Casse-Croûte — Restaurant in London

Was seated outside for a booking at 7pm, for which we arrived on time. We promptly ordered two rabbit stews and a highly recommended baby chicken, as well as a pastry starter which was said to be filling.

Then the problems started… We were given complimentary bread which was served without butter. We had to ask for butter when we got asked for more bread (given how long the food was taking).

Outside was lovely from 7-8pm. The only problem is that 20 minutes after ordering we were told they were out of rabbit. This meant we had to accept lamb shoulder instead (not ideal but ok).

The food then arrived at 8:20pm — over an hour after ordering. There were no updates on the food arriving and we were sat there in the cold. After 8pm it was cold and unpleasant, which we didn’t understand because a chicken and some lamb shouldn’t take 1 hour to cook.

The starter arrived and was just salad with a puff pastry. I’d give it a 3/10 given it tastes like a Greggs sausage roll with cheese and was also oily. It was also £15.50.

The mains arrived and the lamb stew was similiar to food you’d get at a prom (not your first choice but best out of the options). I’d give it a 4/10.

The baby chicken arrived and was frankly visibly dry. Upon cutting it open, it was as dry as a bone and visibly overcooked or left aside. Did it dry up while someone ran to get some lamb shoulder from Tesco? I wouldn’t know, but given it took over an hour to come, this wouldn’t surprise me.

The wine pairing with the main came about an hour before the main and so was drank before the meal arrived, undermining why we ordered it in the first place.

When it came to paying we received a bill for £142 with a £16 service charge! I’m not sure what service we received: bread without butter, no updates on the food or apologies and when it was delivered it was dumped on us without even an ‘enjoy’. The waiter asked if the food was all good. We said no the chicken was dry and he just said, ‘oh well.’ Not sure why we are paying £16 for this. Not even an apology, just an okay and see ya.

Overall would give it a 1/10. Not sure why you’d reserve for 3 weeks in...

Want to have a genuine French food experience? Head to Casse Croute like we did. That too on a cold cold day. The tiny bistro not only squeezes you in from the cold, it transforms your dining experience into a French one as if transported to the land of Gauls. We shared starters of ravioli plump with crab filling swathed generously in a velvety smooth rich bisque all pretty with wilted spinach leaves peeking out around the large bowl. Equally if not more delcious was a decadent slab of foie gras partnered with a tangy apple-sultana chutney with what tasted like buttery brioche slices. Heavenly! Our mains of roasted Guinea fowl on a bed of shallots mushrooms, rich gravy under which peeked our buttery mashed potatoes, seared trout, covered in red wine jus, on a bed of cauliflower rice/crumbs tossed with herbs and roasted hazelnuts and fresh parsley and steamed florets of cauliflower and a cheesy béchamel, a medium rare filet steak with traditional sides and a delicious satisfying mushroom soup. All washed down with a nostalgic Dubonnet, Kir Royale and a house red. With eyes bigger than our stomachs, the ever attentive and friendly Cyril our Maitre d’/Manager proffered dessert so we ordered an Ille Flotante - floating island - to share. Glad we did share as like all their offerings this was a generous sized light island of white in a sea of cream just kissed with a hint of nutmeg and sweetness. Aah. Our walk back home was in good cheer with taste buds still singing. Merci beaucoup Cyril and...

Came here for a friend's birthday dinner as she is a fan of French cuisine. It was on my list for a while as I had heard how good their food was supposed to be and also knew that it's hard to book a table so I advised my friends to book early. We managed to get a table outside for 6pm on a Saturday and thankfully it was really good weather too.

The service was fantastic although they are extremely short staffed. They maintained their professionalism throughout the evening, even making jokes with us and making sure we knew what was on the menu and explained very clearly what each menu item meant in French.

We decided to go with a garlic yoghurt dip with bread and then a ham and cheese puff pastry as starters and they were both fantastic. The dip was refreshing and savoury and the bread was grilled to perfection, super crunchy. I loved the puff pastry too which was flaky and the cheese was so rich. For mains, we went for the onglet with gratin and the sea bass to share. The onglet was really tender and flavourful and the potato gratin was so yummy. Sea bass on the other hand was rather average. My friend made a special request with the restaurant and they very nicely put a candle on top of some almond butter financiers and they were delicious.

Overall, it's an absolutely fantastic experience with very good food. I will definitely come back again to try the beef wellington next time (it wasn't stated on the menu so we had assumed that they weren't selling...