The curtain’s just been raised on a new restaurant from the excellent team behind Ducksoup & Little Duck: The Picklery – and it’s called Camille.
We can only assume their autocorrect ducked up.
They’ve placed it in Borough Market, in a dinky, cube-shaped sized space that’s changed hands a worrying amount of times recently (you might remember the place as being home to Stoney Street and Sons + Daughters). But by the looks of things, they’ll be here for a while yet – because Camille is the real deal.
In a nutshell, it’s a little French style bistro that leans into British produce & nose-to-tail dining, putting it squarely on the same page as places like St John and The Quality Chop House. It’s all run by restaurateurs Clare Lattin & Tom Hill, but they’ve roped in chef Elliot Hashtroudi (fresh from a razor-sharp residency at 107 Wine) to man the kitchen for them – and he is absolutely nailing it.
The place itself is a charming little retro-style spot, with vintage-style globe lights dangling above scattered dark hardwood furnishings. The walls are lined with mirrors that wear a skirt of deep red paneling, and there’s a floor-to-ceiling set of French windows that spill light in from the market, and chairs out onto the terrace. The open kitchen throws out heady fragrances, the near-constant tease of sizzling pans, and the occasional bright tongue of flame.
Being seated in the Market, the idea is to make use of the multitude of merchants, and their multitudes of merch to amp up and refresh the menu each day. But you’ll probably find their smoked eel devilled eggs (which are far better than they might at first sound); some rich lamb’s liver with house-cured bacon in a smooth mustard sauce; a buttery, light mille-feuille-style potato pavé; and a tender Hereford onglet steak sitting in a bed of Café du Paris Butter that you’ll honestly want to drink.
For dessert, you can’t go wrong with a simple canelé, but if they have the burnt milk tart, then get the burnt milk tart – it’s a silk, smooth consistency with just the right amount of jiggle to it, and – like many of the other dishes on here, you won’t want to finish it just because you don’t want it to end.
They definitely have their ducks in a row.
NOTE: Camille is open seven days a week. You can find out more, and make a booking at the website right here.
Camille | 2-3 Stoney Street, London SE1 9AA
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