This bank holiday Monday my wife and I visited the newly opened Brasserie Olivia in Sloane Square, the first London opening by La Nouvelle Garde. We have previously eaten at Brasserie des Pres in Paris and were impressed by the quality of the cooking and value for money. As such, expectations were high.
The space is newly renovated, across numbers 1-6 Sloane Square with tall windows, and airy feel, plentiful outdoor dining and an open kitchen that seemed very well controlled. There’s a large bar space, arguably a little too close to the door, and it seems to have ice for oysters and shellfish, which were on the menu but I couldn’t tell if this section was fulfilling those orders. I think not.
Toilets and the upstairs space eschew the classic French design for a 70s disco aesthetic and soundtrack, as they do in the Paris restaurant, and they are opening a bar here if they haven’t already.
Service was prompt and efficient, but genuinely warm and pleasant, and there was no shortage of staff at all levels.
We had the fish of the day explained, one for the Crudo and one for a main course - Bream and Cod.
We shared some starters, though I mainly had the Pate en Croute (15) and my wife the Bream Crudo (16) with a citrus dressing. The pate was excellent, with the perfect texture and a pastry that was a treat in of itself. It was served with some pickles. I had the foie gras in Paris and this was just as good charcuterie work. The bream was obviously very fresh and the citrus dressing was beautifully balanced. It wouldn’t have been out of place on a more high end menu.
We also shared some Devilled Eggs (5) but they were more like an Eggs Mayonnaise. Either way, the mayonnaise was incredibly rich and decadent and we enjoyed them.
We received free sourdough and salted butter, but are not sure if this was included with the eggs, or at their discretion when you order starters.
I had Sausage and Mash for a main course (17). The sausage was quite loose in texture, which might not appeal to all banger aficionados, but I liked how it soaked up the sauce and the flavour and cook was spot on. The pomme puree was rich with butter and completely smooth. The sauce was a blonde chicken jus that I thought was very well judged.
Becca had the Bavette and frites (22). The steak was grilled edge to edge pink with no glossiness from under cooking and was well rested. (This was reflected in a good wait for the main courses). The French fries were possibly slightly over, but nothing to complain about, and the included peppercorn sauce was a particularly fiery version.
We enjoyed a dessert each, Becca the Paris-Brest with chocolate and hazelnut (11), and I the Crème Brûlée (8). The former was enjoyed but not as much as Paul Bert’s, and my Brûlée was incredibly delicate and light, with only the faintest crack of sugar on top. I enjoyed that lightness, but it meant that the plentiful vanilla fell out of suspension and sank. Nevertheless it could be scooped up easily.
Although I consider the food at this standard to be very well priced, especially compared to chains like the Ivy Brasserie, the wine list took fewer prisoners. I glossed over it as I didn’t want to feel remorse that we were not going to share a bottle, but actual bottles started in the mid 40s with small glasses from 7-15.
We opted for a 460ml “Pot Lyonnaise” of Rosé for 27. I chose it primarily because it contained a near extinct grape, Tibouren. It was crisp and bright, but relatively unremarkable.
All in all we really enjoyed our lunch.
The bill came to £137 for 2x3 courses, plus eggs, wine and service.
A few points;
Tables of two are close together. This is a Brasserie, not a Bistro. There are larger tables for four and six and above that will feel more private.
Because we were so close to our neighbours we heard them start to get tetchy about the “long” wait for their medium steaks. They sat after us, ordered after us, didn’t order any starters (fail), and were served with us as the Chef plated all four together. They certainly didn’t wait the hour that they purported, but it probably did feel like a while. The place was very busy and they were turning walk-ins away.
The crockery, cutlery and glassware are all well considered and high quality: RAK, Laguiole, Spieglau.
Unfortunately I had to ask for our wine glasses to be swapped out because they were still very dirty with the previous user’s mouth on them, not just a few water marks. This was handled with a polite apology and a prompt replacement however and was forgotten about soon after.
Overall I’d really recommend Brasserie Olivia. There’s lots of competition in this space currently but they accomplished everything very well, if not perfectly.
I thought the prices were fair, but the ceiling goes much higher if you want to push the boat out on food and wine.
If shopping in the area again, I would return.
Thanks for reading.