Les 2 Garçons
Crouch End, London
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Lucky Crouch Enders to have Robert Reid and Jean-Christophe Slowik living in their midst. The business partners have been friends since 1998 when they worked at the Oak Room under Marco Pierre White. Decades later, their pedigree shines through in this buzzing bistro du quartier. Enter through red velvet curtains to be charmed by Slowik, the straight-from-central-casting Frenchman (complete with beret and neckerchief), while Reid (in striped apron and chef’s whites) navigates a tightly packed dining room, theatrically presenting flambéed dishes tableside. The kitchen executes a thoroughly Gallic menu of comforting classics – onion soup, snails, steak frites, poule au pot – with understated excellence. At inspection, a simple-looking salad of endive, beetroot, blue cheese and walnuts was a perfect rendition of all the right proportions, while a garlicky white bean dip offered silky depth that defied its humble origins. One wall of the tightly packed dining room is lined with blackboards announcing an extensive roll call of daily specials, perhaps roast leg of Provençal lamb (for two), duck confit or the braised, stuffed pig's trotter à la Pierre Koffmann that was such a hit at our meal. A glorious headline act, stuffed with sweetbreads, chicken and morels in a glossy Madeira sauce, it was a triumphant display of Reid's skill. For ample appetites, a tarte tatin will prove a rewarding finish, likewise a rustic, beautifully pitched tarte au citron. Expect the dining room to fill up quickly – and noisily – with happy patrons. An (almost) all-French wine list opens at £29.90.
