Chez Bruce

Fantastic service throughout the meal; they paid particular attention for my girlfriend’s birthday — very appreciated, it really meant a lot. The thoughtfulness was fantastic. The breads were really great, but the focaccia was a little too salty. The chorizo and broccoli tagliatelle starters were top notch — ⁵⁄₅. The duck and pigeon main courses were good. Compared to other regular restaurants, they were clearly another level above, but compared to other Michelin star awarded restaurants the main courses didn’t blow me away. I rate the chocolate pot and baked alaska deserts 3.5−4÷5. While my review may seem harsh, the experience and food was still superb.

Took my parents and godfather here for a meal to thank them for supporting me through university– recommended by a foodie friend for the occasion. I was blown away by the fantastic service, the delicious food and accoutrements.
On greeting us the waiters took our coats and showed us to a nice round table by the window. It was right by the entry area but sufficiently sheltered that the noise of the restaurant and the cold from the opening door did not disrupt our meal.
A delightful young man talked us through the menu and on request gave us recommendations and his thoughts on the menu. He was poetically spoken and clearly knew the menu inside out.
Following ordering he brought us breads to try– the rosemary focaccia was particularly good– though perhaps a little too salty for my taste. The walnut bread was delicious.
I had the artichoke salad to start. The ingredients were fresh and paired fantastically together. It was a delight for the taste buds without leaving me feeling too stuffed for main. (My eyes are often much bigger than my stomach!)
The roast cod I had for main was a true masterpiece– perfectly cooked juicy flakes of seaside joy! The truffle mash potato had great depth of flavour and the enochi mushroom sauce added another level to the dish.
For pudding I opted for the intriguing apple sablé, an invention of the chef, with bay leaf, cavlados and raisins. It was a curious mixture of autumn harvest and rich almost bacon-​y goodness. I strongly recommend it!
To finish I ordered a simple black coffee, not particularly expecting anything special (apparently I hadn’t learnt despite the show upon show of mouthwatering goodies I’d had bestowed upon my plate). Again I was gifted with a delicious, rich but highly drinkable coffee presented with truffles and palmiers. Delicious!
The whole meal and experience truly impressed me and I was thrilled to find such a fantastic restaurant so close to home! The bill set me back a fair few pennies but absolutely worth it– especially if you’re taking a loved one for a momentous but understated meal. Looking forward to going again!

I have been to Chez Bruce several times now, always enjoying very much the food. The restaurant proposes every time different menus and at lunch a meal with a carafe of wine can cost around £50, while tt dinner is more expensive. Obviously not exactly cheap, however, you might really experience incredibly good dishes, like the «pappardelle with duck ragu’» that I tasted last time. Delicious. Personal is nice and discrete, portions are not huge, but the combination of the three courses proposed, plus the offer of several (very good) breads and biscuits does satisfy you also in terms of quantity. My opinion is that this is not a «normal» restaurant but it «plays in another, superior Liga». The Michelin star is fully justified. I really recommend it for special occasions.

Chez Bruce is perfection. From service to food to décor. Unilocal tells me my review is too short. Perfection doesn’t require many words! Our favorite.

My partner surprised me with a birthday meal, I had always wanted to go as I drove past most evenings and was intrigued.
As we entered the restaurant the welcome was efficient but warm and there was no issue when we didn’t like the choice of table and were offered another with ease.
The menu was a three course option with the choice being just right.
I opted for the crap ravioli and stuffed chicken for main and my partner went for the warm duck salad and rump of lamp.
The dishes were just the right amount and without sounding boring outstanding.
All of the time the staff were available however kept a subtle distant.
We then had dessert and were totally stuffed.
For the wine we opted to have the sommelier choose a glass for each dish and there were no complaints.
Overall a lovely evening

One Michelin Star for the best place my wife and I ate so far! The food is perfect, served with the right tempo and the right amount of attention from the staff. The Mushroom soup with poached egg was perfectly cooked, and both the chicken and the cod made the meal a tasteful and satisfying experience. The desserts were also exquisite, but I must recognise my wife’s choice (the quince) was delicious! The wine list is fantastic and I ended up having a glass of 2005 Barolo, served to heavenly oxidised perfection. We’ve payed much more in lower standards restaurants, and here you do get what you pay for — quality. The ambience is exclusive with a hint of belle époque glamour (with more contemporaneous Mad Men fashion. To be repeated!

