REVIEW: Lunch at Augustine Kitchen, Battersea Bridge Rd, Battersea

When it comes to eating out at the moment, my life has become a little crazy, impulsive and damn right greedy – not to mention the dreaded weight gain which comes with it. Being all so busy eating, drinking and writing about food however does have some perks (apart from the obvious). You get to meet interesting new people, top chefs and some influential critics – the weight gain is worth all of that alone. Another unexpected thing that happens is you end up finding yourself a “safe haven” where you can forget about everything and relax – for me that has become Augustine Kitchen. I may have written about this place twice before already but if you go back through the reviews, read the content and look at all the photos you’ll see just how far this restaurant and its head chef/owner Franck Raymond has come. A group of friends and bloggers alike all came here one saturday (through my demands) so I could show them exactly what they’re missing – plus it was an excuse to drink buckets of chilled Champagne at noon.

To give everyone a real feel of Augustine Kitchen, Franck created a special group menu for us all focusing on his home town, Savoie in France. Savoie (or Haute-Savoie for clarification) is located in the Rhone-Alps east of France. The region has a rich culture of good, honest food – featuring lots of cheese, charcuterie, meats and the rare but delicious fish – fera. I’m told they have some delicious wines too, especially those made with the roussette grape variety. Part of our gastronomic adventure here started us off with some lovely home-made bread and palate preparing amuse bouche. Our starter here was also true to its origins with a crozet “risotto”, girolles and Abondance cheese. I’d never eaten crozet pasta before: it’s a very small form of pasta made using wheat or buckwheat flour, with a firm texture. The girolles gave a lovely earthiness to the dish and the cheese well, it was cheese – need I say more? A lovely streak of tarragon ran through the dish like silk too and really married everything together. Admittedly this wasn’t the best dish I’ve ever eaten, but it was one which I’m so glad to have experienced, getting a real insight into what this fabulous and relatively unknown region of france has to offer.

One dish I’ve fallen in love with over my visits to Augustine Kitchen, is thankfully one which can always be found on the menu. Roast cod with black quinoa and orange reduction – it’s simply on another level and each mouthful  a gastrophiles dream. The pristine white cod was perfectly cooked, with one side very well browned and crisp – a hard task without overcooking the fish. The orange reduction however was what really turned this dish from a great one into a truly excellent one, full of sweet but delicate orange flavours. Every single mouthful of this delicious course broke down like butter melting in the mouth. I know I’ll probably tell you to order every single dish here but this one really needs to be right at the top of your list. A side of mash potato was also excellent, full of butter and drenched in extra virgin olive oil.

Before finishing off in to a food coma, cheese was up next and what a beautiful example it was. Tomme de Savoie is a cheese again from Franck’s home-town Savoie and is probably one of the more famous from this region. The cheese is made from raw, skimmed cow’s milk after the cream has been drained off to make butter. The maturing of the Tomme de Savoie takes a minimum of 2-4 months, during which time the cheese comes to develop its thick grey rind and pockets of air. Describing the cheese isn’t the easiest but think Brie mixed with Mahon and you’re almost there. We paired the cheese with far too many glasses of Champagne but it would go with just about anything – particularly a good red.

Nearing the end of our perfect lunch we finished off with what turned out to be the best baked alaska you’ll probably ever come across. I’ve eaten this dessert here before on a single person sized scale, but never divulged in a metre long version fit for twelve hungry diners. Franck’s fire lighting skills didn’t quite take off, but it was still every bit charred and crisp round the edges, revealing the soft gooey meringue inside. The roll itself looked picture perfect, full of raspberry ice cream and topped with a thick and luscious raspberry sauce. Simply put – order the baked alaska and you’ll never look at this 1980’s classic the same way again.

When I first visited Augustine Kitchen after it opened a couple of years ago now, I’ll always tell people the story of how I wasn’t immediately impressed, but then visited a further six months later and it was like eating in a completely different restaurant. Since then it’s got even better still. The restaurant for me used to be a good French brassiere but now it’s easily the best French restaurant in South-West London. Augustine Kitchen offers some fantastic value for money set-menus, fabulous service, great food and with the promise of some new interior additions and a freshly decorated exterior, I can’t think of any reason why you shouldn’t visit – it truly is one of London’s best hidden gems.

8/10