Chez Bruce

51°26′47″N 0°9′55″W

Chez Bruce
Restaurant information
CityLondon
CountryUnited Kingdom
Chez Bruce

Chez Bruce is a restaurant located at 2 Bellevue Road in Wandsworth, London, England.

History

The restaurant was opened in February 1995 by Bruce Poole and his business partner Nigel Platts-Martin, a proprietor of several other Michelin-starred London restaurants, like La Trompette in Chiswick and The Glasshouse in Kew, both of them also co-owned by Poole.[1][2] Before the opening, Poole previously worked for Bibendum under Simon Hopkinson and then The Square (then-located in St James's),[3] which had been also co-owned by Platts-Martin and its chef patron Phil Howard.

Chez Bruce occupies the site of former Marco Pierre White restaurant, Harveys. It also occupies the site of a nearby former post office since 2009 for building expansion.[4]

The restaurant has held its first Michelin star since late January 1999.[5]

The restaurant's menu has been seasonal and has featured wines. Poole's cuisine has been French brasserie.[6][7] Among the dishes served in July 1995 were salt cod fritters with potatoes, fried parsley, and mayonnaise; and soused mackerel with frisee leaves, sliced boiled potatoes and bacon lardons. Among the main courses were sliced roast neck of lamb with spinach, merguez sausages and a timbale of spiced aubergine; and grilled calf's liver with sliced grilled onglet, spinach and diced fried potatoes. Among desserts were sandwich biscuit enclosing raspberries and vanilla ice cream, entitled "sablé of raspberries"; and strawberry granita.[6]

Among the dishes served in August 2019 were cod brandade with sauce nero and warm salad of cuttlefish, courgette and chili; diced (raw) tuna with tamarind-glazed aubergine, soy, sesame and pickled ginger; mackerel rillettes with cured mackerel, elderflower, crème fraîche, cucumber and gooseberries; as a main course, roast cod with olive oil mash, provençale tomato and gremolata; and hot chocolate pudding with praline parfait.[8]

Reception

Gordon Ramsay, who worked under Marco Pierre White at the former site Harveys for three years, praised Chez Bruce in 2005 as one of his favourite restaurants.[9] In July 2016, after disdaining it as "ultra-bourgeois and a little dated" around ten years prior, The Guardian food critic Marina O'Loughlin rated Chez Bruce's food, atmosphere, and money value nine out of ten points each, calling it "an absolute classic".[10]

Accolades

In 2006, Chez Bruce was first named as "Londoners' Favourite Restaurant" in a survey conducted for Harden's London Restaurants, a title which The Ivy had held for the past nine years.[11][12] Chez Bruce has since been top of the list as London's favorite restaurant for eleven consecutive years as of September 2016.[13]

Out of top 100 British restaurants, The Times ranked Chez Bruce 43rd in 2011 with a score of 9.28 out of ten,[14] 31st in 2012 with a 9.42 score,[15] 40th in 2013 with a 9.44 score,[16] 79th in 2014 with a 9.25 score,[17] and 82nd with a 9.30 score.[18]

See also

References
  1. "Nigel Platts-Martin: The quiet man?". The Caterer. 29 June 2006. Retrieved 5 November 2021.
  2. Beckett, Fiona (6 January 2001). "Nibbles". The Times (1F3 ed.). p. 6. ISSN 0140-0460. ProQuest 318426398.
  3. Green, Emily (11 March 1995). "A worthy successor to Marco". The Independent. p. 32. ISSN 0951-9467. ProQuest 312298686.
  4. "A Minute on the Clock: Bruce Poole". Caterer & Hotelkeeper (Interview). Vol. 199, no. 4583. Interviewed by Kerstin Kühn. 26 June – 2 July 2009. p. 11. ISSN 0008-7777. ProQuest 222761901.
  5. Fingleton, David (6 March 1999). "Restaurant: The Fat Duck and Chez Bruce". The Spectator. Vol. 282, no. 8900. p. 57. ISSN 0038-6952. ProQuest 201295767.
  6. Lanchester, John (30 July 1995). "Eating out: The Sugar Club/Chez Bruce". The Guardian. Manchester. p. 38. ISSN 0261-3077. ProQuest 294899802.
  7. "Bruce Poole". Andy Hayler's Restaurant Guide (Interview). December 2007. Retrieved 26 July 2021.
  8. "Vinous | Explore All Things Wine".
  9. Ramsay, Gordon (1 October 2005). "Ramsay's favourite restaurants". The Times. p. 71. ISSN 0140-0460. ProQuest 319397112.
  10. "Chez Bruce, London SW17: 'A meal that encourages you to wallow in sheer, sybaritic pleasure' – restaurant review | Marina O'Loughlin". TheGuardian.com. 15 July 2016.
  11. "Chez Bruce Knocks Ivy Off Top Slot". Harden's (Press release). 31 August 2005. Archived from the original on 19 November 2005.
  12. Elliott, Valerie (31 August 2005). "The Ivy loses its place at top table". The Times. London. p. 3. ProQuest 319345403.
  13. Hurley, James (13 September 2016). "The most popular chef you've never heard of". The Times. Print edition available via ProQuest 1818630398.
  14. "43 Chez Bruce". The Sunday Times. 30 October 2011. p. 19. ISSN 0956-1382. ProQuest 900952290.
  15. "Chez Bruce". The Sunday Times. 28 October 2012. p. 13. ISSN 0956-1382. ProQuest 1115421168.
  16. "Britain's top 100 restaurants". The Sunday Times. 3 November 2013. p. 1. ISSN 0956-1382. ProQuest 1448010387.
  17. "Mersey beats go to number one". The Sunday Times. 19 October 2014. p. 4. ISSN 0956-1382. ProQuest 1613664989.
  18. "Precision dining". The Sunday Times. 8 November 2015. p. 24. ISSN 0956-1382. ProQuest 1731643090.

Further reading
  • Poole, Bruce (2011). Bruce's Cookbook. HarperCollins. ISBN 978-0-00-737610-0. eBook: ISBN 9780007413270
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