By Kate Barrett Raymond Blanc has hit the spot with his relaxed and friendly Brasserie on Walton street, Jericho. Of an evening, the average student wouldn’t consider such a reputable name to be in their league. ‘Fine as long as the parents are covering the bill’ is what I thought before trying the place. But I was nicely surprised by how student friendly the restaurant was; there’s no dress code or certainly no snobbery. The management wants students to realise that they are offering excellent quality food at fair prices, and of this I was successfully convinced.On offer, particularly for students, is a set menu of two courses and a glass of wine for lunch (£11.50) and dinner (£15). Peanuts! Yet, Brasserie Blanc is run by a respected and well known chef. For this price, you’re probably thinking the portions are of the designer, nouvelle cuisine type. Quite the opposite. The portions are sizeable and would leave most people happily full.As for the food itself: the menu is varied, with something for everyone; they even have a children’s menu. As starters, they offer the expected French specialities including mussels and ‘escargot’, along with soups, salads and a particularly good battered goat’s cheese with tomato relish – a bold dish with an amazing array of strong flavours. Choices of main course stretch to include a carvery; the steaks on offer are exceptional with extremely high quality meat cooked to melt in your mouth. You can tell that time has been taken putting these dishes together, especially in terms of sourcing high quality ingredients and balancing the flavours of the dish.There are no short cuts taken with any aspect of your restaurant experience here. Tying in with the quality of the food is the staff’s attentiveness. They are there when you need them but are sensitive about interfering with your food or company by being too persistent. All this with a backdrop of a relaxed, chatty atmosphere, and if you’re lucky enough, a window table to watch the residents of Jericho go by – essential if your company happens to be boring the pants off you!I would definitely recommend dining at this quality restaurant. Perhaps lunch with friends, a dinner date, à la carte menu with the parents or a celebration; it will be suitable all occasions, and well worth a visit.