Can’t be faulted on quality, service or atmosphere.
We had the Cote de Boeuf to share, simply perfect, tender and well garnished. The deconstructed cheesecake to finish was sublime.
Alas, with somewhere so perfect there is always the bill — which certainly won’t disappoint. Don’t expect to get out for less than three figures.

I have been to Chez Bruce 3 times now and I am delighted with it. I took my Dad the other week and he loved it.
I will be back when the Bank Balance is replenished.

We had booked the special Sunday dinner offer of £30 for 3 courses. At the time of booking, the ground floor was booked up so we were offered a table in the upstairs room which overlooks Wandsworth common. When we arrived, only 2 of the 7 tables were taken but as other tables started to arrive, particularly the 2 group tables of 3 and 4, it got to be a bit too noisy. Do not book into upstairs if it is just two of you!
We ordered the sliced rare beef with leeks and hake confit for starters, Aylesbury duck with roast foie gras and sea bream was for mains, and the hot chocolate pudding and pistachio cake for dessert. All were excellent and definitely good value for money that we paid. We will definitely come back another time.

Sometimes if you wait too long for something it simply doesn’t have a chance to live up to your expectations. Chez Bruce, I waited a long time and unfortunately you fell slightly short. But let me explain…
So, along with hubby I took my parents for a meal one Saturday night. A generous wedding present from work helped fund the majority of our food at £40 a head for the three course menu. I think I chose pretty well, as my tuna starter was beautifully cooked and started the meal off perfectly. Husband being a foie gras aficionado opted for said dish and was greeted with something that looked particularly average and unfortunately not really anything to shout about.
The fresh foie gras that came with my duck however was amazing and was a highlight of a slightly interesting asian inspired duck dish. My desert of a salted caramel was a delight too. And all in all the three courses were perfectly balanced, if (only ever so slightly) on the small size.
So, three stars. Yes, well we were seated upstairs, with just four other tables and no background music whatsoever. I know posh places don’t really go in for the whole ‘muzak’ thing, but it really felt like we were eating in someone’s living room and that we’d all happened to have been thrown together. Each table carefully eyeing the other up and keeping our voices slightly below the usual level for fear of disturbing our immediate new dining friends.
Service was perhaps a bit overly fussy and lacking in real warmth from both maître de and waitress.
So, is it worth it? I’d say there are better michelin starred restaurants around and maybe, just maybe, old Chez Bruce is starting to look a little dated. And maybe I was just a few years too late.

Ein wunderbares Restaurant, das Personal ist sehr aufmerksam und effizient, das Essen hervorragend und die Atmosphäre sehr angenehm. Für das Mittagessen sind die Preise erschwinglicher als am Abend (45.00 Pfund für 3 Gänge), jedoch ist selbst für das Abendessen der Preis gerechtfertig.
Wenn man nach London kommt, kann ich dieses Restaurant nur empfehlen!

This place has a devoted group of delighted customers (us included) and its easy to see why: at dinner this week the welcome was warm and relaxed, the food was largely balanced and delicious and the service was perfect.
Good selection of breads, parmesan amuse bouche simply melted in my mouth. Pâté and toasted brioche? Superb. We had mixed feelings about the mains: my cod and olive mash was very tasty but partner’s choucroute had no visual bite and disappointed his palate as well. The tarte tatin was excellent. After all that, I was astonished by average-​tasting coffee and highly forgettable truffles.
Do go if you can.

