Chez Rose

This was my second visit to Chez Rose. I wrote previously about the background of head chef Spencer Metzger, and also went through the wine list in some detail.

At this lunch we began with gougeres. These were very nicely made, the choux pastry excellent and there being plenty of cheese flavour coming through, balanced by Roscoff onions (15/20). We repeated a scallop dish from the first meal, and again the cooking of the diver-caught scallop was very accurate, the scallop having excellent natural sweetness and firm texture, its flavour lifted by the gentle use of mustard to enliven the Café de Paris butter that it came with (17/20). 

Pate en croute was a special of the day. This had very good pastry and a rich filling of mixed meats including duck liver. The gherkins and frisee lettuce served with it were a light accompaniment, the sharpness of the gherkins nicely balancing the richness of the meat (16/20). Beef tartare was also a classy rendition of the classic dish, with careful seasoning and lacy and crisp gaufrette (crinkle cut) potatoes providing a texture contrast (16/20).

We tried the same roast chicken as at my last visit, and this was as lovely as before, the dish elevated from the mundane by the sheer quality of the Arnaud Tauzin chicken, which is arguably the best that can be found anywhere. Again, the morels and vin jaune sauce with this were a joy (17/20).

There was also a turbot cooked bone-in and served with a rich jus. The turbot, from a large 6.5kg fish, had excellent flavour, helped by being served on the bone. This approach avoids losing juices from the filleting process, tends to ensure even cooking and gives a buttery feel due to the connective tissues around the bone breaking down when heated. The cooking was precise and resulted in a fine dish (strong 16/20). On the side we were served a nicely dressed green salad, crisp fries and also tender and sweet peas and broad beans, which were right in season.

For dessert we shared the crepes Suzette, which were just as good as last time, and also tried two different desserts. Chocolate mousse was rich, served with a little salt and a drizzle of olive oil. The latter was restrained, and the use of a salt is a well-established pairing for chocolate, as demonstrated in salted caramel (15/20).

A Basque cheesecake was served with cherries. The cheesecake was impressive, the texture silky and the flavour balance not being too sweet, which is in itself an achievement given that the recipe is essentially a blend of eggs, caster sugar, double cream and cream cheese, with a touch of flour. The cherries provided enough acidity to balance the richness of the cheesecake (strong 16/20).

Service was excellent throughout the meal, and the bill was £103 per person. Chez Rose is operating at a very high culinary level, with the notionally simple brasserie style dishes elevated by skilful technique and also ingredients of a quality that you would not really expect at this price point. For example, the very large turbot and the top-quality scallop, as well as the peerless chicken, were the kind of ingredients that you might hope for in a much grander and pricier restaurant. Chez Rose is really setting the standard for brasserie cooking in London at the moment.

Further reviews: 04th Jul 2026