Why always go for the British classic-egg and soldiers, when you can also go for its culinary French cousin baked Camembert and soldiers Champagne and Fromage. Melty, cheesy goodness. The meats were good too but I loved the cheese and that particular order! And all great value too!
Elizabeth W.
Rating des Ortes: 3 London, United Kingdom
I was very very excited about this place as the menu looks delicious(charcuterie boards, baked Camembert and different cheeses on sour dough) along with champagne. What could be better? Great selection of champagnes and although expensive I like that they’ve stuck with it and don’t offer beer and wine. I had their house option(glass for £9) and it was delicious! Served in pretty glasses. We also ordered a salad with cheese and sausage, baked Camembert with onion chutney and raspberries and a duck confit and cheese tartine. Although menu states a 20 min wait for the Camembert it was quite early on a Friday night and everything came in 10⁄15 minutes. Camembert was delicious, as was duck and cheese toast however they brought the wrong salad with only some cheese rather than with sausage. They apologised and said they’d bring the right one out but actually just plopped some sausage on and bought our old salad out. Bit put out but ok! Everything was nice but I just thought as that was their thing they could make it better. Especially presentation — the salad was in a small breakfast bowl which was hard to eat from. Dessert was ok but small and simple for the £6 price I was planning on coming back with a friend in the summer but I actually don’t think I’ll bother coming back For those who want cheese and champagne i would recommend and say go for it but would recommend lots of other places in the area over this!
Alexandre C.
Rating des Ortes: 5 Paris, France
Must do for all cheese and or champagne enthusiasts! We had as a first course a baked cheese with apricot and nuts, I am used to eat baked camembert on the barbeque in France however the sweetness of the apricot had an amazing taste to the camembert and for people who are not used to eating cheese, it makes it gentler. And of course a plate of charcuterie! As a main course we all took different tartines, we tried them all and they were all very good! I can only advise to take one with ewe or goat cheese if you had a camembert already, these cheeses are stronger and that way you will be able to taste them completely while other might be dulled by what you ate before. For drinks you can only get champagne. It is a shame because if you are used to drink white wine with your cheese you will be disappointed and also because champagne is more expensive which put the cheapest bottle you can buy at 53£. Book in advance! The restaurant is small which means it is full on Friday and Saturday nights. If you have back problems asks specifically for seats with a back otherwise you will be on a stool, it adds to the rustic, French countryside atmosphere but can be a problem for some.
Chloe W.
Rating des Ortes: 4 London, United Kingdom
I went here last night with a few colleagues and it was DELICIOUS! OMG this place was made for my taste-buds. We got ridiculous amounts of cheese boards, baked camemberts, meats, tartiflette etc. The champagne(and yes, they only do champagne, no wine for the wicked) was delicious, if pricey as hell(£54 for the cheapest bottle). I just really liked the casual atmosphere here, bar stools, rows upon rows of cheese and champagne and the staff were sipping at some bubbles too which was nice to see. I do think the place could have done with a couple of £20 wines to choose from but maybe the business model is based on the expensive champagnes?
Anamika A.
Rating des Ortes: 5 Fairmount, Philadelphia, PA
I did a trip to London recently with a girlfriend and we stumbled across this place. What an amazing find! Our server was so helpful with picking our cheeseboard. We also had the baked Camembert with figs & thyme which was delicious! The champagne selection was fabulous and we were also very impressed with the prices. I have been to many wine and cheese bars and felt their prices were very reasonable. We had a very memorable experience here and definitely recommend it!
Punam D.
Rating des Ortes: 2 London, United Kingdom
Came here yesterday for lunch. As previous reviewers have said, the seating is not particularly comfortable. We were seated next to the kitchen and after a while my eyes started to get sore with the smoke, and when we left our clothes stank of it for the rest of the day. The champagne was overpriced and disappointing, but maybe I’m too inexpert to select the right one. We shared a cheese tasting board and a salami tasting board, and asked the server to choose the items. I didn’t rate the charcuterie but the cheese was fine. I though they were a bit stingy with the bread, which I preferred to the abundant toast. We also had the baked Camembert but it didn’t come plain, so we had to order something in it. I chose figs and thyme. The poor cheese was entirely overwhelmed by these quite unnecessary additions. Service was okay but I would not say I really enjoyed my experience.
