Mignonette: Is This London’s Best Value Set Menu?
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2 months ago
High-end French food at affordable prices
London has one of the best restaurant scenes in the world – but sometimes, dining out feels simply unaffordable. However, amid all the glitzy eateries the capital is home to a handful of really good cheap eats. The latest? Mignonette, a new neighbourhood spot in Richmond offering some of the city’s best value dining.
Affordable Bistro Opens In Richmond
Mignonette is helmed by founder and chef John McClements, whose aim was to set the restaurant apart by serving high-quality, affordable French-inspired cuisine. According to McClements, it will focus on ‘elevating more affordable meat options rather than simply prime cuts, such as steak tartare, stuffed pigs trotter and ox cheek bordelaise, with daily fish specials and impressive vegetarian/vegan options to match’.
Launched last week on Kew Road, the eatery offers two courses for £16 or three for £19 – plus a three-course Sunday roast for £25. All starters on the dinner menu, meanwhile, are under £10, starting at £7.50. The set menu includes the likes of buckwheat galette, king prawns with garlic, and grilled miso-glazed quail with wild mushrooms, followed by confit crisp duck leg, fillet of seabass, and Iberico pork.
On the dinner menu, starters include courgette flowers with goat’s cheese (£7.50), chicken and foie gras terrine (£9), and BBQ glazed Orkney scallops (£9). Mains are a little pricier here: there’s Sutton Hoo chicken with lyonnaise potatoes (£18), turbot with lobster tuile (£25), and grilled rabbit with buckwheat polenta (£19).
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Speaking about the high prices of many London bistros, McClements said: ‘I think it’s outrageous really, that things have got so out of control with pricing. Things like VAT and the higher prices which some of these supply companies are charging, added together with staff costs, are killing off restaurants.’
Taking over the site which formerly hosted Restaurant 109, the eatery has space for 30 guests, alongside a private dining room. McClements has a wealth of experience in opening venues: his CV includes Ma Cuisine group, Tagine in Kew and La Brasserie, alongside his esteemed eponymous eatery in Twickenham, which previously held a Michelin star. Up until recently he was retired, but he missed the restaurant world and decided to dive back for the launch of Mignonette.
Mignonette is open now on 109 Kew Road, Richmond, TW9 2PN, mignonettebistro.com
