A review of Fleurie on Bermondsey Street

Bermondsey Street is one of my favourite streets in London. Particularly because it’s packed full of great places to eat! One of its newest eateries is Fleurie, a French-style bistro and wine bar with a real neighbourhood feel. I went for a mid-week dinner with my foodie friend Natalie and here’s my review of Fleurie.

The vibe

When you enter Fleurie you get a distinctive French vibe. I haven’t been to Paris for years but I felt like I was in a Parisian neighbourhood bistro or brasserie. Sitting on the bar counter as you enter is Bibendum, or ‘The Michelin Man’, looking rather jolly indeed. I recently learned that ‘Bibendum’ comes from a Latin phrase “Nunc est Bibendum”, which means ‘now is the time to drink.’ Very apt!

There is bar counter seating, a few outdoor tables, and tables inside. I loved how each table had a little vase of fresh flowers – peonies when we went – as well as tealight candles. The lighting is fairly low, which is just how I like it! It feels like it’s perfect for a date night or even dinner with friends.

Whilst we were perusing the menu trying to decide on what to order – as it all looked so good – we enjoyed some drinks and mixed olives. Natalie order a Negroni and I tried the Tour des Gendres Pet Nat, which is a natural sparkling wine – hence the cloudiness.

The food at Fleurie

The concept at Fleurie is seasonal small sharing plates, which are priced between £13 and £20 per dish. Usually I’m not a massive fan of sharing plates because, even though they’re designed for sharing, they’re often not very substantial. Well that’s certainly not the case at Fleurie. After just three plates I was feeling pretty full!

We were offered some oysters to start with, compliments of the chef. I have only ever eaten a raw oyster once before and, dear reader, I did not enjoy it. As that was over 15 years ago, I thought it was perhaps time to give it another go. And I’m really glad I did because I actually enjoyed them this time round! They were served with a Mignonette sauce, which is made with finely chopped shallots, white wine vinegar, rice vinegar, sugar, and a wedge of lemon to squeeze over the oysters.

We ordered the burrata from Puglia, served with Datterino tomatoes and a nut free pesto made with Pecorino. It was absolutely delicious. Like Summer on a plate! I have to say, the portion of tomatoes was very generous. And of course I had to have some of that yummy pesto slathered over a slice of bread.

Whenever I see a roasted cauliflower on a menu, I always have to order it! Most times they have been good but occasionally they’ve been disappointing. I was delighted that the Ras el Hanout roasted cauliflower with pomegranate, whipped tofu and chimichurri was absolutely delightful! Once again, a very generous portion and I have to say that the whipped tofu was inspired. It acted like a hummus but better!

With two vegetarian dishes ordered, we opted for the beetroot cured salmon gravadlax with micro watercress and coriander and yoghurt. Not only did it look as pretty as a picture, it was super tasty. Putting some salmon with the herbs and yoghurt on one of the toasted slices of bread, with a squeeze of lemon, set my taste buds alight!

Even though I felt fairly full, we decided to order one more dish. We couldn’t decide between the chicken chasseur or the Spring Welsh lamb with petit pois a la Francaise so we asked for a recommendation. We were recommended the lamb and I’m delighted because it was incredible. The lamb was perfectly pink and the pea puree and petit pois a la Francaise was the perfect accompaniment.

We weren’t going to order dessert as we were pretty full but then lo and behold… we were presented with two complimentary desserts, which was just so lovely of them.

The first was a chocolate mousse with summer berries and some crunch for texture. It was quite rich but absolutely delicious. The berries were a little tart, which helped to cut through the richness of the chocolate.

The second dessert was a Gooseberry Fool, which I will admit was a bit too tart for me. I think if you don’t have a particularly sweet tooth, you’ll love it. The presentation was beautiful.

What I thought of Fleurie

We loved our evening at Fleurie and I’m already planning a return visit! The decor is charming and welcoming. The menu is small but perfectly formed and everything we ordered was truly excellent. Bobby Saunders is the Head Chef but the night we went Sous Chef Efe was on duty and hats off to him as the restaurant was full and he delivered everything flawlessly. The team, Alex (general manager), Ben and Seliza were so lovely and really looked after us.

Whether you’re just looking for a great glass of wine or a cocktail with a small plate to share, or a full on dinner, give Fleurie a try. You won’t be dissapointed!

Note: we we not invited to do a review, we booked our table completely independently. However, we were give some complimentary dishes.