Liza Jane J.
Rating des Ortes: 2 Sunland, CA
I had some birthday bubbly here after a jam packed birthday day of festivities. I was dying for a quick champagne and unfortunately the service just didn’t do it for me. I have come by to Champagne and Fromage before and I have to say, I found the Champagne selection outstanding and the fromage pairing spot on. My star deductions are simply for the lack of promptness with my simple order for a glass of champagne. We were on a time constraint to and just about to leave when the waiter came by to finally take my order. As I walked into the establishment, the hostess asked me what I was coming for and when I told her a quick glass of champagne I wish she had taken my order instead of having me wait for a server who was chatting up the parties of people that came before us. I used to work in the service industry and I know that it is perfectly appropriate to establish a rapport with clientele but not a the cost of leaving a thirsty and tired customer unsatisfied. Take the order first then continue to chat up the ladies next time, bro. Overall, the champagne and cheese selections are really delicious, just make sure you have time to enjoy it! There are also things like quiches, tartiflettes and others that I have yet to enjoy. Perhaps, it is a sacrilege for me to expect a quick and efficient glass of champagne delivered to me in a timely manner. Perhaps not, bro.
Anil V.
Rating des Ortes: 4 London, United Kingdom
very cosy spot in covent garden. great cheese and champagne selection, you def need to book as it gets busy at the weekends
Lisa C.
Rating des Ortes: 5 London, United Kingdom
Came here for my birthday on a weekday evening and it could not have been more perfect. The staff were very accommodating when I made my booking online and then called to follow up, and they gave me the room downstairs which is perfect for groups of 10 – 15 people. The room is beautifully decorated with a chandelier hanging above a square table that can fit 4 stools on either side. There are also many antique style mirrors around the room and a fireplace(though not in use while we were there). We had a 25% off discount on food, which is a promotion that runs Sunday through Tuesday, which we used on already-reasonable £8 plates of cheese, cured meats, baked cheese, and foie gras. I’d say that the baked camembert was my favourite(LOVED the pesto/sundried tomato combo), but the cured meat plate was very generous and the staff made assortment platters of cheese when we couldn’t decide amongst their set themes of pasteurised, strong, cow, ewe, and goat. The most disappointing was the foie gras(we got it pâté style), which only gave you about 4 thin slices that came with salad and bread… I think the other options are much better value. Unfortunately, the champagne does not come cheap, with the lowest priced bottle around £54 and a number of options in the £60−70 range and the rest just go up from there. But obviously everything available is of good quality and we all woke up in the morning feeling great despite copious amounts of bubbly. For dessert, we also ordered the chocolate fondant(with blue cheese!) and an apple pie, both of which I highly recommend. All of my friends are now in love with this place, and I’d say upstairs is good for groups of 2 – 4 people while downstairs is perfect for medium sized events and special occasions. What an amazing concept.
Johanna G.
Rating des Ortes: 5 Boston, MA
Went here with a friend at around 5:30PM on a Friday evening — no reservation! Plenty of seats as we’d come before the dinner rush. We had the goat cheese board and baked Camembert with pesto and sun-dried tomato. Both were completely awesome, and believe me when I say I wish we got to eat everything off the menu. The bread provided to taste the cheese with was as phenomenal and diverse as the types of cheese — both cheese and bread had interesting textures and were rich in flavour. I definitely recommend this place! We didn’t have their champagne as we were poor college students, but their selection looks promising. Great and friendly service.
T J.
