There’s a brand new French restaurant in town and guess what? It’s absolutely fabulous. Located on the fashionable King’s Road in Chelsea, Be-Stro is the love child of Francois Roldan (executive chef) and Jonathan Vercoutere (co-patron) who met in Dubai back in 2013 and have been friends ever since. After spending 10 years in Dubai and having travelled the world, they decided to settle back here in London and set up this new modern French bistro concept which I absolutely adore.
The menu has be created around French classics which have been given a touch of international flare, inspired by Francois & Jonathan’s travels. We kicked off with a lovely glass of something sparkling and what was one of my favourite breads of 2020. A perfectly crafted and crisp sourdough loaf, slow-cooked roasted garlic and creamy salted butter. This really is a meal in itself. It does comes at a small charge, but it’s worth every single penny.
If there was one thing you must order here from the menu, it’s these Iberico croquettes. They were absolutely stunning. Cooked to perfection and the Romesco sauce for dipping only made them taste better. These are croquettes on steroids and they shouldn’t be missed.
The menu is broken down into Be-have (desserts), Be-sides (sides), Be-ef and Be-yond (mains I think), Un-Believable (main courses again?) and Be-gin (starters). Plus, In Be-tween (which are snacks). I really believe that any passer-by reading this menu will find it just a little too confusing – but if only they knew how good the food was inside. Snacks, starters, main courses, sides and desserts. It was never broken, so why change it I say. This ceviche, part of the starters option was a beautiful showcase of what Be-Stro is all about. Chunks of seabass, radish, apple, sweet potato, yuzu and coconut – so fresh and vibrant it will whisk you away to the South of France.
When I holiday by the coast and see a grilled octopus tentacle on the menu, I always have to order it – but London unfortunately has a tendency of not handling it properly, especially when it comes to the cooking. But not here, Be-Stro are masters of the tentacle and I’d go as far as to say it was the best I’ve had in years. It was so unbelievably soft and I loved the accompanying chickpea puree, rich pomegranate drizzle and fresh mint.
Main courses or larger dishes to share, you decide, but one thing is certain – you won’t want to share any of them. First out was the most wonderful teriyaki salmon with wok fried quinoa and my gosh – it was very good. The one thing I think that makes Be-Stro really stand out is that it delivers so well on quality and flavour, but somehow has you leaving feeling nourished and with a sense of well-being. That’s a strange sensation from a French restaurant, but very much welcomed.
For a real taste of the Mediterranean, order this Basque inspired baby rooster chicken. It’s smothered in a delicious marinade and served with shashouka, creamy polenta and fried padrons. It went particularly well washed down with a bottle of the house Le Jardin Chardonnay from the Languedoc.
The best dish at Be-Stro? It’s this tarte tatin for two. It’s magnificent, crispy as could be and with apple so soft it will melt in your mouth. A touch of fresh cream and vanilla ice cream – this dessert will have you coming back time and time again.
I’m not the biggest fan of the restaurants name and it doesn’t do well in search results with Google constantly trying to correct Be-Stro to Bistro at every opportunity – but who cares when the food is this good. There are so many restaurants on the King’s Road in Chelsea and I honestly feel that right now, this might be the best on it. Would we come back? Absolutely – we’re already planning a return.