My boyfriend said that his lamb was the best lamb he’s ever had, and my fish was delicious.
This is an odd aside, but the lighting in just gorgeous — soft and warm, but not too dark to eat in. Everyone looks peachy-​skinned and attractive in that kind of light…
There are only two things that aren’t perfect about this restaurant. Firstly the tables are far too close together… literally elbow to elbow with the next door table in some of the tighter spots. I knew this ahead of time, so asked for a table in a quiet corner; and they were happy to oblige luckily (definitely do the same). Secondly, there is only a set menu so you have to have 3 courses. It’s definitely not a place for a ‘lighter meal’ and as a woman, the volume of creamy food is difficult to get through — though I gave it a good go because I’m a trooper.

Parfait!
We have been wanting to go here for a long time ever since we heard it was London’s favourite restaurant and Michelin starred. Now I see why. Six of us ate here and I heard more than one, «This is the best restaurant I’ve eaten at in years.» Having just moved from the French-​Swiss border region, I thought nothing could beat the refinement of some of the food we had there, but this restaurant did. I could go on and on about the food but the best I can say is that everyone’s was absolute perfection and the staff will help you find exactly what is perfect for you.
It’s not just about the food, but the service. With a friendly, professional staff and very unpretentious environment, we got expert advice on the food and wines that would suit us well and tasted some of the finest and complex wines I’ve ever had. One thing that some people might not like about the restaurant is that the timing of the service is more like what you would expect in France. I wouldn’t say ‘slow’ but…‘gradual.’ This wasn’t an issue for us because we enjoyed the conversation and it gave time for the food to digest.

Britische Küche und gute Küche schließen sich in diesem Restaurant nicht aus.
Preislich in der oberen Region.

Was here for a meal with friends on Saturday, the food was excellent and the service was great.
The attention to detail wit the food was apparent, and generally you couldn’t ask for more.

Was here with a small group for a Saturday lunch, and could not have been more pleased.
The service was excellent — and considering the crazy team of people, could not have been better. Every little request was met over our 5 hour meal with pleasure. The sommelier was patient and helpful with our picky and diverse group, and the servers where wonderful.
The food was prepared to perfection. I am a very picky eater, and generally prefer ala carte dining to mix and match things I like, but the menu offered enough diversity I had no problems finding something to my taste. The wine list is superb, and I felt fairly priced — in line with London prices.
Overall, deserves the star and warrants the trek from central London on any day.

No doubt one of the best dining experiences I’ve had since moving to London. The £20 set menu (if booked on toptable) was extremely good value with a wide selection to chose from. Their signature starter — the foie gras parfait was a little strange at first with the presentation but it the consistency was delightful and couldn’t have tasted any better. As a main, I ordered the pork variety dish with sauerkraut which was perfectly enjoyed with the cold weather and snow. Finished off the meal with a hot chocolate cake which melted in your mouth.
It was nice and cozy with lovely view of the common. Highly highly recommend.

I’ve been a couple more times since my original review and just want to add a note about lunch — do it. We went for lunch at the weekend and it’s just a lovely lovely experience. It feels special, but laid back, and you can walk it all off on the common afterwards.
I’ve also since had the cheese board and can recommend it. I would’ve liked to have been told a bit more about the cheese I chose (rather haphazardly) — the head waiter was obviously quite busy. Also, he looked really taken aback when I asked him which cheese he’d prefer of two — surely he should know what tastes nice? Anyway, maybe that’s just some random restaurant faux-​pas I didn’t know about, don’t ask waiters what cheese they like to eat.
One of the cheeses tasted like photocopier toner, which was nice in a weird way, and you can’t buy that in Waitrose my friends.
Still worth the money, and a great place to take friends for a treat, as we did.

The restaurant was about a 35 min cab ride from my hotel, but totally worth the trek! The neighborhood that was equivalent to Manhattan’s Williamsburg.
My appetizer was crab with warm artichoke barigoule and herb gnocchi. For the entrée, Roasted cod with olive oil mashed, grilled courgette, and gremolata. Desert was a muscovado custard with crème fraiche ice cream and roasted macadamia nuts. A magnificent meal!!!
Service and décor a 10! I’d go back a thousand times again!

