Camille

 Comforting French cuisine in London Bridge

Grilled red mullet in curry sauce

I have been on a mission to discover quality French food in London. For me, places like Otto, 64 Goodge Street and Midland Grand Dining Room are some of the best you can find in the capital. However, for something more simple, rustic and casual, I would prefer somewhere that has a bistro vibe that offers more hearty, comforting food. Camille appears to tick that, the recently opened French bistro in London Bridge. What I like about Camille is that it appears willing to use underrated, cheap ingredients such as pig ears, tripes and ox tongue, using classic French techniques to home in some rustic flavours.

Pig head, anchovies

Plaice, eel cream

Tripe Normandy style

My starter was a small piece of deboned red mullet fillet swimming in a spiced curry-like Fishman sauce. The fish was cooked perfectly and it was very fresh. I also enjoyed the thick creamy sweet and light spiced sauce that enhanced the sweetness to the fish, it was brilliant. A giant piece of Pietrain pork chop came with some very classic garnishes of a mustard and apple salad. The rich creamy dressing with a sour tone balanced the very rich and fatty pork. The meat itself was very tender and cooked just right. My only issue was that the pork skin wasn't dry enough so it lacked that killed crunchy texture, also the crispy pig ears were hidden under the salad which took away the crispy texture after encountering the salad dressing.

Pork chop and apple slaw

Coco bun

Milk tart

Camille matched my expectations in serving some very great, rich rustic French food. It clearly knows how to get the best of some humble ingredients and turn them into something really appealing, which is so rare these days in London. It was far from perfect, but it didn't need to be. The small cozy dining room, along with a team of knowledgeable staff, for me it is a winning combo, London Bridge is lucky to have a little French gem in Camille. 

Food 3.5/5

What I paid: 
£98 with wine

Average cost without drinks and services:
£60

2-3 Stoney St, London SE1 9AA

https://www.camillerestaurant.co.uk/