Bouchon Racine at The Three Compasses in Islington

Yes its hard to get a table but boy is it worth it. The best French food outside Paris without a doubt. Great and knowledgeable service but with humour. Superb wine list and food that you simply can't beat. We came for an anniversary lunch and enjoyed calves brains, ham and celeriac remoulade followed by the best skate wing I have ever eaten, veal chop with Roquefort great chips and the don't miss spinach with fois grass. Managed to find room for the addictive creme caramel and prune and rice pudding. Each dish was spot on. This is probably my favorite restaurant in London. Thank you Henry and team for another fab lunch.

Took a long time to find availability online. A variety of menu, good portion sizes, and good wine. Quite happy in general.

It was a struggle to get a booking for this place, I had to do it nearly a month in advance. While I had seen some mixed reviews, this was one of the final places I planned on bringing my parents before they left the UK, so I had high hopes for this place. They definitely weren't let down. The restaurant was very cosy, with likely less than 20 tables above a bar. It was relatively comfortable sitting by the window. We only ordered 3 dishes and all were bangers: First was the chicken liver, which came with a baguette. The chicken liver, despite its looks, was extremely rich in flavour without being overwhelming. It was the right balance even eaten on its own, but enhanced by the baguette. Honestly the bread might have stolen the show, because my mother (who hates baguettes with a passion because they're too hard) still enjoyed hers. Next was the Tete de Veau, which was slow cooked to perfection, almost melting on the tongue. Despite this, neither the texture nor the taste was compromised, unlike the feeling you get from leftover meat scraps in a soup reheated several times. I had seen some negative comments about this from others, but either I got really lucky or there is a significant difference in expectation, because I couldn't have been happier with this. The final dish we ordered was the cote de bouef. Admittedly I chose this mostly as a hedge if the other dishes were misses, which I needn't have worried about. The meat was cooked medium rare as ordered, with a delightful bite and good flavour. It was the most unremarkable dish of the three, though this is by no means a critique but rather a nod to the excellence of the other two dishes. What stole the show were the fries, which I got refills of because the salt was just delightful. It's difficult to describe, but the grain of the salt on the fries was incredible. I know some people raise concerns at the price, but realistically for the quality you're getting this is great value. Other places have offered far less while charging far more. It's a shame we were too full for desert, but I will be returning in the future, and advising any friends visiting London to pay a visit. That their location is just a stone's through from Farringdon, which is conveniently on the Elizabeth line, is just the feather on the cap.

I have dinner with my relatives for a celebration of my son graduation. However, I would not want to miss the feast of bouchon racine afterwards. The beef and rabbit were very delicious under the skill of French cook. The chicken liver with bread deserved an encore. We were quite full so that we could not entertain the dessert. I will definitely come again on the next trip with an empty stomach but it need booking for one month before

You could easily miss this restaurant as it is located above a pub, which is owned by the same people. Great service, great food & lovely relaxed atmosphere. After our 1st ever visit, it may just become our favourite ‘go-to’ French Bistrot in London.