Paris is one of my favourite cities in the world and having been in love with Parisian style cafes/brasseries, the Balthazar Covent Garden has been on my must-visit list of places for a while especially when in the mood for a little something French. I went with guys from work this time for our Christmas lunch, which was anything but Christmassy, needless to say, we had a great time.
Located in the heart of Covent Garden and surrounded by theatres you can expect to see a quite a few pre and post theatre diners and perhaps a few tourists too. Balthazar serves French classics, including Onion Soup which has a reputation of being quite well known in London and, of course, Steak Tartare which I feel I kind always opt for so decided against this time. As a matter of fact, I opted for Octopus, Tomato and Basil Salad with shallots, olives and a lemon dressing which to be honest didn’t do for me as I don’t like when my salad is finely chopped. For a main I went for the Steak, however, really craved COTE DE BOEUF for two and PLATEAUX DE FRUITs DE MER but this would be more appropriate to order if I was there with a friend rather than work. My steak was decent, however, I wasn’t 100% blown away by their food offering. Perhaps I ordered wrong and should have opted for French specialities rather than my standard steak order, I did enjoy it though.
Balthazar is also serving Matthew Williamson AW15 Afternoon Tea and will add this to my TO-DO list as it looked lush. Regardless, I have to say that the atmosphere, service and wine were better than food for me and I think if you are looking for a decent bottle of Cotes Du Rhone than these guys have you covered.
The restaurant is on the pricier side, but if you are looking for that typical Parisian style venue in London than by all means visit Balthazar. I hope you enjoyed this review and do let me know if you have been to Balthazar and what are your thoughts?
Tania xxx
