Chez Rose

In previous reviews I have covered the background to Chez Rose and its executive chef Spencer Metzger. I have written previously about the wine list here. Tonight we took advantage of the £50 corkage that is available.

Gougeres were excellent, quite large with fillings of cheese and onion with grated cheese on top; the choux pastry had excellent texture (16/20). A nibble of Cantabrian anchovies from the Bay of Biscay with curd and olives on little croutons was fine, the anchovies of high quality and not overly salty (15/20). A dish of Brixham crab with melon featured white crab meat, avocado and tiny cubes of Charentais melon and croutons, topped with frisée lettuce. This was beautifully balanced, the crab sweet and going well with the avocado, the melon adding freshness (16/20).

Wild mushroom persillade with preserved truffle on toast was a simple but lovely dish. The quality of the mushrooms including morels was high, the garlic and parsley of the persillade sauce binding the mushrooms and enhancing their flavour. They were precisely cooked, completing a most enjoyable dish. I am always impressed with kitchens that can take something relatively simple and make it taste really special, as was the case here (16/20). I have written previously about the classy pate en croute here, and it was on form tonight. This had very good pastry and plenty of meaty flavour, with cornichons to give a little bite (16/20).

A special dish of the night was John Dory, filleted and served in a sauce of the chicken juices that seemed to be thickened with chicken stock. John Dory is a lovely fish and this was beautifully cooked, the rich sauce working as an excellent foil for the fish (16/20). Roast chicken was a dish that I have eaten here before, the chicken served with morels and a vin jaune sauce. The chicken itself was the exceptional Arnaud Tauzin chicken from the Landes, and had lovely flavour. The morels were excellent and the vin jaune sauce, with the rich yellow wine from the Jura, is a classic combination for chicken and morels (17/20). On the side, a simple dish of fresh peas and broad beans laced with bacon was excellent, the flavour of the peas being particularly good, with lovely natural sweetness. Also excellent were velvety pomme purée and crisp chips, while a side dish of Ratte potatoes was fine (side dishes 16/20).

For dessert, chocolate soufflé was superb, with rich chocolate flavour yet with a light and fluffy texture, the inside being evenly cooked and having risen beautifully. This came with excellent vanilla ice cream. This was a very fine soufflé (18/20). Service was very good tonight despite the exceptionally busy dining room. Despite this, wine was topped up attentively and dishes arrived at a steady pace. The bill came to £207 per person all in. It is easy to see why Chez Rose is so very busy. The menu is appealing, the staff are welcoming and the cooking is to a high standard. The ingredient quality used here is better than at many starred restaurants, never mind brasseries. It is already a roaring success and doubtless will continue to be.

Further reviews: 28th Jul 2026 | 04th Jul 2026