**Please note: Côte invited me in, and paid for our food and drink. This in no way impacted on my opinion. I was not obliged to write a positive review, and Côte didn’t see this review before I published it.**
Fan of French food? Until April 21st, French brasserie chain Côte is offering a free kids’ breakfast with the purchase of an adult hot breakfast, or a free two-course lunch or dinner with the purchase of an adult main course. Great value, non? All you have to do is sign up to the newsletter and Côte will email you a voucher to redeem.
But did the seven-year-old foodie enjoy his lunch?
The last time we visited a Côte restaurant was two years ago when we needed something quick and easy in London. On that occasion, he grazed on our food, so this was his first Côte kids’ meal experience.
It started well from the very moment we arrived. He was treated like a VIP and told he could choose our table. Of course, he opted for a comfy sofa with cushions as his throne. With his menu came a pot of pencils, plus an envelope containing a postcard to colour and write on, and a huge France-themed activity sheet.
It certainly kept him busy until his starter arrived: a portion of garlic bread with added cheese. Not very French, admittedly. but a big hit. His verdict? “It looked like a canoe! The outside was crusty and the inside was puffy soft. It wasn’t too garlicky and it was super cheesy. Yummy!” He ate the lot.
For his main, the haddock goujons with peas, tomato mayo and a side of frites. “I liked how the chips were all long ones”, he said. “The outside of the fish was crispy and the fish was quite solid. The peas were nice but the mayo was a bit weird”. With its tomato and herb flavours, the mayo was indeed a little different, but he enjoyed the rest.
We, meanwhile, chose to order from the prix fixe menu. Priced at £18.95 for two courses or £22.95 for three, it’s a varied menu with four options for each course.
The crispy whitebait starter was indeed crispy and full of flavour, served with more of that “weird mayo”, which worked really well with it. My Boursin romesco salad was a delight: plenty of soft cheese served with tangy pickled veg, a beautiful red romesco sauce, crispy panisse and a sprinkling of fragrant pistachio dukkah.
It was steak all round for the mains – and an upgrade to the Steak Frites Deluxe (£6) featuring triple-cooked chips and Café de Paris butter. We both ordered our steaks medium-rare and weren’t disappointed: they were incredibly tender (although they could have done with a little more resting time), and the chips were beautiful. The butter had plenty of flavour, and we appreciated the little bowl of seasoning to customise the steak further to our liking. We were expecting a charred flavour on the outside from the markings on the steak, but sadly that didn’t materialise.
On the dessert front, the chocolate mousse was deliciously creamy but fairly light on flavour. The blueberry financier? Dense (in a good way) and chewy and served warm. I loved the almond taste but would have liked a few more blueberries for an added pop of texture and flavour.
“Would you like to go back to Côte one day?”, I asked the seven-year-old, after we’d left. “Yes!”, he said. “The bread was yummy, I liked the look of the lights and there were no hand dryers in the toilets.” (one of his slight fears). “I liked the activities too”.
With the added bonus of service that made him feel special (and us, too!), a buzzing atmosphere and a varied menu, I’d be up for coming back to Côte, too. Don’t miss out on their kids eat free deal this Easter!