Restaurants that just serve one thing is becoming a new trend in London from the Hummus Bros, La Polentaria, Arancini Brothers to Fraq’s Lobster Shack. Chez Boubier Cafe de Paris is probably the grand daddy of them all serving their one dish menu since the 1930’s. This restaurant at the neglected end of Brompton Road is the first branch of Geneva’s Entrecôte Café de Paris which serves just the one thing, an entrecôte steak-frites.
The menu is a very simple one page with the option of having a green salad, a 180g steak with unending french fries and pudding is optional. There is an extremely long and comprehensive wine list to go with that and many choices are available by the glass. Our waiter was hospitality school trained and was very knowledgable and charming.
The dining room is cookie cutter french bistro of a certain age with the red banquette seats, wood panelled and mirrored walls and retro lighting. You could be in any city in the world. Every cloth covered table had a burner in the middle which was a bit baffling until the steaks arrived.
With a glass of mulled wine to warm us up, we picked at a bread roll and our very simple green salad.
Introduction to the heavenly “Café de Paris” butter
The steaks here are served on a bed of their super special secret recipe butter sauce, which is placed on the burner to melt. As the butter melts, you slowly get enveloped in the aroma that revs up your taste buds. I was expecting a lump of Cafe de Paris butter on top of my steak but this was bathing in it. A great thing. That secret recipe sauce really enhances the steak and you just can’t stop slathering your meat with it. Savoury, creamy and laced with some secret herb combination, it is a real winner. One lump of butter would not have done it. The blurb on their site said
In Geneva, 1930, Mr. Boubier perfects the famous “Café de Paris” butter which immediately becomes incredibly successful and very quickly a world reference.The kept secret and jealously guarded ingredients guarantee its unique and inimitable taste. In his Parisian style restaurant based in Geneva, he had the idea of serving an entrecote of beef with homemade french-fries and a salad, topped with this subtle and exquisite Butter as a main dish. “Always imitated but never equalled”
The entrecote steak cafe de paris sitting in a pool of their secret recipe butter sauce
From now on, I want to drench all my steaks in flavoured butter like this. This same melted butter is basted over the fries before being served. They will bring you fresh frites as you ask for it and I think I must have had half my body weight in frites, of course dipped in the melted butter.
The steaks are a standard size of 180g but you can order an additional portion if you want more meat. I asked about the provenance of the meat but didn’t really like the answer as it is sourced meat supplier, so we can’t really tell where the beef is from. Nonetheless, it might not be the best grass fed beef but the way that is served made it an exceedingly delicious steak.
Puddings on offer are your typical French bistro fare like Paris-Brest, Tarte Tartin and Lemon Tart. We learnt that their kitchen is quite minimal as they only offer just steak. There isn’t an in house pastry chef so these desserts are bought in and you can tell. It’s a shame that they have not done better as they are decent enough but feels like something they bought from the local supermarket and plated up.
The puddings notwithstanding, we really enjoyed the meal at Chez Boubier. I can say that this was the best steak I have in London this year. If they sold that special butter, I would take it home by the vat full. If you are near Knightsbridge or been at the V&A, make a reservation here for a meal. It will make your day truly memorable.
Chez Boubier
232-236 Brompton Road
London SW3 2BB
0207 584 9548
EatCookExplore was a guest at Chez Boubier
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