The French Connection, Stourbridge
The French Connection is a fixture of Stourbridge's dining scene, and with good reason, writes Helen Cartwright.
French food fans are well catered for in the West Midlands, with a glut of bistros like Chez Jules and not one but four branches of Cafe Rouge within a mile of each other in Birmingham,
But fans of Gallic gastronomy don't have to travel into the second city to get their fill of food like escargot or moules frites.
The French Connection is a fixture of Stourbridge's dining scene, and with good reason. Serving a varied menu in authentic surroundings, it brings a little bit of the Champs-Elysee to Coventry Street.
And with many now looking for a good deal when they head out to eat, French Connection doesn't disappoint.
This isn't the sort of place where you need to eat at 5.30pm on a Monday to get a good deal, as it offers special fixed-price menus most lunchtimes and evenings, including Fridays. So it was with a great deal of excitement that we celebrated the start of the weekend by tucking into its regularly changing three-course Menu Rouge, which for a very good value £15.95 – about the same price as a main course from the a la carte menu – even comes with a glass of house wine.
First impressions were good. Tables are decorated with red and white checks, the small but well-stocked bar looks like it could have come straight from a French café (except that it will shortly be serving real ale as well as Stella Artois) and the walls and shelves are full of interesting items like pieces of art by local designers.
Having French café music playing in the background and a free warm basket of bread to nibble on as we awaited our appetiser of champignons a la grecque – mushrooms and baby onions in a spicy tomato and garlic sauce (£3.50) – only added to the atmosphere. Our entrees were a very flavoursome ratatouille and goat's cheese filo and a tasty coarse meat pate served with toast and salad garnish, but other equally tempting options on the Menu Rouge included an apple, pear and Roquefort salad and a seafood platter.
Those dining a la carte can enjoy typically European fayre like lobster bisque (£8.95), lambs kidneys with mushroom polenta (£6.95) and the highly recommended Coquilles Italienne (£6.95) – scallops wrapped in pancetta served in filo cups with a limoncello sauce.
Of the five Menu Rouge mains, we opted for a creamy sweet chilli tagliatelle which came with garlic bread and a sprinkling of parmesan, and a very generous serving of pan fried duck, bacon and chicken salad with a plate of hot and crispy French fries.
Other options on the set menu included beef wellington with madeira sauce, chicken breast in a tarragon sauce and gurnard fillet with fresh herb sauce vert, while the main menu includes a wide range of bistro favourites, including Gascon chicken casserole (£14.95), boeuf bourguignon (£15.95), confit de canard (£15.95), a French poachers' pie with rabbit and game (£15.50), and that classic Gallic offering of steak frites with a green peppercorn sauce (£23.95).
With very little room for dessert, we nevertheless managed to make enough space for honeycomb ice cream and chocolate cheesecake.
The final bill, £42.40 including drinks, was excellent value for what was very nice food in comfortable surroundings, proving you don't need to go all the way to the continent – or even Birmingham – to add a bit of French flare to your evening fayre.
ADDRESS
The French Connection, Coventry Street, Stourbridge DY8 1EP
Tel: 01384 390 940
