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There’s a sunny vibe to Lindsay Wotton’s low-key restaurant, with its yellow-painted brick walls, pale-wood tables, convivial atmosphere and smiling staff. The place was busy on a Monday night – always a good sign. Breton food and drink is the speciality, particularly seafood and galettes (crêpe-like pancakes made with buckwheat flour, served with savoury or sweet fillings), French sparkling ciders and wines from the Loire. Galettes are available as a starter, main and dessert, in versions both classic (ham and cheese, cheese and tomato), more unusual (scallops and leeks; chitterling sausage, onions and mustard sauce) and sweet (with just butter and sugar, or banana and chocolate sauce). They’re quite hefty, even as a first course. But there are plenty of alternatives on the long menu, including lots of salads; you could visit for just a snack or a full-blown meal. Choucroute de la mer featured smoked haddock, salmon, mussels, clams and a huge langoustine with potatoes and a big heap of sauerkraut in a fishy broth; the waitress warned us that the sauerkraut dominated, and it did. Sirloin steak with tarragon butter, frites and a tasty green salad was a decent rendition. Great-value set lunches are a bonus.
Time Out Eating & Drinking Guide 2008
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I can only assume that the kitchen staff were all watching the European Cup football matches, because this was the worst meal I have eaten out for years. We used to enjoy the galettes at Chez Lindsay - good, reliable comfort food. Tonight we were served flabby, cardboard-like galletes, moules tasting metallic, fish soup served up as a sauce - it was all awful. The waiting staff apologised, and refunded part of our meal. We fled, vowing never to return.
Don't be fooled by the small cafe-style facade as we originally were - this is one of the finest french style bistro's I have been in for a long time!
We booked in late for a Saturday Evening, and were told we would have to sit upstairs. This is by no means a bad thing, as it felt a little more intimate, and almost as if we had been invited into their own home, and we still had the views over Richmond Bridge, and the Riverside.
We had a three course meal each (from the a la carte menu) with a bottle of the house champagne, and the bill came to less then £85 (for two) including service, which by the way was very discreet, but very efficient, so very good value for money. Looking at the menus, if we had chosen from the prix fixe menu, it would have been even slighlty cheaper still.
We were made to feel very welcome from the moment we walked in the door, and our waiter was extremely helpful explaining different dishes and flavours.
Overall, we were extremely pleased with every aspect of our evening, and would wholly recommend this to anyone who is after a bit of true Breton dining and hospitality.