Review of Le Relais de Venise L’Entrecôte - best steak and frites in London?
If you’re going to open a restaurant that serves only one dish, then you must pretty confident in your food.
Le Relais is a perfect example, serving up steak and frites the French bistro way. Having been opened since 1959 in Paris and spread across various locations across the globe, Le Relais has had a long time to perfect it’s recipe and it shows.
The simple menu consists of a salad to start, followed by steak cooked to your preference and frites – served in two sittings. That’s it! You might think the £24.00 price tag for a two course meal is pricey, but it's worth it!
Once seated, you’re given a brief explanation of how things work and then you’re asked how you’d like your steak cooked. There’s no time wasted on debating about what tastes better or what you feel like eating that night – perfect for those who like no-nonsense.
Whilst you wait for your steak, a plate of perfectly baked French baguette is brought over. Be warned, the baguette is super tasty and before you know it, you’ve eaten the whole plate. So pace yourself and save some room in your stomach.
The salad is equally as tasty – a simple green salad with a tangy mustard vinaigrette and crushed walnuts. The sharpness of the salad is enough to get anyone’s taste buds going.
Then comes the main event – the steak and crispy frites, served with Le Relais’ famous secret sauce. So secret that when my pregnant friend called ahead to see if the sauce had any dairy in it, the manager wouldn’t confirm either way, but suggested my friend had the steak without sauce instead!
I’d say the sauce has a consistency and similar taste to a béarnaise sauce, but with much more depth. There’s a complexity of flavours that I just can’t quite put my finger on it. Either way, I’m not complaining as it’s a good compliment to the steak and frites.
After you’ve comfortably eaten the first plate, a second serving is offered. No matter how full you are, I don’t think you’ll be able to resist having more of the steak and frites!
Twice I’ve been to Le Relais and been defeated by the two plates. On my third visit, I managed to make some room for dessert. And boy wasn’t I glad!
I opted for the Le feuillette aux framboises (£5.95) – two pieces of crispy pastry encasing whipped fresh cream, sweet raspberries and then drizzled with berry coulis. It’s a monster of a dessert, so I would advise you to share this, unless you feel like you’re up to a food challenge!
I’ve always enjoyed my visits to Le Relais and see it as a place for a casual night out or a romantic dinner for two. Who would you want to bring along? 😊
Website: www.relaisdevenise.com
Address: 50 Dean Street, London, W1D 5BQ (there are two other branches in London)
Phone: 020 3475 4202
Email: soho@relaisdevenise.com
Opening Hours: Monday to Friday 12 – 2:30pm and 5:30 – 10:30pm, Saturday 12:30 – 3:30pm and 5:30 – 11:00pm, Sunday 12:30 – 3:30pm and 6:00 – 10:00pm