portuguese white wine. I am tightfisted at the best of times and have learnt that these wines are on the whole pretty good and undervalued. You can be confident that if the sommelier at Chez Bruce has put a wine on the list its going to be OK. We made a great choice, Planalto Branco Reserva 2008 Duoro – a ‘cheap’ wine compared to the rest of the list at £24, the cheapest Burgundy was £26. The first bottle was corked but not even presented at the table, the sommelier had checked, we were presented with this bottle and was duly tasted (I felt i had to! – it was the perfect temperature, a delicious wine, complex with huge fruit yet dry at the same time.

It was a good start, no, it was a great start, that and being served freshly made (still hot) parmesan biscuits and freshly baked bread. Our starters arrived. Mine was Sliced roast pork belly with tonnato dressing, anchovies, parmesan and crackling. What can I say, it was superbly executed, the presentation and the balance of colour and texture just proved what is stated on the website that the inspiration comes from true legends such as Elizabeth David, Jane Grigson and the Dr Johnson of the culinary world, Larousse. This is not a chef trying to impress a la Saturday Kitchen, this is proper cooking, centuries old techniques perfectly honed to produce awe inspiring food. Lisa had an equally well thought through and perfectly executed dish Cornish crab with leek and cockle vinaigrette, warm potato salad and tartare sauce. What a start…

We both ordered fish. Now given my last experience and that was ordering fish on a Friday, normally a traditionally safe bet, we ordered fish on a Monday. My dish was Fillet of sea bream with shellfish sauce, potato pancakes, shrimps and basil and could not have been fresher if the chef had literally walked in that minute straight from the dock. The sauce was steeped in flavour combining the brown shrimps and mussels, fish stock and cream. It was seriously delicious. Lisa had Roast cod with olive oil mash, grilled courgette and gremolata which was equally as delicious.

I was seriously blown away by this cooking and a little depressed that so many terrible restaurants get rave reviews because of who is in the kitchen and the ability of full witted PRs to sleep walk lazy journalists into writing good reviews for piss poor performances. Even Giles Coren has admitted getting carried away with the moment and giving good reviews where it hasn't been deserved.

On the strength of what we had eaten so far, not having a pudding would have been darned right rude and given the fact that the pudding wine list ran into over 50 wines we just had to, didn't we?! We went for an obvious choice and boy was it divine Hot chocolate pudding with praline parfait washed down with a red pudding wine. Suffice it to say it was similar to fire works at the end of a great party. It was in every way the grand finale and underpinned what was simply one of the best meals we had had in a very long time. Oh and if that wasn't enough they came round with some shortbread which I am surprised wasn't weighed down on account of its lightness.

Chez Bruce is another very good reason to live in South London and another good reason to continue to support restaurants that are worthy of our hard earned money. I am done with making mistakes of going to over reviewed, over stated restaurants and remember the adage that all the glitters isn't gold. Chez Bruce on the other hand is a real treasure.

A friend and I went to Chez Bruce on Friday 21st May, and I have to say we were very disappointed. What has happened to this restaurant? Firstly we asked if we could move as we were seated in between two busy tables, although there was plenty of room in the restaurant. We ordered our food and a nice bottle of Montrachet.. which we had to pour ourselves (not what you expect from a Michelin star restaurant) Then our starter arrived while my friend was away from the table. The starter was ok.. but not to a partculary high standard. My friend also requested to have an alternative type of potato as he doesnt eat butter. This didnt seem a problem at the time. We said that we felt it was poor for food to arrive while one person is absent. Then the same then happened again with the main?? And according to my friend is was sitting there for a good few minutes. At this point we were quite disappointed, so decided to pay for the wine, and leave. We didnt want to make a fuss, just said we felt the service was poor.
Then to our amazement i receive a call from the man himself, Bruce Poole, he was ranting and raving, and generally being aggressive towards me. He accused us of walking out of his restaurant, and not paying the bill, although we paid for the wine… which was not cheap.. and we didnt eat the main. He then said we asked to move, and also asked if we could change the potato. Surely this isnt a big deal to a restaurant of such high standard. I explained that the food (both dishes) arrived while one person was not present, and asked him if he felt that was acceptable? He kept talking over me… then slammed the phone down. Outrageous! Surely he should listen and take the comments onboard. We even said we'd come back, but he made it quite clear that wasnt a good idea. His attitude was awful, totally out of line. I called him back explained that we eat out a lot, and this paricular experience was disappointing… But all he kept doing was shouting. I mean, who does he think he is? Gordon Ramsey? Not! Maybe this was an off day, but I can honestly say I will not be recommending this restaurant to anyone. His attitude has completely let it down.
Chez Bruce has certaintly gone down hill.. and if you ask me i think its Michelin Star should be reviewed…

