Restaurant Review: Augustine Kitchen, London

Chef Franck Raymond impresses Emma Rawle with his quintessentially French menu at his London bistro

Just south of the River Thames, a stone’s throw from Battersea Park, chef Franck Raymond has set out to transport guests to a bistro in France with a restaurant named after his grandmother.

With a menu as traditionally French as it could be, the focus is on produce from the Évian-les-Bains area of Haute-Savoie where Raymond was born.

After nibbling on warm bread and salty butter while perusing the menu, I opted a creamy cassolette of snails packed with garlic and parsley (£6.50). My companion opted for a piping hot French onion soup accompanied by crunchy croutons topped with melted Bleu de Termignon cheese (£4.95).

My main course was a roast duck magret with spicy poached pear and a timut pepper sauce (£17.95), while my companion tucked into a shoulder of lamb confit that was cooked to perfection on a bed of spicy tabbouleh (£17.95). We were also persuaded to try the chef’s speciality – a dish of creamy dauphinoise potatoes that we demolished between us.

Even after cleaning our plates, we still found room for dessert: a tarte tatin and an indulgent dark chocolate mousse (both £4.95). A refreshing white wine from Languedoc-Roussillon complemented the meal perfectly.

Augustine Kitchen

63 Battersea Bridge Road

London, SW11 3AU

Tel: 0207 978 7085

www.augustine-kitchen.co.uk