Bastille Day In London: Being French N'est Pas Requis

By Christian Rose-Day (09 Jul 12)
Tags: bastille day, france, french, national day, french revolution, petanque, boules, bbq, cocktails, garden party, london, bars, restaurants, events, wines, cuisine, food,

Our French cousins across The English Channel/La Manche have been celebrating ‘liberté, egalité et fraternité' on le quatorze Juillet since 1890, a year after storming La Bastille in the French Revolution. These days not much storming goes on, having been replaced with rampant bouts of relaxing, brutal slaughters of fine French food, scandalous drowning of several delicious French wines, and many other forms of France's less violent hobbies such as accordion, boules, and kissing (the French way).

Et ainsi...here are the best places in London to celebrate Bastille Day. Vive la France et bon appétit!

To celebrate the upcoming French National Day, a Ricard Petanque Garden Party is being held in the leafy surrounds of Chelsea Physic Garden (66 Royal Hospital Road, London SW3 4HS) from 11am-6pm on Saturday 14th July. Regarded as the best anise in France, Ricard will be supplying a variety of French indulgences and pastimes for the event: an all day tournament of the traditional game Petanque (basically the same as boules), a gourmet French BBQ, Ricard cocktails, treasure hunts, croquet, giant Jenga, and French gypsy jazz band, Trio Manouche. Entry to the Garden Party is free, and prizes can be won for the most creative dressage on the theme of ‘French vintage' (blazers and pantaloons where possible s'ill vous plaît).

Fluid London's deputy editor, Christian Rose-Day (known to me as me), once proclaimed Boundary restaurant in Shoreditch as “the best restaurant in London." This restaurant is celebrating Bastille Day with a Château Boundary Wine Tasting: France Vs The World, featuring award-winning journalist and TV personality Tim Atkin MW (booking necessary for this event). The restaurant will also have a Bastille Day 3-course prix fixe menu for £30pp which includes two of the best words ever to sit side by side: French cheese. Anyone booking a hotel room at the Boundary complex for the 14th July will also receive a free bottle of Champagne and a dozen oysters when dining at the restaurant.

Another favourite French restaurant of mine/Christian Rose-Day's is situated on the banks of the Thames overlooking Tower Bridge: Le Pont de la Tour. If you're planning on starting the Bastille Day celebrations early, this restaurant is running a special 6-course Bastille Day tasting menu from the 9th to the 14th July which features, amongst others, rare-seared yellow fin tuna and salade niçoise, roasted foie gras, tarte Provençale, herb-crusted loin of lamb, and those three loving words, fromage du jour. The menu is £85 per person and includes coffee and petits fours. A choice of wine flights, selected by the sommelier, are also available: six classic New and Old World wines for £45; or six ‘iconic' wines from top, predominantly French producers at £90.

Head chef Matthew Foxon at Criterion restaurant in Mayfair has created a 3-course menu comprising of some of the most classical of French dishes including moules mariniere, cote de boeuf and of course tarte tatin. At £40 per person for three courses including a Kir Royale or a French Martini what better way to mark this traditional French celebration than in the decadent surroundings of the Criterion restaurant? Use this bookings calendar to make your reservation.
Gazette in Balham, a playful French restaurant that actively encourages drawing on the table (chalk provided) is celebrating Bastille Day with food, wine and accordion for £30pp. Très Bon! All you need to do is book using this handy reservations calendar.

Monsieur Alain Lhermitte, the owner of London's self-proclaimed oldest French restaurant, Mon Plaisir, in Covent Garden, will be celebrating his 70th birthday on Bastille Day this 14th July and will be doing so by dusting off one of his favourite menus. Whilst a live accordionist works his magic, guests to the French restaurant can enjoy an apéritif, tarte fine d'oignon doux au basilic et aux olives, traditionnelle bouillabaisse de Marseille, rouille et croutons, avec coupe de fruits rouge glaçée pour seulement £28.50 par personne. You got all that, oui? To book, you know what to do:

Image courtesy of Flickr user mustapha_ennaimi.