Reviewed By Karla Williams

Thursday, Friday 27, 2012.

Located among the beautiful people of West London, Goode & Wright is the brain child of French Restaurant manager Jimmy Tardy and Scottish chef Finlay Logan. The ethos behind the eatery is to offer a French Bistro with a Proper British accent and their A La Carte Menu boasts simple but well-prepared bistro favourites using fresh British ingredients.

The restaurant has a cosy and intimate feel thanks in part to the wooden panelled walls and monochrome flooring but also responsible is the warmest of welcome offered to each guest by Jimmy himself; his alluring French accent and frequent use of ‘my darling’ significantly adding to the restaurant’s appeal.

I ordered from the Evening Menu and to start I went for French Crab Onion Soup which I was reliably assured represents the philosophy behind Goode & Wright cuisine as it combines the traditional French Onion Soup with Scottish Crab on toast rather than the common place  cheese covered crouton. The crab added a lovely dimension to the already subtly sweet soup and I had no problems polishing off my bowl in a matter of mouthfuls.

For my main I went for my all time favourite – steak and frites (chips) and I wasn’t disappointed. The steak was cooked to perfection and was beautifully moist and tender. It was served with a side of roast marrow-bones on toast which previously to this outing I had never really been a fan off. But convert I am now am and while the marrow-bones remained quite a rich flavour the addition of caramelised onions and whole grain mustard made the dish highly delectable and I fully enjoyed it as a filling, but tasty accompaniment.

To finish the meal I was treated to not one but two desserts: Dark Chocolate Fondant with Hazelnut Ice Cream and Crème Brulee. Now the Fondant didn’t ooze as much molten chocolate goodness as is required from a fondant, but I’ll forgive the lack of melting centre as the flavour was simply divine and despite not liking hazelnuts found the two worked well together. The Crème Brulee was an equal mix of ultimate pleasure and a little bit of pain; the crème being a beautifully creamy pot of vanilla heaven but topped with a brunt sugar lid I didn’t much care for. However that’s more to do with my dislike of the Brulee in Crème Brulee than anything else.  

I thoroughly enjoyed my three course of well cooked, well seasoned, appetising food, however my only criticism would be their vegetarian selection which could do with a bit more creativity because if you don’t eat cheese you’re a little bit stuck. Goode & Wright is an inviting and friendly little restaurant that serves charming fusion bistro food and is a place I would be definitely eat at again and judging from the packed house – I’m not the only one. 
  
Goode & Wright is open Tuesdays – Sundays to book a table please call 020 7727 5522. For more info please visit www.goodeandwright.co.uk

271 Portobello Rd
London
W11 1LR

Karla Williams is a London-based playwright and journalist.