I was in short deeply disappointed by my visit to Chez Bruce 29th April 2010. I have heard nothing but great things from friends and for some reason had not been before. Perhaps I caught them on a bad day but the service was plain bad. I had to ask to order drinks, ask to order food and then when the cheese came I was told these are the blue cheeses, these the goats milk…these are the hard ones…???! The food itself was good, certainly not great and nothing on other top London restaurants. I actually found La Trompette superior in every way. Yes it is not expensive when compared some but in my opinion not a patch on L'Autre Pied (which being a French 1 star a direct comparison) for example. A totally disappointing experience. Perhaps the hype led me to believe the food would be better which is perhaps unfair but the service was without question poor.

I had eaten (obviously some time ago) at Harveys, MPW’s home for many years which occupied the same space. I have eaten at La Trompette many times and a few times at The Glasshouse but never seemed to make it to Chez Bruce. Birthday dinner seemd to be a good time to pop my Chez Bruce cherry.

I did probably have above average expectations, I know the quality of the sister restaurants (and Nigel Platts-Martin’s pedigree – I love the Ledbury – The Square not as much but appreciate it!), and the problem with such high expectations is that you can get very disappointed – very quickly.

The dining room is small. Too small. It does pack ‘em in. On the upside it has a front room kind of feel, warm and inviting. A low, cheery buzz of diners chatting. This does however make the service a tad bumpy and possibly why it was a little slow.

Then the menu – it is safe to say that I could have eaten nearly all the dishes on the menu. They all called out to me in some way. Game Sausage with cotechino, Smoked Eel and Salmon Terrine and Jerusalem artichoke soup (one of my favourite things) – but the winner was the Capocollo with Celeriac Remoulade, Rocket and Grissini.

I like to know what I am going to eat, but I feel that the menu really does waste quite a lot of ink. What with the world melting and toner cartridge prices going up surely the dish should have been named Capocolla and Celeriac Remoulade. Aside from the name and the printing, this was lovely. I prefer this to the ubiquitous Parma ham, altogether more smoky and tasty. Celeriac remoulade was perfectly executed, kick of mustard – check, creamy consistency – check. A simple dish but exactly what I wanted on a cold evening.

Next up – Confit of Pork Belly with caramelised apple, black pudding, savoy cabbage, mustard and crackling – my fingers are really getting tired typing out all these names…So – So – So Soft and crispy on top. I have never thought of confit-ing pork belly before, but it is now on the list. The menu description missed off, potato, carrot and pearl onion all roasted in there own juices! It was a great dish. Warming and perfectly sized and a classic combination.

Puddings all looked inviting and I ended up going chocolatey. Hot Chocolate Pudding with praline parfait – amazingly pronouncable and only using 11 syllables. Now I don’t know what I expect anymore when I see the words ‘hot’ and ‘chocolate’ on a pudding menu, is it a cake, an hot mousse, a fondant, soufflé ?? Lots of chefs have tried to improve upon Raymond Blancs Signature Chocolate dish, many have failed, but along the way they have all tried to invent their own name for it- I have said it before and I will say it again the Chocolate Bento box at Nobu is the best chocolate pudding in the land BUT it is just a Chocolate Fondant.

My pudding kinda was just a bit of soft chocolate cake with a lot of sauce and a very good praline ice-cream – not parfait – again can’t we just say what we mean.

It was a lovely meal overall. After the great bottles of wine and the extra plates of cheese it was just shy of £100 a head. That is due to indulgence, but I think that of an evening or a lunchtime Chez Bruce is more that affordable. They do what I consider to be the only way to price a restaurant – you pay a fixed price for two or three courses and supplement that for truffles/caviar and such. Dinner is £42.50 ahead that way at Chez Bruce, which I think is fair and it will make you go back again and again.

The thing is I am not sure I will be back. Sure the menu annoyed me with it’s descriptions, the room was too cramped and the service a little slow all of which are easily forgivable when paired with the food – but I think what it really lacked was any kind of excitement, oomph or pizzaz – it was just safe.

