It doesn’t matter how much time you spend in our great city or how well you think you know it, London has the uncanny knack of throwing up the greatest of surprises when you least expect it. Take my recent visit to Bedford & Strand for example. It’s been around for quite a few years, picking up numerous high profile accolades along the way and I’ve probably walked past it dozens of times, but it’s still somehow managed to elude my keen radar for great food. But found it I have and it’s a definite keeper.
Bedford & Strand is a wine room and bistro that answers the current trend for honest and straightforward bars and restaurants. It specialises in offering an extensive variety of well-priced wines, complemented by affordable bistro dishes. We popped down on a Wednesday night and it appeared that I was the only person in London who hadn’t heard of it. Every inch, from bar to restaurant area, was heaving in the classic Parisian bistro style venue.
A quick look at the drinks reveals an impressive 24 of the 70 wines listed available by the glass, starting at just £3.50. If you’ve got something to celebrate, they’ve also got Perrier Jouet at just £10.50 a glass, whilst a concise selection of classic cocktails can also be explored.
With a new chef at the helm, the timing of our visit could have gone either way. Holding up the mantle of the restaurant’s esteemed predecessors is Emma Duggen. The name might not mean much, but she spent considerable time learning her trade within Gordon Ramsay Holdings, so her cooking skills were unlikely to be lacking.
Potted crab and Goose rillettes for starters were both simple dishes that demonstrated the use of exceptional ingredients and expert seasoning to deliver outstanding flavour. Mains were a similarly story. A big Smoked Haddock fish cake was full of satisfying chunks of fish and come accompanied with parsley sauce, whilst Braised rabbit with mustard sauce was a perfectly cooked example of a classic British dish. Desserts impressed too, with Treacle tart providing well judged sweetness with little touches of sharp citrus rind, whilst the Chocolate fondant absolutely oozed rich chocolate sauce.
At around £7 for desserts and £12 for mains, the prices were almost as irresistible as the food itself!
Food: 4/5
Venue: 3/5
Value: 4/5
Cuisine type: British
Dinner for two (excluding drinks): £50
Wine: £4
Beer: £3.50
Bedford & Strand
1 Bedford Street
London, WC2E 9HH
Tel: 020 7836 3033
