Casse-Croûte

Picture the most classically classic tiny French bistro you can muster, pluck it from your mind's eye and plonk it down smack-bang in the middle of Bermondsey Street. That's Casse Croûte.Oozing with plenty of French character, this lovely little local eatery is all red leather banquets, paper-topped chequered tablecloths and black & white tiled flooring. Friendly, engaging and relaxed, the team seemingly knows what makes for an enjoyable dining experience and I for one find it impossible to have anything but a wonderful time.Diners are given the option of starter, main and dessert with a choice of three dishes per course. Chalked up on the blackboard in an old school way but snapped on a smartphone and uploaded to the world wide web in a very new school way, the menu features a changing selection of classics crafted around what is available on any given day. Snails? Excellent. Rabbit? Similarly so. Frog legs? Same story. Rustic, hearty and heartfelt in equal measure, the hits far outweigh the misses so choose what tickles your fancy and go for it. Side note: if the boeuf en croute with seasonal vegetables is on the menu, you should probably get it.A cosy atmosphere coupled with reasonably priced, well-executed, delicious food that feels as though it has been created with the sole purpose of making you smile, this is the kind of neighbourhood restaurant that makes you wish you lived in the neighbourhood. The kind of neighbourhood restaurant you would travel across town for. Indeed, we did. Often.