Boyds Brasserie Bar and Lounge, London – Review
A perfect destination for tourists, Boyds Brasserie Bar and Lounge is situated just 1 minutes of walk from Trafalgar Square. It`s a neo-classical, Anglo French environment (if you can imagine that) that has just received a major overhaul, inspired by London`s forthcoming 2012 opportunities (Queen`s Diamond Jubilee, London Olympics, Cultural Olympiad and Paralympic Games).
Boyds is definitely a welcoming space, either for a quick (or long) drink at the bar or a decent three course meal at one of the many tables. What really impresses as soon as you walk in is the towering marble walls, sculpted ceilings, stone fireplaces and grand chandeliers. According to Boyds, Red Bird Design who are behind the design, has taken inspiration for the interior decor from the lively Edwardian period of the 1920s, with an eclectic ensemble of art deco furniture. Black velvet flock patterned wing chairs with chrome runners rather than legs, retro leather sofas, hexagonal black felt stools and fabulous Kings Chairs feature within the lounge. An assortment of unique, brightly coloured rugs complements the marble floor. The lounge serves light dishes, cream teas, coffees and cocktails.
But enough about the very impressive design… we were there for the food after all!
The menu is not cluttered as you may expect on arrival at Boyds, in fact it`s incredibly straight forward eating making choice a lot simpler. For starters you`ll find a menu of British Tapas, never seen anywhere else, and very impressive. We loved the concept as it gave you a great chance to `test the chef` and taste a range of different flavours. We had the `black pudding scotch egg` and `Mushrooms on toast`. Prices are a reasonable £7.90 for 2 dishes.
For mains we opted for the Baked whole seabass (£17.70) and 10 oz Scotch rib eye steak from the Cairngorm national park, béarnaise sauce (£23.90), both absolutely stunning – no complaints and reasonably priced we felt.
After such a feast we simply couldn`t find room for a pudding each, so opted to share one – the Lemon Meringue, which was possibly one of the best we`ve had!
So, what do we think? To sum up, Boyds is a great place for a pre-theatre dinner (they do a specific menu with two-courses for £15.90 or three-courses for £18.90), cheeky cocktail or cream tea, perfect for tourists to pop in for a well earned drink after seeing the sites, and definitely a place to take the other half for a romantic dinner!
Location – Boyds, 8 Northumberland Avenue, London WC2N 5BY.
