Sunday roasts in London: Bordelaise

Bordelaise is the kind of bustling bistro you dream of stumbling across in a Parisian back street. Instead this little patch of Gallic charm, with vintage adverts on deep-red walls, is tucked away between clothes shops, butchers and fishmongers in Broadway Market, Tooting.

It specialises in steak-frites and is the latest venture from the team behind local favourites The Little Bar and The Little Taperia. Its signature flat iron steaks have proved deservedly popular since it opened last year, but now Bordelaise is marching into traditional British territory with its take on the Sunday roast – will it measure up or meet its Waterloo?

The main event The Sunday lunches are unashamedly French – and yes, that means you won't find roast potatoes or Yorkshire puddings on the menu. But when the accompaniment is instead a pan of still-bubbling dauphinoise, drenched in cream and scented with garlic, even the most ardent roastie fan would struggle to feel bereft.

And that's before you get to the roast itself, which on the Sunday we visited was spring lamb with flageolet beans. The generous slices of lamb were seared on the outside, perfectly pink and tender within, and served on meltingly creamy beans in a savoury broth. Slow-cooked chunks of neck fillet provided a delicious contrast in flavour and texture and glazed heritage carrots and geranium leaves made sure it ticked all the right Instagram boxes.

Like its steaks, the meat for Bordelaise’s roasts is sourced from the Rare Breed Meat Company. There's a different Sunday lunch each week and they’re all based on French family classics – past dishes have included roast belly of pork and roast saddle of lamb with wild garlic gnocchi.

The rest Top of the list is the steak, either flat iron or rib-eye, both a steal at £12 and £19 respectively. The sides menu is short but irresistible, featuring caramelised Madeira shallots, creamed spinach and – best of all – beef dripping French fries. Crisp, light and the perfect combination of chips and fries, they’ll provide solace for anyone who really can’t cope without roast potatoes.

If you’re opting for a Sunday blowout, there’s a chocolate fondant which will take some forgetting – rich, dark and molten, it’s tempered with cool ice-cream and salted caramel sauce. You can take your pick from a proper cheeseboard too, at £7 for three pieces.

If you really want to persuade yourself that you’re on holiday in France, kick things off with an aperitif – try an Aperol spritz or a kir for £5. As you’d expect in a steak restaurant, there’s an excellent list of reds, with the merlot and grenache served by the glass and carafe as well as the bottle. No plans for the rest of the day? Add bottomless fizz to your roast for an extra £10.

If you think only the British know how to do a good roast, a trip to Bordelaise might just convince you otherwise.

When can I try it? Sundays, 12-4pm

Cheque out: The roast is £16, or £26 with bottomless bubbles

Info: Unit 9-11 Broadway Market, Tooting High Street, SW17 0RJ; bordelaise.co.uk