You might not have heard of this little gem, Quite Simply French, but tucked by the river on the X1 bus route, it is a fabulous little find. QSF has character by the bucket-load; it has a small dining room, filled with wooden tables and low lighting, which combined with every table being full on both occasions I have visited, creates a relaxing and enjoyable atmosphere. The staff are friendly and enthusiastic about the food they serve, and you can hear the chef shout “oui!” when service is required, giving you the peace of mind that there is some real French connection.
The food here is absolutely to die for. My boyfriend and I couldn’t choose between the array of starters so decided to share the mushroom and bacon risotto and goat’s cheese tart. Both of these did not disappoint, and while the risotto was fantastic and the waitress told us it was “very popular” that evening, it was the goat’s cheese tart that stole both our hearts and taste buds. The cheese was oozing from the tart and it wasn’t sour as goats cheese can sometimes be, and accompanied by a tomato relish, I was certainly pained to hand over the tart after eating my half.
On a Wednesday evening QSF do a “steak or mussels for £11.99” evening, so both of us ordered one of the steaks on offer. I’m a little picky when it comes to ordering steak in restaurants as I’m a stickler for top quality meat, however QSF does not disappoint. Both the Rump and Onglet were lovely cuts of meat, succulent and melted in the mouth, and a testament to a chef who knows how to cook a good steak and choose a good quality meat butcher. I accompanied mine with the peppercorn sauce which was rich and creamy and complemented the French-style cooked steak perfectly, and all steaks come with a lovely fresh leaf salad, and most importantly home-cooked chunky chips, which are worth a visit for in their own right.
This is the ideal place to impress your parents, especially if they’re paying, but QSF have some excellent pocket-friendly deals for the student budget too, and their website is worth a visit as they do a deal most nights of the week. They also do an early bird menu which sees many items (including the goat’s cheese tart) at half price, an excellent way to treat yourself to a luxury meal for a fraction of the price. So if you have a special occasion coming up or just fancy seeing for yourself how amazing this place really is I’d definitely recommend booking a table without delay.
To book a table and view the menus visit: www.quitesimplyfrench.co.uk