‘South of the river’ has become a dirty phrase for many Londoners and this vast area falls outside the radar of many food writers and guides — perhaps most significantly the critical eyes of the surreptitious inspectors at Michelin. Chez Bruce then, is a lone star in a very bleak sky (with the exception of the Glasshouse at Kew), and following my first visit on Saturday, one that I’m sure will continue to shine brightly.
There is a rich culinary history contained within the walls of Chez Bruce, as this was the site of Marco Pierre White’s first venture ‘Harveys’ in the late 80s. Since 1995, Bruce Poole has kept the magic alive. The dining room is intimate and elegant, overlooking the leafy Wandsworth Common. There is no a la carte at lunch time, which I welcome in this sort of restaurant, as it tends to offer more options per course at a reasonable price.
The dining room was packed when we arrived towards the end of service but front of house were very polite and attentive. We ordered a 2008 Albariño with the help of the stand-​in Sommelier which was the perfect recommendation based on our requirements. A starter of mackerel fillet with baby squid, chorizo, grape and tomato was cooked well and very refreshing if a little too sweet from the fruit. A main of sautéed Guinea Fowl with ravioli, creamed girolles, gem lettuce and tarragon was delicious and very generous but the meat was a little over-​cooked and dry as a consequence. Finally, sticky toffee pudding with vanilla ice cream served in a brandy snap was very rich, and hardly touched the sides on the way down.
The cooking here was superb but portion sizes were arguably too big. Were I not a gluttonous pig, I would have struggled to finish everything. I couldn’t manage a coffee at the end which was disappointing, given the lovely looking truffles it came with. Nonetheless, I would certainly return as it was exceptional value and more pleasant than what much of ‘north of the river’ has to offer.

It’s nice to have a Michelin starred restaurant south of the river near to me. Chez Bruce is part of a group also comprising fellow starred restaurants La Trompette in Chiswick and The Glasshouse in Kew. Speaking to the waiter at Chez Bruce, the credit crunch has had an effect on some of the fellow restaurants but Chez Bruce’s bookings are still holding up well.
Speaking about the booking process, I have to give you a tip. Every time I’ve booked, I’ve been told that they’re fully booked. However, they have a smaller room upstairs — when I’ve then asked whether I can have a table there, they have always said yes! They’ve then tried to push me for a certain time and when I’ve asked for the time I want, they’ve said yes! And on arrival, the upstairs room hasn’t been full. Having said that, they’re very efficient and you always get a phonecall a day ahead to check that you’ll turn up for your booking.
The restaurant is close to Wandsworth Common train station and I generally park in the free station car park. Inside the unassuming front door is a world of calm and wonderful service. The waiting staff have never been anything but friendly and attentive in the right amount. Never too pushy but with a helpful suggestion if required. For example, tap water is offered without a bat of an eyelid.
Chez Bruce offers a £40 prix fixe menu at dinner with ⁷⁄₈ choices for each course. The style of food is generally good French brasserie with a changing menu depending on produce and seasonality. I am however very impressed that they do push the culinary boundaries as well. For example, last year, they did have calf’s brain as a starter and I was gutted to have missed it while it was on the menu.
Generally, I’ve enjoyed the starters and desserts with inventive and clean flavour combinations. A recent inventive starter was the duck, green bean and prosciutto salad which was served like a pancake and an example of a dessert is a pear and almond croustade which was a whole pear baked in a pyramid of filo pastry served with poire William and apple ice cream. Although always well cooked the main courses don’t somtimes hit the heights of the starters and desserts, mainly when some of the flavour combinations become muddied.
On paying the bill, we were given a card offering us a half price meal at The Glasshouse till the end of March.
I’ve brought several friends from out of town to Chez Bruce. It offers a reliable and high class dining experience.