Review: Pompette

The first thing that hits you at Pompette is the décor.

Stylish, bold prints and rich colours give the dining room a curated, French-chic energy – I wanted half the artwork for my own home. Their new cookbook is displayed across the restaurant for guests to flick through and it’s gorgeous; another thing now on my wish list. I also became a little obsessed with their cartoon owl logo. Fun fact: pompette means “tipsy” in French – something I could definitely see happening here. We were doing Dry January, but we’ll 100% be back to make a dent in the wine list.

Clinton, the floor manager, was brilliant. Warm, attentive and chatty – and the whole team had that same relaxed hospitality that makes you want to linger.

Starters included the Ham & Manchego Croquettes: creamy, crispy and very hard to fault. The Cervelle de Canut, a Lyonnaise fresh cheese, walnut and herb dip with crutons, it was fragrant and light, beautifully presented and not too filling before a main.

Mocktails: a good selection if you’re not drinking. We tried the Social Sour and Hibiscus Spritz – both enjoyable, and the Botivo Fizz, which wasn’t for me (a bit bitter) but I’m glad to have tried it, as I’ve seen it around.

For mains, we both went for steak.

Both steaks were cooked nicely, crispy on the outside, juicy on the inside and well seasoned. The Onglet comes with chips and salad, plus a choice of sauces. Charlie chose the Beurre Pompette and I had Béarnaise; both complemented the steaks well. The chips were skin-on skinny fries – tasty, though quite filling.

Dessert: we shared the Rhubarb & Custard Tart with crème fraîche and rhubarb compote. Super fresh and light, beautifully plated with colours that popped off the plate. We didn’t have much room left, but sharing it was the perfect end to the meal.

Pompette also has tempting weekday offers: on Tuesdays, mussels with pommes frites and a 125ml Picpoul de Pinet for £24 per person; Wednesdays feature a half roast chicken with tarragon jus, frites, mayonnaise, salad and a carafe of house wine for £48 for two; and Thursdays are for a mighty onglet steak with jus de viande, watercress, frites and a glass of house wine for £25 per person. I’m mega keen to go back for the chicken deal, we saw other diners enjoying this when we visited and it looked great. Really reasonable deals for a mid-week date night or group meal out.

To summarise: gorgeous interiors, playful branding, French bistro classics done well, and genuinely warm service. Pompette manages to feel both special and relaxed – a place for a long lunch, a midweek date night, or (once Dry Jan ends) a proper wine session.