Rating des Ortes: 5 London, United Kingdom
I came here for an Elite event back in the pre-Alex day. It was an amazing event and I loved the owner, Maud’s storytelling, champagne teaching, cheese enthusiastic manner so much that I raved about the place for ages. I even bought the tasting night as presents for friends and family and sent many a colleague off to see a show round the corner for pre-show champagne at the place. But I, in fact, had never been back. Until now. Last Wednesday, I went back for more. More champagne, more fromage, more facts about Champagne(that I’d forgotten since last time) and more Maud. And it was all still brilliant. If you’re looking for a great night out of champagne tastings, or looking for a unique gift for someone who has everything then this is the place. It’s also pretty great for just a drink upstairs or a bottle of great Champagne from houses you won’t get in many wine shops. Fabulous.
Wendy L.
Rating des Ortes: 4 London, United Kingdom
I know nothing about cheese and that kind of bothered my boyfriend being a massive cheese lover. Where I smell cheese like he smells durian(resentful), I love the smell of durian like he loves the smell of cheese. Anyway, this conversation led me to find a cheese restaurant to discover more about cheese and it turns out there aren’t that many. But it was how I came across Champagne plus Fromage which offers a 25% off using Toptable. Located in one of the off street of Covent Garden it was actually quite quiet for its location but perfect for a place to just relax with a few cheese platters and a good champagne. The place was cosy, painted mostly green and displays of different champagne bottles. At the front were the different types of cheeses ready for purchase or for your chosen cheese platter and two staff present to introduce you and tell you more about each variety. Although they were knowledgeable I wish they could be more forward at offering suggestions and recommendations especially for a newbie like me. But with my boyfriend making our choices we chose a good selection. And for those who are also new to cheese like me the place is very pungent due to the presence of blue cheese however after a few minutes I became custom to it especially when the food arrived. Sadly on this occasion the oven was not working so we couldn’t order the Mont d’Or(cheese fondue). And to compensate we just ordered a bit of everything else to share. We started with the cheese platter which consisted of our three different cheeses Bleu de Chevre, Bleu d’Auvergne and a hard cheese. These were accompanies with two grapes and loaves of fruit bread and white baguette. I wish they could have been more generous with the grapes though. Being very new to blue cheese the Bleu des basques was definitely one of the most pungent and strong tasting blue cheeses made from cow’s milk. I much preferred the Bleu de Chevre which was a lot creamer, lighter and less pungent. Of course this is just taste preference as my boyfriend adored the Bleu d’Auvergne. These definitely went well with the fruit bread as the sweetness really balanced out it’s pungency. The Saenkanter came as a harder cheese and had a very enjoyable rich, nutty, and caramel flavour, one I found more easy on the palette although less interesting in texture being less creamy and denser. French Onion Soup was too strong on the alcohol and it became it’s dominant taste being overly bitter and not sweet enough. It seems like not enough time was even for the onions to caramelise. More successful were the lovely poilane croutons and melted Comte Cheese that accompanied it which was smoky, cheesy and crispy but I wouldn’t order this dish again just for the croutons. The baked Camembert with nuts apricot was a bit overcooked. As the oven wasn’t working they may have tried an alternative method to heat it up which resulted in the cheese hardening and becoming quite elastic rather than gooey. Still I very much enjoyed the sweetness of the apricots and the nuts adding a different texture to the cheese. It was a mild cheese as expected although still very cheesy and paired well with the light and airy bread and salad. For the main event we ordered two tartines, the melted Raclette cheese with thinly sliced potatoes, onions, fennel Salami and the Corsican ham and figs on melted Fourme d’Ambert cheese. The first tartine was just pure comfort, melted Raclette cheese sticky, gloppy with a nutty taste over soft fluffy sliced potatoes. It was lightly seasoned to give room for the slices of cold cured meat which was light and added a nice salty meat flavour to it. Th bread was perfect, airy and light yet slightly crispy to hold it all together. Even better was the tartine with the figs which turned out to be more a indulgent dessert with the sweetness of the fig dominating the dish. This was my first exposure to blue cheese paired with fruit and it worked really well. I think it was also because the blue cheese was very mild, sweeter than most of the blue cheese I’ve had which allowed the fig to really balance out any pungency in there. It also had a nice milky and creamy texture. I could have easily just had this dish, me and my sweet tooth. I would love to return to Champagne plus Fromage when their grill/oven is working again as I believe the quality of some of the dishes will improve and it will also give me a chance to try the baked Mont d’Or. I would recommend them to interact with their diners more as surely not everyone who enters has cheese knowledge. Drinks wise it is mostly tea and champagne dominated as they did not understand what port was. But for their quality of cheese and variety it is a place I recommend as not many places allow you to pick your cheeses for a cheese board. A great introduction to the cheese world.
