Brasserie fare gets the gastropub treatment at Henri

Is it a French brasserie? Is it a pub? Chef Jackson Boxer and the Experimental hospitality group hired designer Dorothée Meilichzon to blur the lines between the two at Henri, a restaurant in London that manages a fresh take on both.

Opened in June, Henri caters to guests of the Henrietta Experimental hotel and visitors to the Covent Garden neighbourhood with snacks, entrees, ‘plats’ and charcoal grills using ingredients from top British suppliers. Boxer has worked on versions of Parisian classics like fried pied de cochon with agen prune and beer mustard, steak-frites and a globe artichoke with boiled egg and anchovy. But guests will be just as delighted by the skirted marble bistro tables and fluted countertops, with their tufted stools in duck-egg blue.

Meilichzon says she combined ‘codes from the traditional British pub, mixed with inspirations from the typical French brasserie,’ like leather next to velvet and dark wood wall panelling with accents in dark green, light blue and Bordeaux. She snuck in Art Nouveau elements, typical of French brasseries, onto the arms of the banquettes, along with frosted-glass globes and Thonet chairs. ‘Botanical shapes also pay tribute to the historical fruit and vegetable market of Covent Garden,’ she says.

In response, Chef Boxer combines British cod with crab bisque, celeriac with Camargue rice and French-style roast chicken with turnips and morels, with sides like duck-fat fries. Desserts include lemon sorbet and Grand Marnier soufflé with frozen almonds.

Parisian cocktails – Experimental Group’s speciality – are named after French icons. A Marie-Antoine, for instance, is made with Vulson Domaine Des Hautes Glaces, Rittenhouse rye, ginger syrup, honey-infused lapsing soughing tea, lemon juice and peach bitters. The wine list showcases Vouette et Sorbée and a 2007 Châteauneuf du Pape.

‘I admire the Parisian tone, temperament and jouissance that we see across Experimental,’ says Boxer, ‘and it sits so perfectly alongside the food I have planned for the restaurant, playfully rooted in tradition and the wonderfully classical French culinary cannon.’