Cassis Bistro - an SW3 take on Provence

There's a steely glint to Marlon Abela. He's certainly charming and polite but in a rather reserved way.  The growth of his restaurant Empire has been remorseless, at Marc (the Marlon Abela Restaurant Corporation) rather than rushing to meet arbitrary deadlines they only open when they are good and ready. The London end of the group (which also has restaurants in the U.S.) is represented by the Greenhouse and Umu and just before Christmas 2010 they were joined by Cassis Bistro which took over the site that was the Oratory on Brompton Road. The Cassis Bistro is a very glossy and plush place, this is not a bistro in the typical gingham table clothed, rustic cooking, house plonk sense. Think SW3.

At Cassis the decor is suave, there is plenty of space between the large tables, slick French waiters and waitresses glide about. The wine list bridges a rift valley, one side offers sound regional wines with agreeably modest price tags the other is peopled by great names with prices to match.

It's worth saying early on that the cooking is very good at Cassis. The fact that the dishes are not what we usually view as bistro cooking has troubled some other critics but rather than discussing whether dishes are "Bistroey" enough, or whether there is sufficient "Provençal" heritage... trust your taste buds and get stuck in. The menu starts with a section headed "Petites bouchées" – Pissaladière is delicate rather than rustic but well-flavoured for all that; barbajuans (small pastries one stuffed with goat's cheese, one with spinach, the third with chicken livers) are a little soggy; the "pastis flambéed snails, puff pastry and garlic butter" turns out to be a delicious vol-au-vent.

Entrées range from "sea bream Carpaccio, marinated courgette and Menton lemon"; to "pumpkin soup, chestnut and Provencal goats' cheese"; and "queen scallop ragout, coco beans and lemon time" – a near faultless dish, slightly crunchy beans the perfect foil for the small scallops, all in a silky rich sauce.  On to the "Plats Principeaux". The chef here is David Escobar and he comes from the Michelin three star Lameloise in Chagny, he knows his stuff and this shines through in the simpler dishes – "veal kidney in violet mustard sauce and raisins" is a magnificent dish, rich sauce with subtle flavours, perfectly cooked kidney – not over-cooked and tough nor under-cooked and whiffy. A "Provençal daube with Bandol wine sauce and orange" is very good indeed. The pommes Boulanger is notable. There's a roast veal chop for two; there's a serious bouillabaisse; Landes duck breast with chickpea galette and cassis sauce.  Puds get outrageous quickly – a magnificent salt crème caramel; a towering vanilla and black truffle soufflé as light as a feather. Pricewise the Petites Bouchées range from £3.50 for tapenade to £16 for a charcuterie selection. Entrées £6.50 to £13 (foie gras). Plats Principaux £13 to £24.

The cooking is good here and there are various Provençal influences. Dishes are well-balanced and rich, although there may be a tad too much emphasis on luxury ingredients like truffle and foie gras. Cassis is not a bistro, it's a very agreeable restaurant – maybe that's what "bistro" means in SW3?

www.marcrestaurants.com

Cassis Bistro, 232-236 Brompton Road, London, SW3 2BB (020 7581 1101 www.cassisbistro.co.uk)