Gazette

I have never experienced such appalling service in a restaurant in 40 years – haphazard, off-hand, bordering on rude. We waited almost an hour for our main courses, which were quite ordinary. Our table downstairs was next to a store-room door which delivered icy blasts of air to us at ten-minute intervals. I have no idea why this place is always so busy, given the couldn’t-care-less attitude of the staff – we will not be returning.

EDIT: Since the restaurant has moved to larger premises things have very much changed for the better. Service is still a bit patchy but the food is good and excellent value. Have been back several times.

Very nice food and lovely staff in a well kept venue.
Was a little bright for my liking, could have felt a little more relaxed if they dropped the dimmer a notch or two.

Probably the best food I’ve had in Balham – apart from Caminata. The quality of the French food served is probably higher than most fine-dining French restaurants in the City, yet its served in a casual and relaxed atmosphere, and at a cheaper price too.

Its one of the more pricier options in Balham, with the daily specials running at £15-£18 for mains. But if you do come across the Suckling Pig Cooked 4 Ways or the Pig Cheeks in Winter Vegetable Broth, go for it. Because both dishes are amazing.

Check out the pot of chalk and the chalkboard tables – and for footie fans, they have a screen at the back so you can gorge on good French food, good French wine, and watch some great English football.

Reviewed by The London Insider
http://www.london-insider.co.uk/2011/10/review-gazette-br...

went to the new gazette in balham and was pleasantly surprised.

the new restaurant is alot bigger from their previous premises but still sports the same menu and french feel.

had mussels to start which was a massive portion but very nice and fresh along with a ribeye cooked perfectly for main, my partner opted for the onion soup which was rich and thick and a suckling pig special for main. quirky dishes for the meals, all served in pots and pans alike which in some ways add to the intrigue of this restaurant.

too full for dessert but decided to have an after dinner cocktail instead which finished the meal perfectly.

food is served all day as well which is nice and the staff were very helpful when we asked a dozen questions about the menu.

all in all loved the experience and will return

Can't understand all the bad reviews! Gazette is just what Balham needed - a good, honest, unpretencious French restaurant. Infinitely better to the one on abbeville road, whose name escapes me at the moment...

It has lost a bit of charm having moved to the new, bigger premises on the high road, but still delivers decent nosh. recommend the bavette a l'echalotte which comes with a buck of the best chips you've ever tasted! the rillettes (salmon or rabbit, last time I went, but does change) are also well worth a try.

I rarely review restaurants and tend to follow the lead of others enjoying their recommendations as a result.

However, I feel that when a restaurant is so poor and disappointing it is only right to warn others to help prevent any more people having a meal ruined.

So... the charcuterie plate had mortadella and chorizo on it (not French) followed with garlic sausage and saucisson – all of which sang of poor quality, cheaply processed meat served in doorstop sized wedges, all for about £8. Really sad when one considers the basic quality available to even large supermarkets.

The snails were OK but had a distinctly odd/off flavour that was a bit too earthy to be comfortable. I can maybe put that down to the snails themselves but you’d hope a chef would have noted that too.

For the main course, we ordered medium-rare bavette steaks and chips priced at £13 each. Now, being half French I’ve had a few bavettes in my time and it can be a delicious cut of meat from a hopefully happy cow. What arrived were two grey pieces of flesh sitting in a le cresuet style pan covered in a grey/brown gravy with onions. They tasted tired, were cooked through and were not dissimilar to what you’d expect from a school dinner.

Not good at all.

In fact it would be what the French would say if asked to stereotype bad English food, an irony I felt was not lost when mentioned to our very helpful waiter. The very hot pan with steaks in them meant that they had to be transferred to our very hot plates by us, at the table, with no implements whatsoever. Burnt hands anyone? I guess that also contributed to them continuing to cook past medium-rare. No salt or pepper either... however at that stage there was little point as I am not sure it would have contributed anything.
The layout also struck me as odd. The toilet door opened onto the restaurant floor with the bowl no more than a couple of feet from the nearest diner and only separated by a thin wall. If you do decide to go, make sure you do not sit here unless you want unwelcome contributions to your conversation.

