CAFE ROUGE SUMMER MENU

Summer has arrived! 
This time I ventured further south to try out the newly launched Summer Menu at the Parisian-style bistro, Cafe Rouge in Dulwich.
The popular Park Hall Road location boasts a quaint garden area which is perfect for some relaxing al fresco summer dining - it's also shaded so you can still dine outside if the weather happens to take a turn. You just can never tell with the temperamental British weather ...

We started with a couple of Gin Blooms, which comes in a variety of floral and fruity flavours: Elderflower, Grapefruit and Orange, Cucumber and Watermelon, and Green Tea and Lemongrass. For those looking for something a bit more innocent (a.k.a. alcohol-free), they also have arrange of refreshing mocktails.

For starters, I ordered the Panier de Champignons which was sautéed chestnut mushrooms in a cèpe & garlic sauce, served in delicious light and flaky vol-au-vent - a really enjoyable dish if you love mushrooms as much as I do. The Camembert has always been one of my favourites from the main menu, a crunchy breaded outer coating with a warm and ooze-y centre - a cheese lover's dream.

For our mains, we opted for more hearty, meatier options. I do love a schnitzel, and really enjoyed the Pork Schnitzel that was coated in crispy, golden breadcrumbs, served with a refreshing celeriac and cabbage slaw, baby watercress and frites.
  We requested for the 5oz 'Minute' Rump (35 day aged British rump steak) to be cooked medium rare so it was still pink in the middle, which you can choose to have with fries or house salad. You can request for some garlic butter on the side, or add on other sauces such as beef dripping Merlot gravy and Béarnaise.

And finally for dessert, we shared the Raspberry Parfait with sweet white chocolate sauce and salted caramel pistachios, that was highly recommended by the lovely manager - a lovely cooling dessert, that was not too sweet, and ideal for warm summer days.

Alongside their extensive main a la carte menu, Cafe Rouge also currently offer a Summer Set Menu everyday from 12noon onwards, where you can enjoy two courses for a bargain price of £12.95 (with and additional £3.00 to include dessert). 

There are plenty of other tasty seasonal dishes on the menu which you can browse here. 
Or even better - find your closest cafe Rouge by clicking on this link to enjoy some good value, wholesome French food.

The Cheekster, signing out x

The meal was complimentary, but views remain my own.

CAFE ROUGE SPRING MENU

The weather outside may seem quite wet and gloomy, but the fresh new menu at Cafe Rouge is sure to put a spring back into your step. 

I revisited one of my favourite Cafe Rouge branches at Hays Galleria last weekend to try their Spring Menu, when the weather was much more pleasant, to enjoy lunch on their outdoor terrace. 

A combination of French classics with a British twist, the new menu is inspired by this season's flavours and tastes, as well as their Executive Chef Bruno Balle travels across France, from Calais to Corsica. Sourcing the best ingredients and suppliers, the new dishes are a culmination of traditional recipes and techniques, and welcomes families and friends to embrance the French way of life, and enjoy good French food and drink.

The drinks menu consisted of a list of refreshing Gin Blooms, Cocktails and fruity Mocktails - I started with a bubbly Kir Rouge followed by a much more innocent Peach Iced Tea.

For starters, we ordered the Tian of Crab and Avocado which was seasoned nicely with a touch of coriander mayonnaise, and the Mackerel Rillettes, a rich yet light mackerel pate with creme fraiche and horseradish, served with dill-pickled cucumber and chargrilled rye & caraway bread. 

The two mains that followed were just as vibrant and flavourful. I really enjoyed the Lamb Cassoulet, inspired by the traditional Southern French cassoulet originating from the province of Languedoc. The rump of lamb was really tender, and served pink on a rich cassoulet of haricot beans, bacon lardons, spinach, carrots, celery and onions. A hearty and comforting dish that I would be tempted to order again on my next visit.

I love a good tart, and the Tarte de Printemps had a nice, buttery pastry filled with confit shallots, Emmental cheese, goat's cheese, sundried tomatoes, baby watercress, and served with a colourful house salad.

And finally for dessert, we decided on the Torte au Chocolat that was highly recommended by the lovely manager - a French chocolate torte that was really rich and indulgent, with a smooth, gooey texture in the centre. The strawberry & black pepper sorbet that we had was also intriguing and perfect for a sunny day.

Alongside their extensive main a la carte menu, Cafe Rouge also currently offer a Spring Set Menu everyday from 12noon onwards, where you can enjoy two courses for a bargain price of £12.95 (with and additional £3.00 to include dessert). 

You can have a further browse of their tantalizing menu here, and find your closest cafe Rouge by clicking on this link.

The Cheekster, signing out x

The meal was complimentary, but views remain my own. 