Roxanne o.
Rating des Ortes: 4 Elmsford, NY
It’s such an adorable little french place — modest, folksy, country but focus on good selection of cheese, bread, champagne, yummy desserts and tea. Menu in chalk on the wall or on printed paper. They have awesome tartine — had one with epoisse cheese mousse, caramelized pear and cured duck breast. Came on a plate with 3 servings, open faced. Also had the Dole salad with comte cheese. Yum. Service was warm and welcoming. You can also buy a block of cheese home. Mmmm will be back again for relaxing, casually indulgent and warm place. I love it.
Grant T.
Rating des Ortes: 3 Enfield, United Kingdom
I like cheese and I like bubbly, so this should have been a winner for me, right? Well it was alright. We were seated at a table with stools, and they were quite uncomfortable stools as well, so that was a bit weird. Uncomfortable seating means less of a good time I think. We finally managed to move to an area with real seats after awhile because another table left. We had some cheeses. And they were really good. However, what made things disappointing was every so often the smell of smoke would just come wafting through the shop. It’s as if the people working there were smoking in the kitchen, or smoking near the air vents or something. It was kind of off-putting. There was also an extremely high corkage fee for some of the bottles. There were some we were interested in trying, but when you have to pay 2x as much for the champagne just because you want to drink it there seems a bit ridiculous to me. My suggestion is to stop in and grab a bottle with some plastic«fluts» [sic] and take your much cheaper champagne someplace else where you don’t have to worry about cigarette smoke or paying an extremely high mark-up.
Jules H.
Rating des Ortes: 5 London, United Kingdom
Ohh as everyone knows I love my cheese, but I now add champagne to the list. What a combination. The place is rustic and one can smell the cheese right from entering the place. It’s not too big and its better to reserve a space. We bought a bottle instead of just individual glasses and the we went all out on the cheese! First a cheese board with three delicious sorts of soft cheese. Not enough of the crispy bread with that, but when we cheekily asked for more they gave us loads. We then had baked Camembert with nuts and apricots as well as tartines with walnuts. We were too stuffed to try the desserts, but they looked delicious when they walked by!
James N.
Rating des Ortes: 4 九龍, Hong Kong
I have had this in my bookmarks list for a while, so I was happy when I saw a good deal from Amazon Local. We redeemed it for a 12pm lunch on Sunday, right at opening time. It looks like a small delicatessen with an mismatch assortment of tables and chairs in the side room. We chose some places at one of the high tables, next to the wall. With the deal, we each got a glass of vintage champagne, we could choose a dish each from the cheeseboard and tartines menus, and we each got a dessert. I noticed that there are other special dishes available(including fois gras). We got our glasses of champagne and browsed the menus. Each time I have a glass of champagne I remember how much I really like the taste. We both chose tartines. They took about 10 minutes to prepare. I liked the combination of grilled cheese and meats on the sour dough. Mine had a kind of mustard hint, which I enjoyed. They were tasty and rewarding. For desserts, we liked the sound of the champagne and raspberry tiramisu. Our host checked whether there was any, but we were unlucky: it was all gone on Saturday. We opted for the chocolate fondant as our backup choice. I was hesitant at first, as this came with blue cheese, which I am not a fan of. But, I have to admit that it was a good combination. While I could definitely get the flavour of the blue cheese, it really was a good combination with the rich molten chocolate lava. Happy with the experience and the food. It looks like a good place to visit with a group. I could also see myself popping in to get supplies for a picnic and taking them to one of London’s parks on a sunny day.
