Madame Gautier - a new restaurant in Kensal Rise, London

Following on from my post about the Notting Hill Carnival, I thought I’d stay on the theme of north-west London, where I grew-up and where my folks and friends still live. So here is a short-piece on a new restaurant I discovered on Kensal Rise – Madame Gautier.

Now having been born and bred in the same house and only leaving for university and then to move up to Manchester in 2011, I’ve seen Kensal Green and Kensal Rise change immensely over the years. It has gone from somewhere people hadn’t even heard of and a bit rough around the edges, to the trendiest place in north-west London, full of yummy-mummies and trendy bars (with property prices soaring to reflect this).

Growing up, I never thought I’d see the day when there would be an array of amazing eateries, pubs and cafes to go to locally. I no longer needed to go out of the area for a night out, it was all happening in Kensal…and I loved it. So in honesty, it was a bit of a wrench to leave all that and my friends behind when I moved up to Manchester, but my folks still live there so I always enjoy visiting and feel I probably appreciate the area even more now.

It’s always a pleasure when I see a new independent business opening in the area and on this visit to Kensal, I spotted Madame Gautier on Kensal Rise. It’s a French Bistro located in the spot that previously housed The Diner (which was a welcome addition when it arrived, but never quite reached its full potential and left diners leaving a little disappointed), and on the day I arrived, was bathed in sunshine. I must admit, even for the newly trendy Kensal, it does look a bit “posh” but I was excited to head over and see what Madame Gautier had on offer.

Now I went on a Friday brunch, so it was very quiet but still inviting and because the weather was glorious, it was nice to have somewhere to sit al fresco in the sun. The waitress was friendly and greeted me straight away with a smile and a menu. I just wanted something light and eggs benedict (oeufs benedicte) is always a winner for me, so I chose this along with a glass of fresh apple juice.

What is amazing about Madame Gautier is the interior and furniture! It is a simply stunning place! The owner has spent a lot of time (and money by the looks of it), paying attention to details such as the tiling (in keeping with the age of the building) and the chic furniture inside. With unusual features like the floating tables and bar stools and central bar, it really is very well designed and made me wish my flat looked like that!

There was a selection of patisserie on the bar and the whole place promised a wonderful environment to while-away a Sunday afternoon (when I’m sure it’s a lot busier). My eggs benedict arrived and in honesty it was ok…just ok. At £8 it’s not expensive but not cheap either, so I was a little disappointed when I only had one slice of brioche toast and one small poached egg (you standardly get two anywhere else). It looked the part though and I wasn’t too worried about portion size that morning, as I was just happy to be out and about in the sunshine. The quality of ingredients was certainly there, as was the presentation, but the hollandaise was way too vinegary for me – and the hollandaise is the key to any eggs benedict! So I could certainly see the potential, but the food wasn’t quite there for me that day. The waitress was extremely attentive and polite though and I bumped into who I assume is the owner, who was very approachable and happy for me to be taking photos.

Although a little disappointed with my brunch, I only tried one thing on the menu, so I’m not judging the place just on that. The impressive-looking French a la carte dinner menu means I’ll certainly go back to sample that when I’m next in town and I’m sure I’ll get a good taste of what Madame Gautier is really about then. And if nothing else, it’s a beautiful, friendly environment to enjoy a croissant et cafe – a welcome addition to Kensal Rise I’m sure.

I’d be interested to hear your thoughts on Madame Gautier – has anyone else eaten here? What did you think? Is the evening menu as good as it sounds?