The French House
49 Dean Street
W1D 5BG
Cuisine: French
Tel: 020 7437 2477
Nearest Station: Leicester Square Tube
It's tiny, above a pub, but very sweet. You are squashed into a table in a restaurant that must seat about 25 covers max. The mirror at the back of the restaurant on the wall gives the illusion of more space but prepare to be cramped.
The menu is simple and certainly not French fancy. More French rustic. And it is a bit like going back to 80's dining. My prawn cocktail starter was very good and came with a huge juicy meaty king prawn on the side. It was good value at £7. My colleague's Ham Hock was equally good and priced at £7.50p.
I chose fillet steak with chips for mains and my colleague had roast chicken and chips. Both were good sized portions and tasty. Both were priced around £17.
No puddings, one glass of red wine and one pint of cider, with one bottle of water and 12.5% service charge and the final bill came to £71.55 which was good value for central London.
My only gripe, and it is a big one...they seem the practice the tactic of trying to get the customer to enter a tip twice. I hate that. So I paid by card and was asked to enter my PIN on the machine following by the question 'would you like to enter a tip?' I asked my waiter whether service was included (I knew it was from looking at the bill but wanted to see what he would say). He replied 'a small service charge is included yes.' I didn't add extra on the machine, needless to say.
French House, if you're reading this, please change your policy or at least the PIN entry machine asap because this is a despicable practice that ruined an otherwise good experience.
