Chaïm Soutine was a Russian-French painter, born the tenth of eleven children, who – when he got his big break in Paris and sold 60 paintings at once – jumped straight into a taxi to Nice, over 400 miles away.
His eponymous restaurant, meanwhile, is the seventh restaurant from the reigning monarchs of Grand Café revival, Corbin & King.
Settled into a large Edwardian building on a corner of St. John’s Wood High Street, Soutine is a more casual, laissez-faire offering than some of their other, more opulent eateries like The Wolseley and Brasserie Zédel. A central cocktail and coffee bar commands the front room, a little slice of the continent with a multitude of vintage posters, autographs and paintings lining the laquered cherry panelled walls. Hugging the pavement outside are tables and benches for people-watching with a cup of coffee; while the back room, with its skylight, art nouveau motifs and fringed lamps, is the spot for dinner à deux.
The food at Soutine is staunchly French in character, with brasserie-style comfort food the order of the day. In the morning, you can perch at the bar for pastries, omelettes and eggs with caviar, or commandeer a whole booth at the weekend for a feast of potato rosti with double-fried eggs; pancakes; and Croque Monsieurs. And by night, you can whisper sweet French nothings (by saying ‘rien, rien‘) over oysters, buttery globe artichoke and snails; before tucking into veal escalopes, confit duck, steak frites or coq au Riesling to share.
As the evening draws to a close, you’ll order yourself a Black Forest gâteau or banana split, polish off a vermouth or Champagne cocktail, and head outside for a languorous, twilit stroll home…
…or a taxi.
NOTE: Soutine is open daily for breakfast, lunch and dinner, from 8am-10.30pm (10pm Sundays). You can find out more, and make a reservation, HERE.
Soutine | 60 St. John’s Wood High Street, NW8 7SH
Last Updated: 4th July 2019
Want to see their take on Viennese cafés? Head to Fischer’s
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Carpe Diem!