Wednesday, March 6, 2013

London, England - Balthazar London






A little taste of New York has finally arrived in London. French brasserie and Soho's Spring Street institution, Balthazar, has just recently opened, to much anticipation, in Covent Garden. Serving only dinner at the moment (breakfast and lunch will follow in the middle of March for all-day nonstop dining) Balthazar is already packed to the gills and teeming with energy. They have gone out of their way to replicate the interior style of the NYC original and thankfully, the homemade bread and pastries taste just as good as they do stateside. 







I was there this past Saturday night and I cannot say enough about the level of service we received. The bartender decanted our bottle of wine, which was relatively young, without us having to ask. The food was not outstanding, but I imagine the kitchen is still working out the kinks of being open for such a short period of time. The dessert, as you would expect, was simply delicious.

Château Pavillon Rocher ‘05 from St. Émilion
ROASTED FILLET OF COD with crushed potatoes, olive tapenade and pistachios
BALTHAZAR BAR STEAK with french fries and maître d’ butter or bearnaise sauce
BRUSSELS SPROUTS
APPLE TARTE TATIN with butterscotch sauce and Calvados crème fraîche

Not to be forgotten is the adjacent bakery serving breakfast treats, pastries, bread, salads and sandwiches for takeaway.  Everything is baked in-house, and I dare you to walk by the boulangerie window without flinging yourself inside immediately. I, for one, never resist temptation. 

© Sophie Loves Food
© Sophie Loves Food

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3 comments:

  1. I was so excited when I found out Balthazaar was opening and took a couple of hours to get a reservation. I totally agree with you that the ambiance was great and totally wowed by the staff. I definitely think the kitchen needs some time to warm up but will definitely give it a try for lunch. It did feel really nice in there and made me super homesick. Love the take home goodies from the bakery too!

    Here's my review if you get a chance to check it out :) xox

    http://lattesandjuice.blogspot.co.uk/2013/02/a-little-bit-of-nyc-across-pond.html

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  2. I'm so glad you got to check it out too! How cool that we have a little piece of NYC in London now ... if only it were in Mayfair ha ha. Great review (I could devour 2 bread baskets myself!) and so happy to hear you are up blogging again. We should do a tea soon! Axx

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    1. Oh I wish it were in Mayfair! We were actually chatting about that schlepping home from Covent Garden. It's not my fave being jammed with all those tourists. Would love to do tea again soon an catch up with all your glamorous jetsetting! Totally jealous of all your amazing outtings. x

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