GP Score: 8.5/10
I was surprised to learn that Wanstead was home to a Michelin recommended restaurant. Provender Cafe and Bistro is a quaint little informal eatery, serving beautiful French cuisine all day long.
You might not expect to hear the words “Michelin” and “reasonably priced” in a sentence, but here we are. I was today year’s old when I found out that Michelin not only offer stars to amazing restaurants, but also have another award known as a “Bib Gourmand” for restaurants that offer great food at low prices.
Now this doesn’t mean that every Nando’s near you is now considered a Bib Gourmand restaurant. Eatery’s are still subject to the same tests as other Michelin hopefuls, however an additional criteria requires the food to not only be delicious, but for three courses to also be under a certain price, ascertained by the cost of living in that area.
Not all Bib Gourmand restaurants will have a Michelin star though. The rules state that to win a Michelin star, a restaurant should serve unique, boundary-pushing cuisine, while a Bib Gourmand is more likely to offer comforting favourites at their very best.
Side note: The Bib, from Bib Gourmand stands for Bibendum, the real name of the Michelin Man – who knew! Now on to the review…
Food
I had extremely high hopes for Provender after the aforementioned Michelin hype. I don’t know too much about French food, so I was pretty much a blank canvas walking in here.
The menu, though small, had a nice array of dishes. From beef and lamb, to seafood and vegetarian options, it’s almost like a one-of-everything scenario, but with the one sounding absolutely mouth watering.
The menu is set out into 7 specific segments, with additional sections for charcuterie boards and sunday roasts. Here’s what I ordered as a pescatarian:
- Popcorn au Chêvre (French goats cheese & black pepper popcorn)
- Flûte à L’ail (Fresh garlic bread)
- Trio de Saumon (Three different styles of salmon with pickled cucumber, horseradish cream and croutons)
- Galettes de Crabe (Crab cakes with celery, apple and aioli)
- Coquilles Saint-Jacques (Sautéed Scottish scallops, samphire, leek and spinach feuilleté and sauce Choron)
- Gratin Dauphinois
- Green Beans
- Tarte au Citron Meringuée (Lemon & Limoncello meringue pie)
First of all, the popcorn was unlike any I have had before. I was apprehensive at first, but that was short lived after I almost wolfed down the decorative glass full – very moreish. The garlic bread was extremely fresh, in fact it says to expect a 12 minute wait as it is presumably made to order – warm and comforting. The salmon again was fresh and tasty, and the crab cakes were delightful.
However, the star of the show were the scallops. I ordered these as recommended by our waiter and they did not disappoint. Along with the side of leek and spinach encompassed in an extremely light puff pastry case, I could not get enough. I ordered the dauphinoise potatoes and green beans as a side, although one would have been enough.
This extremely delicious meal was then topped off by a delectable lemon meringue pie. The perfect amount of sweetness and tang.
Drinks
As expected, the drinks list at Provender is bigger than the food menu. With a small but stunning selection of Champagne’s, cocktails and spirits, the white and red wine’s are really where it’s at. Don’t expect to see any non-French options on this list, but then again, why would you want to?
Location
On a semi-busy highstreet, nestled in between a fitness studio and a domestic appliance store, Wanstead is the last place I would expect to find a restaurant of this calibre (no shade). As an East Londener though, it was nice to have a fairly short cab ride and not go into Central London, yet still get a similar experience from within the restaurant.
Whilst not in the most ideal location for a lot of people, evening bookings are still recommended at this hidden hot spot.
Price
I’m not entirely sure what the prerequisite in terms of price was for this Bib Gourmand recipient, but with starters ranging from £6 to £9, and main courses averaging less than £15, a meal at Provender is a steal.
My evening, which included two small bites, two starters, two mains, two sides, two desserts, a bottle of wine, coffee and service charge, came to £120. Incredible.
Overall
For an affordable, outstanding meal, in a non-pretentious, cute bistro, head to Provender. It’s worth the trip.
For Provender’s opening times, reservations and menu, click here.
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