Christie K.
Rating des Ortes: 3 London, United Kingdom
Such a cute little place. I made sure to make reservations ahead of time since there are only a few tables. I love that when you walk in, you smell the power of the cheese but it isn’t that overwhelming. I got to the place a little early and hoping to get seated a bit earlier. I was told my table wasn’t ready yet but a group, which looked like they had no reservations, got a table after I did. I don’t see why they even have a reservation system because it all seemed like a bit of a mess. Eventually we were provided a table. I really appreciated how they help you select a bottle of wine. I tend to stay away from chardonney based anything and it was good to get recommendations based on popularity and taste. They were also really accommodating when we asked for a cheese selection to pair with our bottle. Everything was really good(also helps a bit with the check in discount on Unilocal) but the service just went a non existent towards the end of our evening. We couldn’t hunt down a person for the bill if our life depended on it(don’t you want your money??). After getting the bill, it took ages for them to take our payment as well. When we tried to add service on our card, they said they wouldn’t see any of it so pretty much they wanted it in cash — which is fine and luckily we had the cash to provide. I was leaning towards not leaving anything but the American in me couldn’t do it. I really wanted to love this place but I wouldn’t rush back after that experience.
Andrew M.
Rating des Ortes: 5 London, United Kingdom
Hmm… I wonder what you get here? As you would expect, C+F does in fact sell both bubbles and cheese but not the mass-marketed stuff you would typically recognise. Each bottle of bubbly and creamy bit of curd is specially selected by the powerhouse duo(Maud + Stephano) who drive this place forward and make it special. The little shop/café is quite small with a handful of tables and seating for perhaps 15 people at best. The interior is mainly rustic woods mismatched chairs that can’t help but make you feel as if you’ve been transported to a little village in the south of France. The shiny bottles dominate one side of the entrance and the other is home to quite an extensive array of cheeses. The menu covers the back wall with each dish written in brightly coloured chalk that immediately catches the eye. Despite the close proximity, the noise level is minimal with people sedately sipping on a glass of champagne while whiling away the evening. It is a perfect place for a date or to catch up with a friend. Before you worry that the bubbles will go straight to your head(well they will, but why worry about it?), C+F does offer a considerable amount of food the form of cheese and charcuterie plates, tartines(flat slices of sourdough covered in cheese and a wide selection of toppings), a range of salads, and seasonal selections such as escargot and quiche. My eating buddy, Sharon S, placed our food orders while I perused the range of champagnes offered by the glass. The one I really wanted was a tad high at £10/glass(especially when you can buy the bottle in the store for £29) so decided that I might as well try something new and opted for a Pertois-Moriset Vintage 2004 at £14 a glass. Yes I know I said £10 seemed high but this was VINTAGE and discounted from £16 so really I was saving money. The Pertois-Moriset is a 100% Chardonnay Blanc de Blancs Grand Cru which translates(into non-sommelier speak) as a wine made from only Chardonnay variety grapes and damn good ones at that. The wine was lightly carbonated and had a deep potent character similar to lightly fortified wines that finished with a honeyed delicateness that belied its initial boldness. Sharon went for the Michel Furdyna Brut Rosé which was in a more bubbly mood with a fizziness on the tongue and a dry refreshing taste. I confess to thinking her choice went better with food whereas mine was probably best enjoyed alone or with the barest bit of cheese. Food-wise, Sharon had selected a Poitevine tartine and cheese board ranging from a strong Blue de Chévre(blue goats cheese), a Brillat-Savarin affine(triple cream buttery brie), and a middle of the road cheese whose name I can’t remember for the life of me. The brie is always my favourite with a rich creaminess that melted on your tongue. It’s one of those things you know you shouldn’t have but can’t help but indulging in just a little