Café Rouge is one of those high-street restaurants that always has a welcoming and slightly romantic air about it whenever you go in, this visit was no different writes Tiffini Castle – I had visited Café Rouge previously for lunch but in the evening there is a certain charm about the place.
The new spring set menu has launched, two courses for 12.95 (bargain!) and you can choose from a kilo of fresh mussels to a new 5oz ‘Minute’ Rump steak, but there’s a nice selection of other new dishes to the main menu too.
We were tempted by the Tian of Crab and Avocado and Terrine De Jambon for starter (both new!) both presented well and the Crab offered a lovely light and creamy texture with the avocado for a nice contrast with the sourdough bread – which is always a good choice in our books. The ham hock, pea and mustard terrine was full of flavor with a tasty chutney to add some sweetness – starter was a success.
For mains there was a lot of choice, but we went for the new Bistro Salad with chargrilled chicken and an 8oz Sirloin Steak served with fries and garlic butter, we also added the new Café de Paris butter which was herb-infused goodness. The salad looked fresh and full of lovely greens with the dressing in a pot on the side (always a good alternative coming from someone who doesn’t like too much dressing) the walnuts were a nice addition along with the soft salad greens and crunchy radish. The dressing was subtle but flavorful.
The steak just looked too good to eat – it was full of flavor and as mentioned before, the new Café de Paris butter was a good choice. Steak always goes well with fries so sticking to the classics made for a tasty and satisfying dinner. The steak was slightly more rare than medium rare as asked for, but luckily we actually prefer it that way and would recommend you try it this way rather than medium or well done!
After a break for a top up of wine – the Muscadet De Sevre Et Maine, which went well with the meal, light, crisp and just a bit of citrus, it was time for dessert, which c’mon, is everyone’s favorite part of the meal, right?
Tart Aux Pommes and the Parfait were our puds of choice and whilst both very different they really were equally tasty. The warm apple tart with tarte tatin ice cream had a very nice texture, not too overly sweet but just enough to keep your sweet tooth happy and ice cream just goes well with everything in our eyes. The parfait was as indulgent as it sounded on the menu – frozen salted caramel cream with malted pecan crumb and fresh raspberries – it was creamy, tasty and a delicious texture, the raspberries cut through the sweetness well and the malted pecan crumb, whilst not too much (although we could have ate a whole bag!) was just enough alongside the rather large slices of frozen salted caramel cream. We weren’t complaining though.
After all of this we enjoyed a double espresso and fresh mint tea, the fresh mint tea especially is a great option after all that food and it even comes in your own little teapot. The atmosphere was relaxed and our server, Suraj, added an element of personal service to the experience that lots of restaurants are lacking.
Huge thumbs up from me and my dining partner!
For more information, or to book a table, click HERE!
