Sunday 6th February 2010
Restaurant: Brawn, Columbia Road
Price Per Peron: £40 inc service and couple glasses wine
Rating: 4 out of 5
Currently Munching: Nothing! I am on detox :-(
I went to Brawn this week after it was recommended to me by a good friend. Brawn is the new offering behind the team at Terriors in Covent Garden. I have not been to Terriors but having read mixed reviews I was not sure about Brawn. I booked a table for Sunday and was told that there was a £25 set menu operated on this day only. Disappointed after my taste buds had been excited by their full menu, I thought this was still a very economically priced 3 course meal and that at least the options on the set menu would probably be their best offerings. We got there for our 3pm table, a time I would recommend going as that is when the flower market starts marking down the blooms and I got a great couple of bunches for a fiver!
The exterior of Brawn is understated and unassuming. It took us a moment to understand if we were outside the correct restaurant. The bar area was none existent so we were lead straight to the table to wait for the rest of our party. The interior is reminiscent of St Johns, if St Johns threw caution to the wind and became a bit 'cluttered': The cutlery was impressive heavy duty silverware, the bathrooms had expensive soaps and cotton hand towels. There is a lovely feeling of quality and detail to the restaurant. If there was a fault, I would say the tables are a little close together: I had a small child on my lap almost as his chair was so close to mine. On settling down with a glass of tap water, we were given the set menu...by 'Set' it turns out Brawn means no options at all. That is pretty set...alarm bells were ringing a tune that sounded like the word 'pretentious'. I will give points to the team though for their care and attention as one of our party was on a gluten free diet, and one was on a wheat and dairy free one. The kitchen and wait staff went out of there way to ensure we all knew what food was suitable and cooked alternatives even. This is very impressive.
The wine list was equally impressive, organised refreshingly into 'soft' or 'full' reds and 'citric' or 'stone' whites - this way of categorising an extensive list was very enjoyable to read. We were having a selection of white pork belly terrine, north Atlantic prawns and home made mayonnaise and sheeps milk and herb cheese, the actual name I can no longer remember! The bread and butter was plentiful. I chose a lovely bottle of Picpol, which the waitress was able to assure me was a good choice, clearly demonstrating that Brawn train their staff in wine highly - another thing I was very impressed with. The prawns were fine...they were nothing to write home about. The cheese was lovely and creamy, again enjoyable but forgettable. The terrine was exquisite though, soft and full of meaty flavour, lovely texture and extremely moreish. The main course was Blade of Bourguignon was melt in the mouth perfection. Those who were avoiding certain items were given a small Staubb pot of the stew to share, whilst the rest of the party had a huge steaming cast iron stove placed between. It was a lovely 'family style' dining experience with everyone helping themselves to mashed potatoes and delicious, rich, juicy bourguignon- my mouth is watering just thinking of it. To avoid the dairy in the mash, the chef prepared some boiled potatoes on a bed of finely chopped and sauteed savoy cabbage - such extra effort I feel was really generous of the chef. I would suggest a portion of something green for the rest of the party would have been good: just something to cut through the richness of meat and potato. We had a delicious 'Faberges' red which was aromatic and smoky, matching the sweet, soft meat to perfection.
Dessert should have been a big bowl of Rhubarb Crumble and Custard in the middle of the table but the kitchen were out, so the choice was either a chocolate mousse or a treacle tart. The tart had a paper thin and crisp base, with a deliciously balanced sweet sugar topping. The chocolate mousse did its job, being both chocolaty and light as air. We called it a day at that. The atmosphere for the afternoon had been lovely and relaxed, the staff, particularly our french speaking waitress were professional and charming, and the food was the right side of better than you could cook yourself. Brawn is a lovely place to spend a lazy afternoon when you want good, honest and reassuring food. I will be back to try Brawn again when I get to choose from the full menu - but I have to hand it to them, when you take choice away from the customer you better deliver, and that they certainly did.