bit more. The blue was sharp but mellowed out just enough when eaten with the provided jelly(I want to say quince but I’m sure it was a more French version). The unnamed middle cheese was good but nothing special and acted as an excellent stomach filler. The tartine was pure heaven and I could have happily consumed the whole thing and asked for seconds. It’s a form of an open faced sandwich and built on a thin lightly toasted slice of sourdough spread with black cherry jam and slices of goat’s cheese. This is then baked just enough to melt the cheese before being topped with copious amounts of coppa(a slightly sweeter version of parma ham). The end result is a delicious marriage of salty and sweet flavours with the robust flavours of the jam providing an excellent counterpoint to the rich saltiness of the coppa. The goat’s cheese acts as a bridge between the two extremes and a soft creamy texture to complement the crunchy bread and chewy coppa. Since no meal would be complete without dessert, we had to try to the chocolate fondant which naturally had a cheese element. At first glance, a chocolate fondant with blue cheese seems doomed to fail but I’ll give it to C+F — they’ve definitely got something there. The dark bitter chocolate works perfectly with the melted blue cheese with the strong bite of the cheese cutting through the richness of the chocolate. I imagine that you need a 70%+ cacao dark chocolate as anything else would up the creaminess to overwhelming. I’d highly recommend this one, though, and it’s rising up the ranks to one of the best fondants I’ve ever had. Overall, an excellent meal and perfect for dates, pre/post theatre snacks, and general catching up. Be warned, it’s quite a small shop so reserve ahead or be prepared to wait. C+F also does delivery for orders above £50(which is less than 2 bottles of bubbly) so it will be something I keep in mind for those summer picnics next year!
Tirthankar D.
Rating des Ortes: 4 London, United Kingdom
I have never been a big fan of wine and cheese(together … individually, i love them both, though not so much on their own). My only real prior experience of wine and cheese had been at a party thrown by three French colleagues many years back … and I can’t say that I had found myself at home there. So I went into the Unilocal event at Champagne + Fromage with an open mind, trying to figure out why so many people like this relatively odd combination of food and drink. The owner was very knowledgable about champagne and she gave us all a great deal of information throughout the session. There were three pairs for us to taste. The champagnes were all good, but I was much more impressed by the cheese. The second one was a very soft creamy Brie which I thought was absolutely fabulous. The last one was a blue cheese. I liked it with the champagne, but I felt that on its own it was a tad too salty. I went back a few days later to taste the Brie once again. The staff there knew about the Unilocal event that had taken place earlier but the one i talked to was not able to identify the correct cheese for me. However another employee knew about the champagnes that had been served and when I identified the matching champagne(based on its very distinctive label), he was able to get the cheese for me. Champagne + Fromage also has a small selection of snacks on offer. A plate of 3 different selection of cheeses, as well as a plate of cured meat, both costs only £8, about the same as the price of a glass of champagne. This shop sells a wide variety of champagnes, mostly from small, independent producers. They have a relatively narrow price range of about £20-£60 per bottle for their range of products. They are also looking at starting a home delivery service for their champagne and cheese. It’s a great new and unique business in Covent garden and I hope it does well. I shall certainly do my part.
Laura L.
Rating des Ortes: 5 Charlotte, NC
Made a return visit after the elite Unilocal event and, again, was very very happy. A staff member helped me pick out an affordable champagne, two cheeses that would pair nicely, a crusty and delicious baguette, and some plastic champagne glasses for us to take as a picnic to watch a movie in Spitalfield market. This place is just absolutely amazing and I recommend you check out the reviews for the Unilocal event to get a better idea of just how fantastic it is. Come for take away, eat in, or a champagne or cheese class. Just lovely.