Missing the snow? The Alps? Some mountain fodder? Fear not because Brasserie Blanc in Jericho has come to the rescue with C’est Cheese Thursdays – a fabulous menu featuring fondue, raclette and tartiflette – our idea of heaven!
Before the ink had even dried on the menus, we were there on their inaugural Thursday, sitting in the window of the beautiful and recently refurbed Jericho restaurant READ ABOUT IT HERE awaiting our cheese feast, fondue forks at the ready.
And while you can chop and change with the a la carte menu, we had one thing on our mind – cheese, and lots of it!
I can’t remember a more satisfying meal, and with Virgil on hand to keep us entertained, really generous portions, some classic red wine to wash it all down and fondue prices at only £15 per person, it really is a no-brainer
And so we dived into the tartiflette – that heart-warming Alpine dish of melted cheese, new potatoes (that actually tasted of potatoes), crispy little cubed bacon lardons that we fought over, onion confit, garlic infused cream, Gruyeye and some sliced baguette (£8.95) to scoop up every last heavenly morsel.
The perfect appetiser then before the main event – the fondue – which you can only order for two, quite rightly – it’s a sharing extravaganza of a dish.
don’t leave it too long because C’est Cheese Thursdays only last until March 21
Created by combining a mix of Beaufort, Tommy du Jura, Emmental and Comte and that intoxicating blend of Kirsch and white wine, the boiling cheese is carried to the table in a pot, and kept hot by a mini stove on the table where chunks of diced baguette await, ready to be immersed.
Swirl said bread about for maximum cheese saturation and then eat with the charcuterie selection, new potatoes, cornichons and a green salad with a Dijon mustard dressing.
And ZUT ALORS it was spot on! In terms of an authentic fondue experience it was an absolute delight (although my home-made fondue is a bit more boozy) and we persevered until the last string of cheese and slice of salami had disappeared. Good work.
Cheeseaholics can then finish with more fromage – St Mercellin with truffle honey served with sliced baguette, celery, apricots, fig and almond cake and quince jelly (£9.95).
no journey to Brasserie Blanc has ever been accomplished without sampling the pistachio souffle served with rich chocolate ice cream
But no journey to Brasserie Blanc has ever been accomplished without sampling the pistachio souffle served with rich chocolate ice cream (£8.65), and in our case two spoons.
I can’t remember a more satisfying meal, and with the wonderful Virgil on hand to keep us entertained (see top pic), really generous portions, some classic red wine to wash it all down and fondue prices at only £15 per person, it really is a no-brainer.
Brasserie Blanc was full the night we went (the day after Valentine’s Day which is usually dead), so you’ll need to book. And beware, don’t leave it too long, because C’est Cheese Thursdays only lasts until March 21. Book go to HERE
Brasserie Blanc is at 71-72 Walton St, Oxford OX2 6AG. https://brasserieblanc.com/restaurants/oxford/
