So, what’s the deal? An easy £10.95 is all it costs as local NW3 institution Chez Bob for two courses, £12.95 for three. There’s a choice of five mains, five starters and two desserts.
What’s the usual price? Standard restaurant prices – starters a fiver upwards, mains £12-20.
Talk us through things. Firstly, the plates are big: they’re not scrimping here. We swerved fishy choices, but we could have gone for a towering pile of whitebait or even pan-roasted Cornish mackerel.
Instead we shared two starters: smooth duck liver pate was a generous portion complete with two boats of toasted baguette, and a rather nice fig and balsamic chutney, while an orange, feta and fennel salad was balanced: crumbly, crunchy and sharp, sweetened by honeyed almonds and a real aroma of mint. For extra tang, pomegranates were scattered on top.
Our mains – tender flattened paillard smothered with a rich, herby butter continued the attention to detail, while a pot of skinny fries made sure we were full for our wonga.
To drink? We opted for a house white, a passable Trebbiano at £17.95: floral, crisp and light, it matched salad and poultry sufficiently.
Busy? Every table was taken on the terrace outside, on what was a warm late summer evening. This place has, it seems, stood the test of time. Let’s hope newcomer Tish, located opposite, does the same.
Our rating: 8/10