Don't know why its taken so long for me to go, well I do I live in North London and its a schlep! Having made the effort I appreciate what all the fuss is about. The menu is more imaginative than you get at a Conran restaurant, except The Orery, not up there with The Square, but some where between the two. What they do they do very well indeed. Staff are charming, efficient and know what they are talking about. I was there for lunch as local restaurant suspect its better for dinner, but was pleasantly surprised by how full it was even if a large number of my fellow diners were on the mature side.
Especially good for romantic couples of any age in the evening and since it is within a stones throw of Wandsworth Common BR, even good for those coming from further than the other side of the common.

I booked a meal for my Mums 60th Birthday, and everything from booking the table to recieving the bill was 1st class. The food was excellent, the service was attentive but not intrusive, and we were not rushed ( 3hrs 15min). The drinks and wine were excellent and very reasonably priced. I cannot give praise high enough and will definitley be back. IJ

We went dinner on the weekend. I heard good things of Chez Bruce so we were very looking forward for it. The view was lovely which locates just in front of the park. The course was 40 pounds for 3 courses only. The wine was pricy. I assumed they served more than 2 times of shop prices. I ordered pig belly at the appetizer and rabbit at main course. The pig belly was average with no surprise and the rabbit was far too salty. The dessert was too sweet but acceptable. In the end of dinner, when the staff served wine to the glass of my boyfriend, he mistakenly spilled the wine to his water glass. It was no problem, everybody makes a small mistake. Surprisingly, he asked if we want another bottle of water at our cost at the end of the dinner. It was lovely place with good quality of food, but it does not worth for the cost. I will not return and do not recommend to my friends unless you live in the area.

I love this restaurant. I have eaten here for over 10 years as I am a Wandsworth resident and it very rarely if ever disappoints. Last Thursday I again had a fabulous meal. My starter was Gaspacho with almonds and basil oil and it is the best Gaspacho that I have ever tasted having recently suffered through Murano's and St Alban's rather tasteless versions. It was confirmation that when made correctly,it is a fabulous starter for a hot summer evening. I then had salmon salad,sauce vierge and crushed potatoes. The flavours mixed beautifully, my only complaint being that the portion was very small or at least looked it on the plate. Desserts to me are always a bit of a disappointment at this restaurant and I usually go for the cheese board but the salted caramel ice cream was outstanding. The restaurant as always was completely full by 9:00 making me wonder if the credit crunch truly exists or is a function of Robert Peston's imagination. The service was excellent,attentive not overly familiar and helpful. Most times when I venture north of the river I am disappointed I think I will stay here and save a few litres of petrol

Excellent food, excellent service. And consistent over many years.

Only gripe is that the tables are close together, so you wouldn't want to be having any sort of important conversation — but that's only really a problem when dining as a couple.

The cheese board is the best in London. Fantastic selection and unlike some places they are not at all stingy, and you get to try everything you like the look of. Cannot recommend enough.

They do pack you in a bit – had to listen to the couple next to us and their latest drama's with her mother (albeit rather amusing drama's!) but it didnt detract from what is still a fantastic little restaurant. Food was great, good selection, exceptionally high quality and plenty of it. Nightmare to get a reservation here so book well in advance. Enjoyed it immensely – was very busy and staff weren't always as attentive as we'd hope but would def return. Bill was exceptionally reasonable too.

If you are a lover of cheese then do not skip the cheeseboard at the end of your meal.
It is really exceptional.
Great service, great food, great place!

I have to say Chez Bruce certainly lives up to expectations – i was nervous as i thought i wouldn't be the right ‘fit’ for a place rated so highly and seemingly so ‘posh’ but the food is delicious and the service is flawless. My partner and i took a lazy afternoon off as it's cheaper during the week/at lunch and spent the time indulging there.

WE LOVE THIS PLACE!

PErfect for all occasions – dates, anniversaries, boisterous family meals, private groups… This place really is the pride of South London.
The staff are all so friendly, enthusiastic, knowledgable and make the experience all the better. The atmosphere is relaxed and uncomplicated. The sommelier is a genius and the food is awesome.

Creamed morel taglietelle, foie gras parfait, fried duck egg, navarin of lamb and roast veal are all heartily recommended whilst the cote de boeuf and cod and olive oil mash recommend theirselves. The puds look spectacular but I'v never managed to resist the cheese board – a real experience!

We were once dining with family and were offered complimentary dessert wines to match our picks 'to make up for the delay in receiving our main course' – we hadn't even noticed! Bruce Poole then came out to check we were OK.

I feel guilty if I don't visit at least every other month although the recent price increase has made it more luxury. At Sunday lunchtime's however, its still an absolute bargain!