Having won plenty of fans in its original Soho location, it’s good news indeed that Blanchette has now opened a new branch on Brick Lane. It’s hard not to fall in love with Blanchette as soon as you walk through the door; the whole place has the vibe of a scruffy but still suitably smart French bistro. There’s a beautiful bar on the left as soon as you walk in and then the main dining room just behind, decked out with vintage wooden chairs and light fittings, cosy booths, and carefully distressed walls.
Both the design and menus are the creation of brothers Maxime, Yannis and Malik Alary and we’re happy to say the French and North African dishes are just as good as the surroundings. The portions are small so you can try lots of stuff. You definitely need to order the merguez sausage roll, the cheese beignet with onion marmalade and the pissaladiere (a anchovy pastry tart) from the snacks menu to start as they were all winners.
[URIS id=71696]From there, the menu is divided into fish, meat and vegetables and our highlights from here had to be the monkfish with smoked aubergine puree; the pork fillet with pickled girolles, artichoke and truffles; and the saffron couscous with pomegranate yoghurt. It’s worth hanging around for dessert after too, the wild strawberry vacherin being the pick of the bunch.
A cute space on Brick Lane with perfectly pitched sharing plates – Blanchette is definitely one to take a date.
204 Brick Ln, London E1 6SA
www.blanchettebricklane.co.uk