A wonderful restaurant, and I'm really pleased that it's in Croydon. For those of you who don't live in Croydon - it really is worth a trip! Yes, really. South Croydon has a great range of eateries, but nothing of this standard...This rivals anything the west end has to offer. Friendly service, lovely decor, great value and - most importantly - wonderful food. Try the steak tartare and the slow cooked pork cheek.
My salad of poached pear, bacon, rocket and roquefort was lacking balance (i could only taste the cheese), but the endive tart was lovely. Mains were pretty good and both the confit of duck and the smoked haddock were done well. The wine list was somewhat limited, however, lacking value and quality, and the service was poor. We turned up having booked to be confronted with one waiter on the phone and the manager (?) telling us that they had no tables, despite having booked and there only being 3 tables occupied in the restaurant. Overall I was quite disappointed with le cassoulet as it appeared to be exactly what Croydon needed. Not pricey for lunch, but not a great experience either.
This restaurant is simply terrific. After my first visit I knoew I had to return and have now been three times to try different things every time. Each visit has been a treat. The food is rich and authentically French down to every detail. Take your time, order some nice wine, and enjoy!!
Very nice evening here. Surprisingly busy for a Monday evening so book in advance!
Lovely food - delicious snails to start, then my partner and I shared a roasted chicken with mash and haricot beans which was also very nice.
Very friendly staff - although the waitress did have to come back twice to check what we had ordered as she didn't write it down.
Lovely wine, and lovely ambience.
A cosy restaurant, with tables fairly close together, but still good for either a romantic meal for two or a large group of friends - providing your not looking for a loud/lively atmosphere.
What a disappointment! After reading rave reviews we chose this venue for a party of eight of the family to celebrate various birthdays. The food was no more than OK - can't go very wrong with asparagus and the garlic soup was good. The lemon sole was adequate, the well-done steak was actually a bit burnt. The desserts were tasty but nothing that would make you go "wow". The thing that really let it down was the service. Whilst the staff were very pleasant, they didn't seem to have a clue about how to wait on tables in a professional manner. Our aperatif glasses were left on the table during the meal. My husband ordered a bottle of white and a bottle of red wine and was given the white to taste. The white wine was then poured for those who wanted it. Instead of offering the red for my husband to taste as well, the waiter took it down the table to one of the people who had elected to drink the red, in order for him to taste it! It's as though the staff have had no training at all. I think we had four or five different waiters coming up in an ad hoc manner with various dishes. Cutlery wasn't changed to suit the dishes until the last minute. My husband was given a plate of biscuits for cheese but no cheese was forthcoming and no waiter could be seen either. We also had to wait a long time between courses. The overall impression was one of muddle. Where was the polish? Where was the attention to detail! Sadly lacking. What a shame. We wont be back.
