Côte Brasserie is making a pointed little move in the weekday dining market, launching a new Dish of the Day menu that brings French staples such as Steak Frites, Moules Marinière and Breton Fish Stew in at £10. In a hospitality climate where value is scrutinised like a dodgy penalty decision, that is not just a menu refresh. It is a direct appeal to diners who still want a proper meal, but would rather not feel mugged by the bill.
Available Monday to Friday, the new line-up has been created by Côte Brasserie’s Executive Chef Steve Allen, the former Gordon Ramsay executive chef, and is built around the idea that classic French cooking ought not to be reserved for birthdays, bonuses and the sort of people who say “let’s split a bottle” before glancing at the wine list.
Each day gets its own featured dish, and the strategy is simple enough to work: recognisable favourites, cooked with some care, priced low enough to turn heads.
A sharper play for the weekday crowd
Restaurants have spent the past few years trying to balance rising costs with customers who are increasingly alert to value. Some have dealt with that challenge elegantly. Others have responded by charging the earth for a lunch that arrives looking like it lost a fight in the kitchen.
Côte Brasserie is going in the other direction. Its new weekday offer leans on familiarity rather than gimmickry, with the sort of French bistro dishes that have lasted because they actually please people.
Monday brings Steak Frites, usually from £19. Tuesday serves the Beef Bourguignon Burger, usually £17. Wednesday sees the return of Breton Fish Stew, usually £19. Thursday is given over to Confit Pork Belly, usually from £20.95. Friday closes the week with Moules Marinière, usually from £17.
It is a line-up that knows exactly what it is. No foam, no fuss, no identity crisis.
Steve Allen puts classic French cooking front and centre
The chef’s hand matters here. A value menu can easily drift into bargain-bin territory, but Côte Brasserie is clearly trying to keep the cooking credible while broadening its reach.
Steve Allen said: “French classics should be for everyone – some of the best moments in life are shared over simple and comforting dishes. Our dish of the day menu makes those moments even easier to enjoy – French classics, cooked with care, at a price everyone can feel good about.”
That sentiment lands because the dishes themselves are grounded in exactly that kind of comfort. Steak Frites remains one of the great straightforward pleasures of European dining. Moules Marinière, when handled properly, is all salt, warmth and good judgement. Confit Pork Belly is not a meal for the faint-hearted, but it knows its job and does it happily.
The return of a crowd favourite
One of the more telling parts of the new menu is the promotion of the Beef Bourguignon Burger from limited-run special to permanent fixture in the weekly rotation.
Originally introduced for National Butcher’s Week, the dish proved popular enough to earn a lasting place, and it gives Côte Brasserie something useful in the middle of the week: a plate that nods to French roots while still speaking fluent modern high street.
That is often where chains either overthink things or lose their nerve. Here, the decision seems sensible. Diners like dishes they recognise, but they also want a little personality. A burger built around beef bourguignon is just eccentric enough to feel interesting without disappearing up its own backside.
Côte Brasserie is also offering diners the option to turn the meal into a three-course set for an extra £10, with French Onion Soup and Pistachio Crème Brûlée among the additions.
Again, the attraction is not merely the price. It is the clarity. There are no awkward restrictions, no members-only caveat, no booking code buried in the fine print. The offer is open to all guests.
That lack of complication may be one of the smartest things about it. Diners are tired of offers that resemble escape-room puzzles. Simple, clear pricing still has a persuasive charm of its own.
Vegetarian and vegan diners are not left at the edge of the table
The weekday push is not confined to meat and fish. Côte Brasserie is also putting forward vegetarian and vegan options including Pistou Gnocchi, the Vegan Fable Burger with truffle mayo and caramelised onions, and Grilled Tempeh with free-flowing frites.
That matters because too many casual dining menus still treat plant-based customers as an administrative afterthought. Here, the intention appears to be broader: keep the flavour, keep the comfort, and make sure the value conversation includes everyone at the table.
What this says about dining now
There is a wider message in this move from Côte Brasserie. Diners have not fallen out of love with restaurants. They have fallen out of love with paying too much for too little. The appetite for eating out remains. What has changed is the tolerance for disappointment.
By cutting through with a £10 weekday menu built around known French classics, Côte Brasserie is making a bet that quality, familiarity and affordability can still coexist on the high street. It is not a revolutionary idea. Frankly, that is why it may work.
In a crowded market full of noise, reinvention and occasional nonsense, there is something rather refreshing about a restaurant simply saying: here is a decent plate of food, here is the price, and here are no silly games.
That, in the current climate, is likely to sound very good indeed.
Dining and Cooking