French Brasserie Review: Brasserie St Jacques

By tikichris Last edited 174 months ago
French Brasserie Review: Brasserie St Jacques

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Located on tony St James’s Street, Brasserie St Jacques offers an upscale but (smart) casual Parisian dining experience not so easily happened upon in London. Among the many reasons to visit this charismatic restaurant is its exception steak tartare - among the best we've tasted on either side of the Channel.

Under new ownership, Brasserie St Jacques invited Londonist along to a recent press dinner that had us wondering if we'd somehow been smuggled unawares through the Chunnel. L’escargot, terrine de foie gras, rabbit casserole, crêpe Suzette … you know the score. All scrummy stuff, but we particularly enjoyed St Jacques's steak tartare. Made to order at your table, the tartare de boeuf (au couteau avec frites et salade for £17.50 - rather a bargain for this side of town) was delicious: just the right amount of spice with frites to die for.

Situated in the former home of the esteemed and well remembered restaurant, Petrus, Brasserie St Jacques is owned and operated by pedigreed head chef Laurence Glayzer and (at the front of the house) bon vivant wine expert, Richard Weiss. Glayzer’s experience at the Savoy Grill and the Ritz gives him the postcode experience to know how to please palettes round the Piccadilly. As for Weiss, well, based upon our recent St Jacque encounter and the first time we met him at a Moti Mahal wine pairing, we couldn’t have imagined a more convivial host (or expert sommelier) to call the shots while dining.

Don’t want to wait until that next Eurostar jaunt before enjoying a proper plate of tartare? It’s a pleasure to recommend Brasserie St Jacques to all foodies in love with best of French fare. Visit the restaurant's website for booking and more information.

Photograph of St Jacques co-owner, Richard Weiss, preparing steak tartare by Chris Osburn

Last Updated 28 September 2009