Randomness Guide to London Menu

French Bistro in South Croydon, close to South Croydon Station. Opened in January 2008. Your reviewer visited in March 2008. A warm salad of scallops with black pudding and bacon (£7) was well-balanced and flavoursome. The eponymous cassoulet (£14) came in its own pot, with duck confit, belly pork and garlic sausage, topped with breadcrumbs (which some decry as heresy). It was perhaps a little more liquid than is common, but had an excellent earthy garlic flavour. Boeuf Bourguinonne (£14) consisted of a slightly sweet beef reduction, in which swam generous chunks of tender beef, smoked bacon, onions, mushrooms and carrots' each of which was perfectly (and hence presumably independently) cooked. The creme brulee (£6) was a generous portion,well-flavoured, and the cheese plate was a good mixture of hard, soft and gots' cheeses - perhaps sevred a little cold and underripe (£7).

Overall, the restaurant offers good value, and is probably the best restaurant in Croydon.

Booking by telephone, or online via website (provided by opentable.com).

See also:

• Independent review
• Guardian review
• Time Out review
• eGullet thread
• Andy Hayler's review

A late March menu change may render some of the above out of date.