Baby G was away at his grandparents so my lovely wife and I decided to make the most of the balmy summer’s evening and head out into the locality for a drink and a bite to eat. We walked down to the Elephant & Castle near High St Ken for a drink. An old favourite of mine as it's where I used to sneak an underage pint of cider and black back in the day. It's a nice old pub and a little bit shabby but in the right way. After a couple of drinks we were feeling peckish and tried to get a walk in table at the Terrace but it was full which considering the weather was unsurprising. So off we wandered on a vague mission to find French restaurant Chez Patrick that my sister in law had mentioned. It's tucked away on Stratford Road by the Cromwell hospital. It looks charming from the outside, a sort of restaurant within a cottage. It looked busy but my wife popped in to enquire about a table and the charming owner Patrick found us a place in the middle of the restaurant but thankfully under their fan.
The restaurant is on two levels though I think the upstairs is preferred for bigger parties. Downstairs is snug though comfortable, the windows giving out onto the street make it feel airy. The service is excellent, really friendly. We were apprehensive at first with it being a new try for us but Patrick and his staff made us feel at ease. The menu is short which I find reassuring and the food proved to be very good indeed. I started with a lovely fish soup served from a soup tureen which was a nice touch, they even came back to offer me seconds. My lovely wife has foie gras on ginger bread which was decadent and tasty. To follow my lovely wife had her favourite dover sole, done meuniere and expertly fileted by the waiter. I went for their special of veal kidneys in mustard sauce which were delicious. This was classic and lovely French food which reminded us of our old favourite La Poule au Pot.
Dessert we went old school with crepe suzette for her and flambeed calvados tart for me. This was lovely stuff. Patrick came to chat to us throughout the meal and he is quite a character. Clientele was a mix of tourists from the nearby hotels and locals who were enjoying the great food and fun atmosphere. It's not exactly cheap but for our £160 we spent a really pleasant couple of hours having a proper grown up meal. It really did put into context some of the more underwhelming meals I have had at trendier eateries of late. A meal is a lot more than the food and drink, it's also about feeling relaxed in your surroundings, appreciated by your hosts and when you leave you are already thinking about when you can come back. Chez Patrick ticks all these boxes for us. A great local gem.
Tuesday, August 06, 2013
Overall rating
Food 8 | Service 9 | Atmosphere 10 | Value for money 8