Brasserie Gérard

The Brasserie Gérard group of restaurants have chains up and down the country, offering all-day dining in a modern brasserie with a French-inspired menu. I stopped at their Sevenoaks branch for a quick bite to eat.

The restaurant is bright and airy; the white wood-cladding gives it something of a nautical feel. It is not in the slightest bit like a French brasserie as they claim, but then this is Sevenoaks, not Paris.

The menu has something for everyone, from chicken tagine – I guess this could be described as ‘French colonial’ cuisine- to steak and burgers and slightly more adventurous fare. Their marketing blurb makes the bold claim of having the best steak frites this side of Paris, but I didn’t take them up on that offer as I can guarantee they don’t. At a mere £7.95, they simply cannot compete with a true steakhouse in terms of quality beef, despite the group’s buying power (they are owned by Santé, who also run the Chez Gérard restaurants, Cafe Uno, Livebait and Bertorelli). As a rule I would avoid any place that claims to have the best-something this side of somewhere. I recently dined at a seafood restaurant that claimed to have the best mussels this side of Padstow, and if that were really the case, then our sea life is in serious trouble. To even call them mussels was pushing the trade descriptions act to its limits.

We sauntered in to Brasserie Gérard at 3pm and the restaurant was pretty quiet, as you would expect at this time of day. I ordered the Gérard Burger with cheese and bacon, not an especially gourmand choice but at 3pm in Sevenoaks I wasn’t expecting anything dazzling from the kitchen. The burger arrived promptly but it was dry and overcooked. It had a nice char-grilled flavour but would have been nicer if they hadn’t burnt the beef to a crisp. The chips weren’t bad but the cynic in me suspects they were bought in.

Service was friendly and it was an easy way to fill the stomach at an odd hour of the day. If you are looking for a quick bite to eat at an unorthodox time, or for a cheapish meal to see you on your way, Brasserie Gérard isn’t a bad place to stop, though as a food snob I would have to grit my teeth to call it good; it’s probably on a par with an All Bar One. If you want a real French brasserie experience, go to Paris.

Brasserie Gérard, 8 London Road, Sevenoaks TN13 1AJ. Tel. 01732 463127.