The story
At The French Table in Surbiton, contemporary French cooking takes root in a laid-back setting on Maple Road. Eric and Sarah Guignard founded the venue in the summer of 2001, building a reputation over twenty years that keeps regulars returning. Eric Guignard continues to guide the kitchen, supported by head chef Richard Giles, who was promoted from within the brigade. Fresh breads and pastries arrive daily from their neighbouring bakery, The French Tarte.
The menu balances heritage influences with a vigorous contemporary style, available as three-course options or a five-course tasting repertoire. Dinners feature preparations such as a mi-cuit of chalk stream trout served with an avocado crème fraîche gâteau and seaweed jelly, or beef fillet paired with glazed ox cheek. Sweet courses maintain a similar focus on texture, offering a vanilla cheesecake accompanied by pear compôte, green apple gel, almond crémeux, and a star-anise sorbet.
The beverage programme spans French regions alongside labels from Crete, Catalonia, and Kent, with small glasses starting at £5.50. The team also crafts inventive cocktails and mocktails to complement the food. Beyond the main dining area, the restaurant hosts themed evenings in the upstairs room, including Loire wine dinners where Eric presents dishes reflecting specific terroirs, and cheese pairings curated by Sarah.
Recognition
Details
History
2 Rosette Award for Culinary Excellence
A restaurant that can tempt people out in the grim chill of February ('we have been coming here for 20 years, and it's always amazing') certainly has something going for it, and our wires are reliably abuzz with the French Table's satisfied customers. Nor is this simply heritage bistro cooking; it also has a vigorous contemporary style that people find convincing. Having sampled charred Cornish mackerel with salt-baked beetroot, beef fillet with glazed ox cheek, and a dessert of dark chocolate fondant, one reader reckoned that the kitchen never missed a beat. Eric Guignard remains in pole position but with Richard Giles now installed as head chef – a promotion from within the team to ensure continuity as well as the expected flair. In the evenings especially, the menus get eye-catchingly creative. Begin with a mi-cuit of chalk stream trout with avocado crème fraîche gâteau and seaweed jelly, prior to an assiette of Cornish lamb with minted courgette purée, Caesar-dressed braised baby gem and Parmesan polenta. Dazzling flavour arrays ensure the desserts don't just slip into cliché: vanilla cheesecake comes with pear compôte, green apple gel, almond crémeux, and a green apple and star-anise sorbet. Inventive cocktails and mocktails kick things off with a bang, while wines fan out from the French regions, confidently hurtling off to Crete, Catalonia and deepest Kent. Small glasses start at £5.50.
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