Restaurants

Had a really lovely evening here celebrating a friends birthday the other night. A great local place for classic french dishes in a relaxed atmosphere. Reasonably priced wine list and a good menu.
Looking forward to more visits.

Late Saturday afternoon, almost early evening, we were pleasantly greeted and ordered a smoothie and some onion soup to start. The smoothie was more of a mixture of juice. The onion soup was straightforward with plenty of onion, though uninspired and included several hard bits of skin. Three or four slices of bread accompanied this in a small basket. After 30 minutes we were £10 down and distinctly underwhelmed. So we went round the corner to Bedford Hill where the Seascape Fish Bar served a freshly cooked cod and chips -- fresh firm fish fillet, crisp batter, delicious chips, none of it greasy or overcooked -- in a friendly unpretentious cafe with locals calling by for their regular evening meal. And all for a fiver each. No contest.

The chalk boards, and amazing choclate souffle made up for an otherwise average dinner. The service was pleasant but slow and the beef disappointing.

I went here with my girlfriend after being unable to get a table at Harrisons. Though the restaurant doesn't have the polished look of some other places, it does give it a rather Parisian feel. The service was friendly and relaxed - a nice change from being constantly bothered into making a meal choice by overzealous waiting staff. I have to say that I wasn’t expecting too much from this place, but I was pleasantly surprised. The food was excellent and the atmosphere very pleasant. We will definitely be eating here again.

Went to Gazette for a friend's birthday dinner last week. While the food was really good (especially the grilled cod main), the service was incredibly slow - the waiter only took our order 45 mins after we sat; starters took half an hour to arrive, and main course arrived 2 1/4 hours after we got to the restaurant. The head waiter was very unreceptive to constructive criticism about our dissatisfaction with the slow service. One guest's main was 'dropped in the kitchen' and he was left the only one without food - which is fine, it happens - but no-one told us what was going on, and no apology was offered. The only food that was a let-down was the chocolate souffle, which was a real disappointment.
I'd go back to Gazette for dinner, but certainly not as part of a large group, and definitely not if I was looking for a relatively quick feed. For a long, relaxed evening with a few friends, it's very good.

I had duck and mustard risotto, my partner had steak and chips, served in pans - at first I thought the portions were a little small, but I think that was because they were served in pans, I actually struggled to finish it all there was so much, but despite being full I had to eat it all as it was so delicious. It's a very relaxed ambience halfway between a cafe and a more formal restaurant. I felt the food was hearty and of a higher standard than Harrisons nearby.

As close to very, very good French cuisine as it gets in London.
I read the reviews below and was genuinely shocked and surpised by the negative feedback Gazette has received over the past few months.
I have eaten at Gazette several times now and each time I have been genuinely blown away by the simplicity and the quality of the food I, and my guests, have received. The baked tomato tart with a choux pastry base and a well vinegared side-salad acts as a near perfect starter (with a chilled red Saumur). Following this with a shared steak as a main course which was both generous in size and more importantly brilliant sourced (and cooked) kept my tastebuds in a state of high alert . The staff throughout the meal were attentive and patient. And if you find a better baguette on this side of La manche please let me know.
Breakfast is also fab. My girlfriend was over the moon with her eggs benedict and my bread, butter (French) and jam (made on the premises) hit just the right spot. Having coffee and juice on the side and getting change from £15 was a pleasant surprise.
Gazette comes highly recommended. As a local and a Francophile I have been consistently impressed.

Rude staff - ordered a caesar salad takeaway specifically saying "no meat" so they put anchovies without asking me. When I took it back, I was told there's nithing wrong with it - I am a vegetarian who won't touch meat. They refused to understand or refund. I felt utterly humiliated and disgusted with their arrogant attitude.

I've had several meals here and each one has been great. The french onion soup and crepe suzette are particularly delicious. If you are starving, try the "French full breakfast" which is the most delicious but filling brekkie in Balham.
A really nice place!

On a very dull Bank Holiday weekend I was very excited to read on Time Out that we had a new local open in Balham.
Overall the experience, unofrtuatly was quite a disappointment.
The service was very, very slow and quite incompetent (We asked for sparkling water...when reminded about water we got tap..etc) When we visited the restaurant was 2/3 full but the two waiting staff were running around like headless 'poulet'!
It is such a shame, I had such high hopes for this place. Blaham and the surrounding area really needs a laid back, good nosh restaurant - but unfortunately at the moment Gazette is not that - by a long stretch.
I kept willing it to improve but after the lack of service to start, lack of drinks and then a very small portioned Terrine for £8 with bread extra (£2) things were not looking good.
My cockrill was very good to follow, once finally received after waiting 20 mins for our starters to be cleared and then another 20 mins for 2nd course. My partner's cod was also quite good, although the description could have been a little better.
We were both very satisfied after our main meals and so chose not to have a pud but were also pretty tired of the very poor and frustrating service.
To make matters worse - 10% service was included in the bill!
I would love to say I will give this place another go but at £75 for a 1 and 1/2 course Sunday dinner for two this is an expensive mistake to make again.
I would love it to prove me wrong...