I first visited Corbin and King’s Brasserie Zedel during their soft launch and fell in love with the place. It has since become my favourite restaurant in London; its Piccadilly location, the lavish surroundings and affordable prices make it the perfect place for a bite to eat.
My visit on this occasion was with my lady friend for dinner and a spot of cabaret in the Crazy Coqs (their cabaret venue in the same building).
The dining room never fails to impress and it still hadn’t lost its wow factor. I’ve never been in a grand Parisian brasserie but I have no doubt that this is what it feels like.
Some crusty French bread and butter started proceedings and it really hit the spot. I love a bit of good quality bread.
The menu was vast and solely in French but panic not, if you don’t know your escargot from your epinards then an English version is more than happily provided.
For main I went for the steak hache, sauce au poivre et frites which was on the prix fixe menu (£8.95 for two courses – bargainous!). The burger shaped mound of chopped steak was totally divine; a charred blackened exterior with a moist and medium-rare centre. Thank God Westminster council gave up on that one eh! It was drenched in a peppercorn sauce which had a subtle heat and the accompanying fries tasted even better dunked in it.
My lady friend opted for the boeuf bourguignon (£9.95) which featured soft chunks of beef that had been braised in red wine and bacon. The mash was faultlessly smooth and the perfect accompaniment; proper heart warming stuff.
Sides were all delicious. Epinards a la creme (£3.25) (that’s creamed spinach to you and me) was really rich and creamy. Broccoli aux amandes (£3.35) had a nice crunch from the almonds and the broccoli itself was neither overcooked nor watery. The salad verte (£2.75) was a tangy little number; the large salad leaves were smothered in a lip smacking vinaigrette and sprinkled with pink peppercorns.
The only dessert available with the prix fixe was the tart au citron which was everything you’d hope for from a citrus tart; a sharp creamy filling encased in crisp expertly made pastry. We also ordered the profiteroles (£5) which were superb. I don’t think it would be humanly possible to fit any more cream in those little choux pastry balls; they were bursting at the seams. The waitress then poured over a jug of warm chocolate sauce. Lush!
To top off our fantastic dinner we waddled over to the Crazy Coqs; our performer for the evening was Toni Warne whom you might remember from the first series of The Voice. As we squished ourselves onto a table in the front row (it was PACKED in there thus becoming a little cramped) we were nothing short of bowled over; she had a seriously impressive voice. It’s a lovely venue too – on Thursday evenings they do an open mic night which I’ll be sure to return to after a couple of sherrys.
We had a brilliant evening at Brasserie Zedel, everything about the experience was spot on. The service throughout our meal was both friendly and efficient; we felt like we were in safe hands from the minute we stepped through the door.
Next year is set to be an exciting year for Chris Corbin and Jeremy King as they open The Beaumont, their first hotel near Bond Street plus their new restaurant Fischer’s in Marylebone. I for one can’t bloody wait. But for now, I’ll keep munching my way through steak haché in anticipation.
10/10
