Restaurants

Reproducing an authentic French brasserie in London has proved tricky, but Gastro is as close to the real deal as you’ll find. It’s the kind of dark and casually efficient place found all over France, dispensing thick coffee, sweet jam and croissants for breakfast, croque monsieurs through the day, and hefty (if at times erratic) standards for lunch and dinner. Apart from the fact no one’s smoking, everything is as it should be: plastic lobsters hang from the ceilings of the two rooms; a curved bar is staffed by a supercilious (but Byronic) Frenchman who will only reluctantly converse in English; families and couples spread themselves over the rickety tables; the menu displays an utter contempt for vegetarians; and the toilets need urgent attention. The food, cooked in an open kitchen and served with panache, is generally good. Moules marinière were wine-rich, plump and piping-hot; rib-sticking vegetable soup was, unfortunately, bland. Steak frites (with organic Scotch beef) was fabulous, and a sprightly salad came with slightly dry goat’s cheese on toasted baguette rounds. Puddings are ineffably French (île flottante, crème brûlée, tarte tatin) and just the right side of overwhelming. In short, a great local asset.

Time Out Eating & Drinking Guide 2008