Soho Lunch Club: Food Critics at Brasserie Zedel

As our family has grown with additional husbands, boyfriends and children, eating out as a family has got more and more expensive. In fact, my dad complains that when we all eat out together it costs him approximately the price of an iPad.

‘And if we eat at one of your fancy places, it costs two iPads and I’m still hungry.’

So for our family meal, on the occasion of my Dad’s birthday, I chose Brasserie Zedel, a restaurant that’s renowned for it’s value for money. I’d eaten there before and enjoyed it, so it was time to take the entire SilverSpoon family out for perhaps the price of half an iPad. Also it’s owned by Corbin and King, co-owners of some of London’s most-loved restaurants, The Wolseley, The Delaunay and Colbert, so you can’t really go wrong…or can you?

Starting at with a dramatic entrance, Mr S and I made our way down several flights of stairs. The place is absolutely huge as it also encompasses a ground floor cafe, a bar and a cabaret venue.

Brasserie Zedel itself is a vast basement restaurant, that imitates a glamorous Parisian brasserie.

With it’s high ceiling gold accents and marble columns, the restaurant strives for opulence, but the contrast with inexpensive looking wood and paper table clothes means the gold leaf looks a little like a cheap facade and the whole effect is rather garish.

Hmm…I hadn’t quite remembered it being like this.

But with lots of people, bustling staff and a piano plinking in the background, the atmosphere was warm and welcoming. We were offered the menu in French or English, and all plumped for the version in our mother tongue.

With seven of us there for lunch, my dad was relieved to see the surprisingly reasonable prices and we all went ahead and ordered from the menu of Gallic cuisine.

My sister and I ordered the tuna nicoise salad.

And now a disclaimer:I’m not a food critic, here to give a scathing rant about vile food and poor service. I am a luxury lifestyle blogger who aims to bring you pretty things and positivity, in fact I wasn’t even sure whether or not to write this blog post, but some of my more negative reviews have been appreciated, and as everyone else enjoyed their food I thought I’d still write about.

Just look at my salad, I received overcooked eggs, rock hard potatoes, one rather droopy anchovy and tuna still in the same shape as it was in the can. Actually, it was edible, just not particularly enjoyable.

Everyone else around the table had soup, either fish or French onion and the rest my family murmured their appreciation for their starters. Ok…it’s just me then!

My main course was sea bream with provencal tomatoes on a bed of cabbage. Once again, a rather tasteless piece of overcooked fish. Also edible (after a strong dose of salt) but not enjoyable…I got about half way through it before giving up. My mum chose the same dish and agreed with me.

However, my sister enjoyed her lemon sole which was nicely crisped on the outside.

Her boyfriend loved his chopped steak, though I thought the salad looked suspiciously out of a bag.

My dad had a chicken stew…

…and Mr S, the lamb special. Everyone was happy with their meal, but they are not foodies, and personally I didn’t think any of the choices looked particularly appealing. There wasn’t much on the menu for my little nephew but he’s pretty happy with a plate of chips and salad and his iPad to play with.

I voiced my opinions to the table. To which they responded:

‘Well, it’s not expensive, and you get what you pay for’

Actually I disagree…there’s no excuse for an overcooked egg for example. And a few weeks ago Mr S and I had an absolutely fab lunch at the French bistro, Blanchette, which was excellent value.

Brasserie Zedel somewhat redeemed themselves with desserts. I was worried my photos of all looked pretty dismal (and to be fair on the restaurant, the rather yellowish lighting hasn’t helped) so I persuaded Mr S that we needed to order the profiteroles for the good of the blog!