If Bedford and Strand was my local restaurant I'd be overjoyed. That it's in central London is remarkable. It's the sort of restaurant any city-dweller or tourist would be glad to know about, anywhere. I remember a remarkably good, cheap Christmas meal there some years ago, and the place is even better now Emma Duggan has taken over as chef.
There's nothing celeby or fancy about Bedford and Strand. Accessed through a nondescript doorway in a Covent Garden side street, this buzzy basement is kitted out like an old-style pub or wine bar. The kitchen serves decent ingredients cooked simply and well, with prices to match. In a city where it's hard to find a drinkable restaurant wine under £25, B&S offers several under £20 — ranging from "reliable" to "good" — which are all also available by the carafe or glass. Service is friendly, honest and knowledgeable, and they take their cheese seriously — always a good sign.
Our waitress looked genuinely sad that they'd run out of both the fino sherry aperitif and Chilean Pinot Noir (£19) I selected, but
guided me to excellent (and in the case of the wine, cheaper) alternatives. From the starters, we were pretty tempted by the potted crab, the charcuterie selection and the cauliflower soup with truffle oil. Next time. Ann's fillet steak tartare was seasoned perfectly, with the yolk of a quail's egg perched delicately atop in the half-shell. My goose rillettes had a nice grainy, gamey feel to them.
Main dishes were simple too. Ann had whole roasted sea bass with lemon and thyme butter, which was meaty and well pitched, the seasoning augmenting rather than overpowering. My pork chop, lemon and capers and braised lentils was beautifully succulent, the lentils retaining a bit of "bite" without being gritty. To finish, we shared the treacle tart. Ann is a connoisseur of the dish, and pronounced this a tooth-suckingly superior specimen.
Around us were people just having an after-work drink or snack and couples of all ages enjoying romantic dinners. This is the sort of good-value, all-embracing restaurant that the French do so well, and the English usually so badly (and in the centre of London, hardly at all). Don't tell everyone.
Bedford and Strand, 1a Bedford St, London, WC2E 9HH, 00 44 7836 3033; bedford-strand.com.
