A first look at Clevedon’s new French restaurant 🇫🇷

Le French Corner is Clevedon’s newest French restaurant, offering authentic French food in a classic bistrot atmosphere.

Bea and I popped in yesterday to check them out on opening night, and we were impressed with what we’ve seen so far! A little slice of France brought to the corner of Hill Road 🙌🏻🇫🇷

Evening service begins at 5.30pm and so we popped in for a mini girls night. For those looking for the best crepes in Clevedon, the La Complèt is a must-try. My little Mademoiselle chose it because she loves chocolate spread, it also features whipped cream and banana, but was off limits to me thanks to lent 😭 It certainly looked the part and she seemed to enjoy.

I asked the chef for his recommendations and he first said the bœuf bourguignon was especially tasty, but when I said something that looks good too (always thinking about my food pics 😅🤦🏼‍♀️) he suggested the duck. It came with french fries, green beans and forest sauce. Green beans usually fill me with horror but I actually ate every morsel of these. They were buttery and delicious and a million times better than I’ve had elsewhere.

My stepdad complains about French portion sizes but I thought there was plenty of the duck! I couldn’t quite tell how it was cooked because of the (rich, creamy, mushroom) sauce on top, but it tasted good and didn’t quack, so I was happy. If I wanted to be super picky my only criticism would be I could have eaten a couple more fries, but I didn’t need them, it was a big plate of food… I’m just greedy.

Decor wise, there’s beautiful new signage and gorgeous wallpaper. There’s also some delightful glassware (I loved the water jug!) and other new accessories which highlight the change from what was previously Mary’s to its new identity as Le French Corner. Antique lovers will be pleased to know the apothecary cabinet is untouched 😅

French waitering is world renowned and the management are making every effort to train their young team in its intricacies. Training was still ongoing last night when visited, but not an issue for us). I overheard the table next door remarking how well they were doing, and I can only agree, the two who looked after Bea and I were so well mannered, friendly and precise.

We only managed to sample two dishes this visit, but the menu was huge (8 pages inc drinks) with many French classics available. The Les Alpes Specialities’ section was particularly appealing (j’adore tartiflette ❤️ and I rather like raclette too 🤤) If you’re taking someone who is not a French food fan along (sacré bleu! 😮), then the selection of burgers might fit the bill.

That could be a winner for vegetarians too with a halloumi option or a plant based patty?! I’m keen to see the weekend brunch menu too. No kids menu but they’re obviously welcomed so I’d definitely say it’s family-friendly. It’s a dog- friendly restaurant too with a few well behaved pups next to us last night.

There are dishes to suit a variety of budgets. My duck was around the £24 mark, fillet steak is around £35 whilst a savoury crepe would set you back around £12.50. If you’ve followed for a while you’ll know I’m a bargain hunter, so it’s the three set menus that caught my eye to try another time…

🥞 Formule Du Jour – £15.90 – 11am to 2pm Monday to Friday (Plat + Dessert + Drink)

🇫🇷 Menu Brasserie – £32.50 – Mon to Thurs (Entree + Plat + Dessert)

🍽️ Menu Versailles Découverte – £44.90 – (Kir Royale + Entree + Plat + Dessert)

Marion and Dinesh managed restaurants in France for almost twenty years, before family life took them to Pinner where they founded Le French Corner. Dinesh’s brother is now their first franchisee, bringing the much-loved concept to our seaside town and the family connection is evident in the care that that has been taken with every element.

Their website promises you will ‘experience… a proper bistrot atmosphere’ and we definitely had that vibe. I think a new restaurant in Clevedon is always a good thing and I’m pleased it’s something we didn’t already have. I’m excited to take the rest of the family soon!

Many thanks for reading.

Lizzie xx