So the story goes, that Brasserie Zédel was once part of The Regent Palace Hotel, opening on 16th May 1915. Greatly recognise for the Art Deco style, this grand French Brasserie is located in the heart of London by Piccadilly Circus.
I never knew such a place existed I’ve walked past the area all my life and never noticed it. I saw many people on instagram lately uploading photos of the branded red and white plates and was intrigued.
One Sunday afternoon catch up, my friends wanted to meet somewhere for lunch and I booked Brasserie Zédel. The entrance has no one to greet you and you walk into the ZL café. There’s no signage for directions and you walk through the maze of mirrored walls and hanging frames of the art deco area.
Finally, we spot a sign for the Brassiere but you must slowly submerge to numerous flights of stairs to find your destination. I felt like I was falling into the rabbit hole for wonderland and atmosphere feels like you’re in a fun house.
Once downstairs, I almost turned back around feeling confused that I came to the wrong part of the building. It looks like I was in the lobby for a cinema, with a lady at the desk on the left and a screen room on the right. The lady pointed us to the right direction to Brasserie Zédel.
Open the doors and the beauty of Brassiere hits you, high ceiling walls, gold and marble walls with comfy leather booths on the outside, in the middle rows of dining tables.
Once seated you need to ask for the English version of the menu, otherwise you’re presented with a French one. I have no idea why in France places don’t like giving translated menus.
As I knew I wanted desserts I opted for a light lunch to start. If you never tasted a real French baguette this is the place to go. Real French flour for that light crusty crisp exterior and airy inside, best smothered in butter.
Now my mains resembled a burger that didn’t look like it was properly minced, floating in the peppercorn sauce. I had mine-cooked medium rare, although I didn’t practically thing the meat exciting or tasty, drenching in the peppercorn sauce helped. Extra thin cut frites had a lovely crunch.
The dessert made up for everything and blew me away. A white chocolate mousse with poached rhubarb and a glazier icicle of ginger. Brasserie Zédel is a charming place with remarkably low price for food. Make a beeline for the desserts, beautiful back drop setting to forget you’re in London.
{google_map}20 SHERWOOD STREET LONDON W1{/google_map}
