‘What kind of food will it be?’ My 8-year-old asked warily when I told him we’d been invited to review Brasserie Blanc. ‘French,’ I responded to which he wrinkled his nose slightly and then, eyes lighting up, ‘That means there’ll be French fries, right?’
Considering he has a half French big brother (my stepson Isaac) and half his dad’s family live in Nice, I must say I was disappointed by Ezra’s apparently limited knowledge of French cuisine.
But then we got talking about some of his faves: rotisserie chicken, crepes, pain chocolat, steak frites (yup, those fries again)… and by the time we arrived at Brasserie Blanc, both my kids were positively drooling.
Brasserie Blanc is a family friendly group owned by chef personality Raymond Blanc, with 7 restaurants across London and multiple locations all around the UK. They had asked us to come and check out their brand new Henri Le Worm kids menu at Brasserie Blanc Charlotte St.
The menu features quirky character Henri Le Worm, created by Charlotte Salt and Olivier Blanc, based on his dad Raymond. Henri and his friends take les petits on a gastronomic journey through charcuterie platters, mac and cheese, pie of the week and mini moules pots.
It’s quality stuff, and while the obligatory fish fingers (one big finger actually) feature, it’s more adventurous than typical kids menus. Henri Le Worm also has his own award-winning app, voiced by Simon Pegg.
The boys didn’t hesitate to select chicken and chips, but since I was ordering three courses, the friendly waitress brought us heaps of crusty bread and olives to keep the minis’ munchies at bay. Ezra and Jed were so absorbed in the kids menu activities, they forgot about their wrestlers for a minute.
I was impressed by how well the babes minded their ‘mercis’ and ‘s’il vous plaits’, although after a couple of rounds the waitress had to inform them she was actually Spanish!
I went for a soup starter: Mixed Bean and Garlic Soup infused with herbs, and it was exactly what the blogger ordered — hearty yet not too filling.
The flavours were quite subtle, and I suspect if the Babe Papa had been with us he would have added some salt, but it was perfect for my taste buds.
Now for mains. How do you feel about a Six Hour Slow Cooked Beef Short Rib in red wine sauce with sides of mousse line potatoes (creamy mash) and braised carrots? It was… The. Business. I’d posted some photos out via social media and people were practically eating my Instagram feed.
The meat was as succulent and slide-off-the-bone as you’d expect from a slow cooker, the mash was literally melting on my tongue. I barely paid any attention to the boys’ meals except to note that the portions were pretty huge and yet they polished their plates clean.
When I asked Ezra how he liked it, he was still busy chewing and started nodding so hard I thought he might hurt something!
For dessert, the boys wanted ice cream (vanilla, always) and I asked them to choose something for me. Eyeing up my dessert menu, Ezra wondered if he could get crepes instead, with chocolate sauce?
The waitress seemed accommodating, but something got lost in translation. After some back and forth, we wound up with a huge platter of crepes suzette drenched in dark chocolate sauce, ice cream scoops for the babes and a trip to the kitchen!
Thanks again to the Brasserie Blanc staff for being so patient and sweet with my boys, especially as the restaurant was filling up with diners.
Brasserie Blanc pride themselves on preparing the best of fresh, seasonal food and we had a truly delicious evening. Although I’m pretty sure my beef ribs were hard to beat, everything on the Brasserie Blanc menu looks and sounds magnifique!
My happy boys (taken literally seconds before they knocked the glass off the table)!
Visit Brasserie Blanc online for your nearest location. Henri Le Worm app is available on the App Store and Google Play.
