The wife and I dined here last night and I enjoyed it. During the day, Gazette is a buzzy cafe cum brasserie, a place to pop in for a coffee or a croque monsieur. By night, the candles on the tables create a more intimate atmosphere, unfortunately made less intimate by the fact that the tables are too close together.
It was packed on the Thursday night we visited with a 30 something crowd, mainly couples and the odd table of four. The menu is French, fresh and updated daily. There is a good selection of fish and meat dishes and a big wine list. Starters are priced around £7 and mains around £13. 50cl carafes of wine means you don't need to pay for a full bottle between just two of you.
I had a goats cheese salad to start with - the green salad was crispy and fresh and the goats cheese on baguette had a lovely creamy, melty and spicy flavour. The pair of quails for main course were OK but a bit fiddly - my fault really, I should have gone for the roast chicken instead. The side order of chips was excellent - big and crispy, not oily and a big portion. My wife's main of calamari risotto was disappointing - the risotto was far too creamy and lacked bite and the fried calamari were placed on top, so the risotto did not pick up the fishy flavours.
Service was very friendly, if a little erratic - they could have done with another member of staff on hand.
Downstairs gets opened up for private parties or at the weekends to deal with spillover - it is pretty cosy down there.
Overall a positive experience. One thing to be aware of - lack of plates. All dishes get served in pans or on boards - a bit weird but all part of the fun!
You can book Gazette online here.
Tel: 020 8772 1232
1 Ramsden Rd
Balham, SW12
