Chez Bruce

Chez Bruce opened in 1995, with chef Bruce Poole in charge of the kitchen at that time. It is one of a string of successful restaurants set up by restaurateur Nigel Platts-Martin, who in his time had at least part-owned The Square, The Ledbury, La Trompette and The Glasshouse. Mr Platts Martin had originally bought the Wandsworth Common site for Harveys in 1987, the legendary original restaurant of Marco Pierre White. Chez Bruce gained a Michelin star in 1999, which it has held ever since. These days, and indeed since 2000, the Chez Bruce kitchen is headed up by chef Matt Christmas. The menu here is always very appealing, with dishes that people actually want to eat, rather than dishes that try to show off how clever and adventurous the head chef is. The menu at lunch for three courses was £67.50 (£95 at dinner), and there was an additional set lunch with limited choice available at £47.50 per person.

The wine list here is extensive. It had 604 labels and ranged in price from £35 to £950, with a median price of £115 and an average markup to retail price of 3.5 times, which is quite high even by the demanding standards of London. Sample references were Domaine Bruno Sorg Pinot Blanc 2022 at £58 for a bottle that you can find in the high street for £13, Cantina Terlano Chardonnay 2024 at £70 compared to its retail price of £16, and Trust Your Gut Chenin Blanc from Lukas Van Loggerenberg at 2021 at £92 for a wine that will set you back £31 in the high street. For those with the means, there was Domaine Henri Jouan Clos-Saint-Denis Grand Cru 2010 at £280 compared to its retail price of £206, and Château Ducru-Beaucaillou 2ème Grand Cru Classé Saint-Julien 1986 at £750 for a wine whose current market value is £250. There are a few bargains tucked away if you research the list carefully. I spotted a few or the pricier wines that were actually below their retail price, so this is a list that merits some study. The choice of growers was also very good in my view. Corkage is currently £50 a bottle at dinner and £25 at lunch.

Chez Bruce doesn’t do canapes other than some little Parmesan biscuits, but there was some nice focaccia on offer. Hand-rolled cavatelli pasta (a shell-like pasta from Puglia) came with braised lamb, anchovies, rosemary, Pecorino cheese and fried crumbs. This worked very well, the pasta had good texture and the lamb and rosemary were a classic flavour combination, with the crumbs adding a contrasting texture (15/20).

The main course was glazed and stuffed pig trotter with creamed potato and red wine sauce. This was a dish made famous by Pierre Koffmann at the legendary 3-star Michelin La Tante Claire. It involves a lot of work. First the pig skin is rolled and gently simmered with vegetables, then cooled and set. The trotter is then cooked with wine, veal stock, port and vegetables. The stuffing is made from sweetbreads (here they used Dutch sweetbreads from HG Walter) that are fried, then combined with mushrooms, and then combined with chicken mousse, which is then stuffed into the trotter, and baked. This dish varied from the original Koffmann recipe, mainly in that it used chanterelles instead of morels, and also added some morteau sausage, a heavily smoked sausage from Doubs in eastern France. This was a very rich but extremely enjoyable dish, having deep flavour that was balanced a little by the mashed potato and a little spinach on the side (easily 16/20). 

After such a rich main course, I opted for a light dessert, blood orange sorbet. This came with a shortbread tuile and a very good lemon madeleine. This was a simple but refreshing dessert (14/20). Coffee here is from an industrial supplier, (supposedly they may change this) so I had tea instead.

Service was lovely, and the bill came to £113 per person. Chez Bruce is an extremely successful restaurant, offering appealing dishes, welcoming service and a high level of culinary skill. Long may it continue.

Further reviews: 27th Jul 2025 | 10th Nov 2017 | 23rd Apr 2011 | 03rd Jan 2008 | 02nd Apr 2007