Reviewed
19.01.00

Café Rouge
Little Clarendon Street

Think Parisian bistro with a twist of art deco and a sprinkling of Piaf and you've got the general idea of Café Rouge. Nestling next to Pierre Victoire, this atmospheric restaurant offers fine dining at affordable prices. The stylish yet reassuringly colourful interior combines swirly mirrors with equally swirly french posters of thin women in seaside resorts. With the aromas of coffee and, yes, 'real' French waiters, all that is missing is a haze of Gauloise - probably a good thing.

I started with the fritot de chèvre, a generous slab of goat's cheese, deep fried, and accompanied by a tomato, cucumber and oregano salsa. He had the salade de chèvre et tomates, goat's cheese grilled on bread with tomatoes, olives and herb salad. We shared both dishes, and both were pleasing, although the final decision was that the cheese works better grilled than deep fried.

Passing from goats to fish, I had the moules mariniéres, and received a large dish of steamed mussels drenched in a white wine and cream sauce. Decadent, yet reasonably healthy, the dish is an old favourite of mine, and I would certainly recommend this version. The mussels were plump and numerous, the sauce strong and perfect for dipping the crusty bread into. He had the entrecote grillée, which arrived, to his delight, rare in the French sense, with a dollop of garlic butter melting on top and a large portion of chips. Afterwards, he pronounced himself 'stuffed' and patted his stomach.

Deciding that, yes, we could just about squeeze a dessert, I had the coupe rouge - vanilla ice cream, strawberry compote with amaretti biscuits and butterscotch sauce. Squeezing was indeed the situation... He had the panacotta, a sort of creamy mousse in a pot with strawberry compote. This little dish might not look much, but it's pretty damn gorgeous, if you ask me.

For £36.15 for two with two glasses of wine, the meal was reasonable for an evening out. Café Rouge combines a relaxed atmosphere and great food with good value and service. Très bon!

Jane Labous