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RESIDENTS JOURNAL
A
s a bit of a secret Francophile, to
say I jumped at the chance to try
the menu at Retro Bistrot would be
an understatement. I adore French
food; the creamy sauces, the fresh seafood, the
tasty sweets all washed down with a glass or
three of vino cest dlicieux, non? Alors, my
best friend and I, with tastebuds tingling in
anticipation, settled down at our table in the
window (with a basket full of traditional and
warm French bread, nonetheless) to enjoy
what weve heard on the grapevine is the best
French cuisine in south-west London.
I brought my friend along because not
only is she fearless in the face of foreign
cuisine, but shes also somewhat of a moules
marinire expert. No prizes for guessing
what she ordered. After devouring the
simple yet delicately-balanced asparagus and
artichoke starter, which worked perfectly to
whet our appetites for the main course, the
pice de rsistance arrived; a pot of steaming
mussels drenched in the signature creamy
marinire sauce. They smelt fantastic; there
was an underlying whiff of the ocean hidden
in the buttery, garlicky fumes that hinted
at the freshness of the fare in front of us.
My companion dived in with pleasure as I
contemplated the equally delicious-looking
risotto I opted for. One bite in, and I was
hooked. The rich tomato avour was matched
Lets go
Jennifer Mason sampled the
delights on offer at the fantastically
French Retro Bistrot in Teddington
RETRO
perfectly by the shavings of creamy Parmesan,
and the consistency was heavenly. I had to
force myself not to wolf down the entire dish
a constraint my friend doesnt suffer from; she
was forking up mussel morsels like there was
no tomorrow.
Replete for the moment, we sat back,
sipped wine, and discussed the restaurant.
Everything felt authentic; Parisian caf
meets trendy jazz bar not surprising, given
that Retro Bistrot host regular jazz events
to entertain their diners. Alas, there was no
live performance for us that night, but the
background music (French, of course) created
a relaxed ambience conducive to good wine
and good conversation. We both agreed that
food-wise, the portion sizes were well thought-
out; we were pleasantly satiated but not
uncomfortable although given the quality of
the food we rather wished the opposite were
true. Still, we reasoned, at least that left us with
plenty of room for dessert.
And what a dessert it was. So seduced
were we both by the sound of the crme
brule with honey Madeleines that we fought
over who got to order it, before deciding to
throw in the towel and share. The second it
arrived we regretted our decision; it looked
mouth-watering. A minute later, we realised
it tasted even better than it looked, and
conversation immediately ceased as we did
battle for control of the plate. Staring at the
empty dish crumbed with the remnants of the
creamy crme brule and the deliciously sweet
Madeleines was one of the more depressing
moments of my reviewing career to date, for
all the right reasons.
For the avour of its food, ambience and
friendly staff, if Retro Bistrot isnt on your
must visit list, it should be. n
114-116 High St, Teddington, TW11 8JB,
020 8977 2239 (retrobistrot.co.uk)
There was an
underlying whiff of the
ocean hidden in the
buttery, garlicky fumes
that hinted at the
freshness of the fare