London - Racine

I always make a point of checking out the loos.

One can often tell a great deal about a person or family by their downstairs ‘public’ cloakroom.  Some fill the walls with name dropping old school photo's (less Coventry Comprehensive, more Eton / Radley).  Some place various degrees of coarse humorous reading material by the pan. Others carefully position framed awards or invitations so strategically that the utiliser of the house’s facilities cannot fail to miss how revered their host is. One closet we encountered was filled with photographs of the host and hostess with ‘the famous and infamous’.  In these times they say the camera always lies, and on this occasion the loo gallery seemed to be the efforts of a struggling student on a Photoshop course. Another had pictures of the lady of the house, taken many, many moons earlier, in skimpy bikinis, posing on far off beaches.

Now I’m not saying that a restaurant rest room should have as much personality - just that it should be reflective of the venue. One doesn’t expect to find a Drummonds toilet and Czech and Speake loo roll holder in MacDonalds. However, in Racine, I did not expect a cheap plastic seat and accessories. And the space was so small. Having enjoyed a fine meal, it must be a challenge for some engorged diners to escape back up the stairs for pudding.  Many must experience that awful claustrophobic effect of opening the door and having to press against the pan to squeeze out.

The small cubicle effect at Racine is first encountered as you open the restaurant door to be greeted by a closed semi circle of dark, heavyweight curtain.

Through the magician’s tent entrance one is greeted by a proper old school Parisian ‘bistro style’ restaurant.  The diners are that bit older, more mature and more discerning. They’ve probably had their time trying out the trendy eateries of London and decided to return to their comfort zone.  Racine has starched white table cloths, proper napkins, and the mirrors on the walls are at a height to make the room seems more airy giving it depth but not permitting voyeuristic viewing of the elegant and gentrified clientele.

The food is simple and excellent. To start, options include a plate of pickled crab, salmon roe mayonnaise and toast at £13.25; fois gras wood pigeon terrine and fig chutney (£10.50); celeriac soup with wild mushroom on toast (£5).

For a main course I chose the Filet au poivre with pommes frites and green salad at £21.50. The Camel’s companion elected to try Racine’s effort at her favourite dish; Bouillabaisse (£19.50). Other mains included best end of lamb with garlic croquettes (£17), Sea Bream (£14.50) and Dover sole, the most expensive dish on the menu at £24.50.

Such was our enjoyment of this unpretentious cuisine that we ordered pudding. All are priced at around the £6.50 mark with the extensive cheese board, a modest £7.50.

Wine is also sensibly priced. There is a good selection of wines by the glass ranging from £3.90 to £10.00. Should you wish to indulge in a celebratory glass of the fizzy stuff, Deutz Champagne is £39 and Laurent Perrier Rose, £67. Entry level chardonnay (Georges DeBoeuf) is £15.50. At the top end, a Meursault Coche Dury 1998 is £145 or a Beaucaillou 1998, £145. A mid level Gigondas will set you back £39 or try a Haut Medoc Allees de Cantemerle at £9.10 per glass. I asked the sommelier to recommend a Bordeaux in the £50 to £60 range. His suggestion of the 1999 Chateau Batailley at £49.50 was excellent.

Racine is a very relaxed, enjoyable place to spend an evening. It is intimate and peaceful, the staff are friendly and efficient, and if you do have a problem, for example the Camel’s fois gras materialized as goats cheese, it is rectified immediately with minimum fuss and genuine apologies.

The departure of Henry Harris, Racine’s co-founder, to Nick Jones’ Soho House empire, does not seem to have altered the standards one iota.  The more restaurants the camel visits, the more he appreciates this one.

Racine
239 Brompton Road
Knightsbridge
London SW3 2EP

020 7584 4477