On the positive side the wine list was good with some interesting wines like a Madiran and Alicante all sensibly priced. It would have been good to have seen some cheaper wines by the bottle but one can’t have it all.

Sadly for my girlfriend and me this meal was a resounding disappointment and we will not be going back anytime soon. It all felt overpriced, poorly thought out, lazy and complacent. I still felt that they tried to us for a ride and thankfully we stopped by sending the steaks back and heading home.

Been here once, used taste london card. Wasn't the biggest fan, food was ok, onion soup was very tasty, had the steak for main, which was really quite average.

Entertaining atmospere for all the wrong reasons- the waitress accidentally threw someones starters all over the people next to us... white coat as well!!

Unfortunatley the place is just too small, we were sat right next to the door and it was freezing every time someone came in! Limited menu choice as I am not a fish person, however my boyfriend really enjoyed it!

A disaster of a dinner for us. Bavette de boeuf that was tough and stringy - I left most of mine on the plate - and Ile Flottant that was like cotton wool but with less taste. Unbothered staff. Table by the stairs and kitchen and cramped. Go to Harrison's or Brasserie James instead for an evening meal.

Been there a couple of times for brunch - they seem to do a whole sub menu just for eggs - and have had the caeser salad both times which was good. Big on smoothies, and you can sit outside if its sunny. One of my favourite Balham restaurants. Bloody Mary is overpriced however (at about £9).

I’m just not sure of this place. I have eaten here a few times now and each time I feel as if something is missing! The food is ok, the service borders on the poor side (I have never managed to get exactly what I ordered) and the atmosphere… well…. it’s lacking! The only good thing is the wine was quite cheap!

To be fair I have only eaten mid week here and so at the weekend it may be a different scene completely. I’m not going to rush back to find out.

Came out the cold into this Brasserie on a Sunday afternoon. It has a great feel about it and there were a few other tables. The menu was very interesting and we both settled on lunch baguettes which are served on boards and come with salad. We both really enjoyed them.

To drink my wife had a glass of wine, she did not like the first one she ordered so they gave her a different, recommended by them on the house which was very good. I had one of there smoothies which again was good.

Overall really enjoyed it and would go back to try the Belguim beers and some of the dinner dishes.

No stars - I had been there a number of times before and liked it but this time I went and ordered a vegetarian caesar salad, I said I did NOT want any meat, I was waiting there 20 minutes for that salad which cost me £4.70. I got back to work and found there was anchovies in there. I wasted further lunchtime and went back to complain and whether it was the manager or a senior waiter, but he was very rude and said I could just remove the fish aside. He didn’t respect my beliefs or values, refused to give money back and couldn’t understand what the fuss was about. Calling all vegetarians to boycott such a rude and horrible place with such arrogance. I have never felt so humiliated in my life before.

Great new little restaurant just off balham high road, with an outside eating area at the front. I think they must have recently refurbed or bought out what was here before, as I remember getting a bacon sarnie here of a morning. No longer!

With an interesting menu (including really lovely salads and a cote de boeuf to share at £37 for two) and a great selection of wines, this new jazzed up cafe is a great way to while away the lazy summer evenings. Give it a try.

This seems to be a new place (although from their business card, it seems there is an older sister restaurant in SW11), in the spot of the Patisserie Ann Marie, which closed recently.

It’s very French, with a seasonal menu that contains much of what you’d expect in a French brasserie. Our starters (pan fried foie gras and moules mariniere respectively) were excellent, and the main course, a cote de boeuf for two with dauphinois potatoes, was perfectly cooked and could easily have fed three!

Service was very friendly and helpful - when we asked for our daughter’s bavette without the shallot sauce, the waitress happily suggested they could serve it with a pepper sauce instead. Which, judging by our daughter’s comments, was excellent as well.

Definitely worth a visit!