There’s currently three Le Relaise De Venise L’Entrecote restaurants in London which are all based on the original in France. We chose the one in Marylebone for a mid week dinner and at 6:30 we were able to walk in no problem – be warned, by 8:30 the queue was rather large!
The set up is simple; £23 per person gets you a salad to start with and some sliced French baguette followed by entrecote steak drenched in their secret signature sauce and frites. Nothing else is available which makes ordering rather straightforward. A nice touch is that they serve your steak in two sittings, so the steak stays stays warm and the frites stay fresh.
In the dining room, tables were packed closely together; if you were seated on the leather banquet, having a mid-meal wee was nigh on impossible. But it had a most welcome bustling atmosphere and the staff were really sweet.
The salad was served dressed in a tangy mustard vinaigrette which was deliciously addictive. The leaves had wilted slightly under the copious amounts of dressing which made it all the more enjoyable and some walnuts added texture. Combined with some crunchy French bread I was a happy Monsieur.
Next was the first sitting of steak, frites and that signature sauce. What was in it you ask? I have no idea and the waitresses won’t tell you either because it’s a secret. All I did know was it was oily, slightly greasy and ruddy lovely. The frites were the best God damn frites I’ve ever eaten by a long mile; crunchy and salty with the odd soggy ones. The steak was great too – it was never going to be the most tender piece of meat because of the cut but it certainly was delicious.
Our second plate was just as big as before and just as tasty. It’s worth noting that the only options for how you want your meat cooked are blue, rare, medium or well done. I opted for medium and think I would have preferred the rare option slightly more.
My obsession with profiteroles got the better of me and I couldn’t resist ordering them (£5.95); here they came stuffed with ice cream and literally drowning in hot chocolate sauce. They were even better than the ones I’ve devoured at Balthazar and Brasserie Zedel (which happen to be amazing).
After a second bottle of reasonably priced house red (which I more than regretted the next day) we rolled out of the place feeling utterly satisfied. No-nonsense, simple steak and the best frites ever. Beautiful.
8/10
