I’ve never been entirely sure what I think about chain restaurants. We live in an age where, for many people, eating out is synonymous with large franchises: sure, there are still plenty of fabulous independent places, but you only have to take a walk down any high street (or any road in Central London) and you are assailed by a number of familiar logos, all fighting for your custom. Sadly, all too often such chains fail to deliver the goods they promise, with food that is overpriced and really nothing to write home about. So I was interested to see how Browns, a bar and restaurant with multiple branches across the UK, measured up.
I could not have been more pleasantly surprised. The Covent Garden Browns is a relaxed and atmospheric space and resembles a Parisian brasserie, with globe-shaped lights, hanging baskets of green foliage and walls panelled with large mirrors. Tables are set sufficiently apart that whilst there is still an atmosphere of a buzzing, busy restaurant you don’t have a sense of practically sitting in your neighbour’s lap. The place even sounds like a restaurant in Paris: animated talk and the clinking of glassware mingle with the sound of a piano, mostly playing traditional music but at one point breaking (to the delight of me and my friend Amy) into an enthusiastic rendition of the Sex and the City theme tune.
The staff were very friendly and welcoming, and achieved a perfect balance of being attentive yet not intrusive. Our waiter seemed knowledgeable about the menu, informing us about the specials and recommending a wine, and was patient when we spent a good while um-ing and ah-ing over the various dishes.
The menu at Browns consists of dishes with a variety of different cultural influences, from French to Italian and traditional English. After a lot of tough decision making (everything sounded pretty tempting) Amy and I decided to share a baked camembert as a starter, followed by chicken schnitzel and char-grilled fillet steak.
When the camembert arrived (served in its original box) it was cooked perfectly, and the addition of a sprig of rosemary gave it extra flavour that perfectly complimented its smoothness. The cheese was served with some French bread and grapes, and really did illustrate that sometimes the simplest dishes can be the most effective.
Amy felt that her steak was rather on the small side, but that this was compensated for by the very filling chunky chips that came with it. She was impressed with the juiciness of the mushrooms and tomatoes that accompanied the steak, and by the steak itself which was extremely tender. My chicken schnitzel (I really don’t think enough restaurants serve schnitzel, it’s such a delicious dish) was flavoured with lemon, garlic and parsley and was not at all dry or tough, as can be the case. It was served with a tomato and basil salad, the simple but strong flavours of which worked perfectly.
Although we were rather full after out first two courses there was no way we were going to be defeated before trying pudding. I ordered cherry and white chocolate Eton Mess – an absolutely dreamy concoction consisting of lots of cream, meringue, chunks of white chocolate and boozy cherries. Amy ordered roast nectarine topped with a delicious Amaretti crumble and served with a scoop of raspberry sorbet. The desserts were huge (we only got part way through each of them) but even though I am not generally a dessert person I was very impressed. I would even go so far as to say if you are meeting up with a friend in Covent Garden and just fancy being indulgent, go to Browns just for a glass of champagne and dessert. Naughty, but very, very nice.
Overall, we both had a fantastic evening at Browns. We were there for a girly catch-up and a giggle, but it would an equally good venue for a romantic dinner or a family meal. For me, the selling point is really the atmosphere, which is smart enough for a special night out without being at all intimidating. It’s the sort of place where you can easily lose track of time just eating, drinking and chatting. Add to this food which is delicious without being pretentious, friendly staff and good value for money, and you have a winning combination.
by Angharad
Image via the Browns website
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