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Gareth Davis finds a slice of France under a London bookie’s which turns out to be very definitely Restaurant of the Month It’s quite a while since I gasped with delight on entry but that’s exactly what happened as I descended the staircase below one of London’s bookie’s to encounter Bedford & Strand. This bar, bistro, bolthole, call it what you will, is a gorgeous slice of France in a basement on the corner of the two eponymous streets in Covent Garden. It opened last year and it comes as no surprise to me that I am already but one in a long line of foodies who’ve worshipped here; The space comes as a bit of a surprise; now I know what al those slack mouthed companions feel like on entering the Tardis. The bar, all ebony hues, surmounted with rows of bottles and plaques trumpeting the likes of Moselle, Alsace, Beaujolais and Burgundy, looks like a period piece. It sits well opposite a creamy open eatery with stripped wood floors and a smattering of checkerboard tiling, typically knockabout wooden tables, and the bar area proper where afterworkers dissect and drown their day. It’s all decidedly unmodish. Chic yet scuffed and looks like it’s been in situ since the Maginot Line was trounced. At present you can smoke anywhere. That of course is soon to change once this sour summer comes. So we puffed like 39ers enjoying our last, Paris in Germany’s sights. The wine list isn’t a Victorian Bible of a thing but a superlative selection that’s surprisingly non-stratospheric in terms of price. Drinkable bottles start at €18.50, the remainder zinging between the likes of Australian Tempranillo, Hungarian Furmint, Italian Gewurtzraminer, German Rieslings and even a drop from the Garden of England, Kent’s Chapel Down. The menu is unfussy, sizable bites to soak up all those lovely vines; comfy eats like Shepherd’s Pie, pork & leek sausages, and chicken in red wine. I opted for the foie gras terrine (€12.60) while my companion settled on country pate (€7.40). For main he had one of the day’s specials, a dish of steaming mussels bathing in a spa-like broth of coconut and coriander (€11.90). I did rack of lamb, herb crusted, with braised chicory and rosemary jus (€23). The meat was stunning but I felt a touch of sweetness could have offset the bitterness of the chicory. Also, and an utterly personal gripe here, I thought the menu just screamed for a better representation of fowl. A duck perhaps? But these are mere trifles. Suffice to say I’ll be visiting that basement again and again in the coming months, which houses a definitive Restaurant of the Month.
For more info on Bedford & Strand visit
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BEDFORD ET STRAND 