Happy accidents do happen

Happy accidents do happen. One of our favourite pizza places in London was closed for renovation, which we only found out about when we walked up to the door, and saw the drop sheets, ladders and tins of paint. This left us a) perplexed, and b) desperate to find another good pizza place.

What does this have to do with a restaurant called Chez Gerard? Well, we saw it as we stood outside of another pizza place. We took a look at the menu, and thought “Looks like a cheeky French bistro , hidden in plain sight. Let’s try it!” And we did. Only later did we discover that this was the original Chez Gerard, and they now have 10 outlets across London.

The pick of the entrees was the pork compote/terrine, which was bursting with flavour and texture, and served with the perfect accompanyments of cornichon and crusty baguette.

Also on the menu was Coq au Vin. I’m a bit of a tragic when it comes to this dish: we make a version ourselves, and I’m always keen to see how it’s interpreted around the world. My French friends tell me that everyone’s Mère has her own secret family recipe, so the name is never an indication of what you’ll get - apart from the presence of chicken and wine.

Chez Gerard’s version was rustic, well seasoned and quite large, though with only small amount of jus. I usually prefer mine swimming in the wine broth, but it was still nice. It was also served with a tasty mash, and baby root veges.

To accompany all of this we drank Crusan colombard sauvignon. Very nice, crisp and slightly floral flavours. We liked it so much we had two :-)

The original Chez Gerard in Fitzrovia
8 Charlotte Street
London,
W1T 2LS Tel: 0207 636 4975

(and apparently, 9 other locations across London.)