THE AUTUMN EDITION MENU AT CAFE ROUGE

It didn't seem that long ago since I last visited Cafe Rouge Hays Galleria to try out their Summer Edition menu. This time, The Autumn Edition menu is filled with warmer, heartier dishes as we move on into the cooler months,

You'd think that we would be tucking into some healthy (sad) salad/smoothie after yoga, but we just skipped that and went straight for the good stuff: warmly welcomed with glasses of Rose Champagne before starting off with the Tarte Flambée, a savoury flat bread with cream cheese, sliced onion and bacon.
Comfortingly warm and crisp, it is also available as a sharing board  which can be shared between 3-4 people.

Moving on to the starters, I have always liked their soupe à l'oignon, but decided to go for something different and instead had one of the new additions to the menu - the Salmon Rillettes, served with pickled fennel and chargrilled sourdough bread. Emma had the twice-baked Brie soufflé which was light, airy and delicious, topped with melted butter and toasted hazelnuts, served on a bed of salad with fresh apple slices.

Sticking to my seafood theme that evening, I ordered the salmon fillet as my main, which had a nice, crunchy skin. It's usually served with buttered spinach but they had unfortunately run out of it. The manager was however nice enough to replace it with french beans which I was happy with, drizzled with lemon and beurre noisette. I had this alongside a glass of chilled Muscadet.
The Steak Frites, using premium Charolais breed, British beef, was tender and pink on the inside, served with garlic butter and frites. There was also a a selection of sauces to add on: both the Bordelaise gravy with bone marrow, and the beef dripping Merlot gravy sounded equally tempting.

For those of you who are in the mood for some meatier dishes, another new addition to the menu is the classic Bœuf Bourguignon that would be perfect for chillier autumn/winter days. And I've also been told that the Poulet Breton is pretty good too ... you'll definitely be spoilt for choice.

They have a good selection of sweet desserts, but we narrowed our choices down to the Rum Baba , a light sponge cake soaked in rum sauce, and the Tarte aux Pommes, a scrumptious warm apple tart with tarte tatin ice cream.

Both of them were really tasty, but if I had to choose, then the tart was definitely my favourite.

This was my second visit to the Hays Galleria branch which is a lovely central venue situated on the bank of the River Thames. Service is good and they also have relaxing outdoor seating that would be great on warmer days, or maybe whilst sipping away on a warm glass of mulled wine - it's not too early to get excited about Christmas, right?

Feel free to read my previous posts about Cafe Rouge Hays Galleria and Cafe Rouge Kew Bridge. 

The Cheekster, signing out x

The meal was complimentary, but views remain my own.

CAFE ROUGE, KEW BRIDGE

So it has been years since I last visited a Cafe Rouge, back in the days of my thrifty university life, when dining out was more of an occasional treat - how many years ago, we shan't go into too much detail...

Opened since 1989, Cafe Rouge in Kew Bridge has recently reopened after undergoing an extensive refurbishment, and is described as its most romantic restaurant to date. 
A family-friendly restaurant with a charming view of the River Thames, the new designs are an ode to the famous Pont des Arts bridge in Paris, affectionately known as 'Love Lock Bridge'.

Walking though the dramatic rouge red curtains at the entrance, the restaurant has a rather warm and intimate feel, with black and white framed artwork depicting Paris's famous bridges and romantic scenes.     

We were sat on the upper floor which had also received a makeover, with its own bar and riverside views. Marble table tops, vintage tassled lighting, banquette seating and a gold ceiling help to complete the authentic Parisian bistro feel. Rays of sunshine penetrate through the glass doors that lead out to the balcony, which would be an excellent spot to dine and relax when the weather warms up in the summer.

Having explored 26 years of Cafe Rouge dishes and French cuisine, from their debut recipes in 1989 right through to current French food trends, the menu has been revamped to include classic Paris snails, Confit de Canard, Poulet Breton and Seabass en Papillote, amongst others.  

We were greeted with a welcoming bottle of chilled Sauvignon Blanc whilst we nibbled on house olives and baguettes with d'Isigny butter.

For my starter, I had the king prawns in garlic and smoked chilli butter, served with baguettes - the prawns were fresh and juicy and the sauce was really flavourful. I also tried Marie's warm breaded Camembert which was really creamy and indulgent, with a sweet cranberry and redcurrant sauce.

I had the Confit de Canard as my main - slow-cooked Normandy duck leg with dauphinoise potatoes, french beans and cherry sauce. The meat was really tender and delicious although I would have preferred the skin to be slightly crispier. Marie had the classic Boeuf Bourguinon served with green beans, carrots and herb mash. The meat was really soft and tender, and definitely a hearty meat-lovers dish.

For dessert, we shared a small selection of mini desserts: tarte au citron, fondant aux chocolats and tarte tatin. I think that I might have to start veering away from my tendency of ordering mini selections which often tend not to be as satisfying as having a whole dessert...

I might go for the creme brulee or a whole fondant aux chocolats next time.

Overall we had a lovely experience, and the menu definitely looks more enticing now compared to the Cafe Rouge that I visited in the past. The venue itself is charming, situated in a good location and very family-friendly, which is great if you're a local in the neighbourhood.

The Cheekster, signing out x

The meal was complimentary, but views remain my own.