Côte Brasserie (Blackheath)

A wonderful Mother’s Day champagne breakfast and superb value for money at £14 per person for a glass of champagne, orange or apple juice, hot drink and main breakfast meal.  Understandably for the occasion it was packed but even that was the case the staff seemed to be quite happy and were entirely gracious with us throughout the energy of the service which makes such a difference.  The French toast was beautifully light and the salmon and scrambled eggs were very good value.  I enjoyed the frehsly made pan au chocolate and the jams to go with fresh croissant were all good.  I also loved my crepe with bacon, gruyere cheese and eggs but would have much preferred the eggs to be runny (they were mostly hard).  However, the overall effect was lovely French brasserie food in a bustling environment for very good value with very warm service.  Bravo all the staff here on all counts; a very pleasant visit.

Food Grade: 65%

As a chain, one can assume that the food will be approximately the same in each venue and this is taken from a visit to the Blackheath branch in SE London.  This was a very pleasant occasion as I was actually celebrating New Year without a hangover for once and having a champagne lunch.  The menu was exceptionally good value (£12 for 3 courses) and the dishes were exactly the comfort dishes that one would wish for (paté and toast, breaded fish strips with taratar sauce and fries and euf cocote – simple and very effective.  It has a slightly snug feel inside and you need to watch your feet for unseen steps here and there but it has a cosy charm which is very pleasant.  The main aspect that needed tightening was the service – the waiting staff looked under duress and getting their attention took a bit of digging which always dampens the overall experience, however in terms of the food options, these were very agreeable, especially for a for what it is (a pleasant restaurant chain) with an accompanying glass of Kir Royale, which was also done well and at a very reasonable price.

Food Grade: 67%