Malcolm John continues his quiet conquest of the South London suburbs with his latest opening in Sutton.

The Venue
Brasserie Vacherin is Malcolm John’s fourth restaurant, after his original Chiswick venue, Le Vacherin Malcolm John, and his recent Croydon restaurants, Le Cassoulet and Fish and Grill. Formerly a perpetually empty (and then perpetually shuttered) Smollenskys Burger Shack, Brasserie Vacherin has the enviable position of being pretty much the only upmarket restaurant in the area, the rest of the nearby venues being pizza chains, family friendly restaurants, bars packed with teenagers or old school boozers. It’s certainly the only venue with a well known chef at the helm.

Inside, the decor is laid back enough to make you feel comfortable, with red banquette seating and heavy wooden tables. There’s a small bar area at the front and the back of the venue opens up into a large, square room with massive skylights and huge ceiling lights. Fresh flowers in vases dot the restaurant and the paper menus double as placemats. It’s casual, but a grown-up casual that doesn’t involve kids’ menus – or pizza.

The Atmosphere
Like the best brasseries, the atmosphere here is relaxed, with professional, pleasant service. The only distraction is that the chefs have to walk through the dining room to get to the staff rooms at the rear – although, to their credit, it does look like they’re trying to be discreet about it. Although there are a lot of offices in the area which might use Brasserie Vacherin for group lunches or business meetings, expect most of the crowds to be at dinnertime, when commuters pour out of the nearby train station in droves. A breakfast menu is currently in the works, which should be popular at weekends.

The Food
The menu at Brasserie Vacherin is similar to Le Cassoulet and Le Vacherin Malcolm John, offering a pared down version that includes a few of the most popular dishes. Although prices are slightly high for the area they’re cheaper than John’s other restaurants and won’t raise any eyebrows with commuters used to eating out in Central London. Classical French dishes dominate the list and there are a few options to share between two or more, including a roast Landes chicken, 28 day aged chateaubriand and the chef’s signature dish of baked Vacherin cheese with a truffle and almond crust. A set lunch menu (served Monday to Saturday) is available for £12 for two courses and £14.95 for three, whilst the set dinner menu (served Sunday to Thursday) costs £14.95 for two courses and £17.95 for three.

From the list of starters, egg cocotte with smoked haddock and mustard (£7.25) is served in two little ceramic pots, one containing a baked egg and the other containing a mixture of chunks of smoked haddock mixed through with a pale yellow mustard that looks similar to Hollandaise sauce. The fish is nice and smoky and a good accompaniment to the creamy mustard sauce and egg. It’s almost like eating Eggs Benedict without the bread – and with haddock instead of ham. Chicken liver parfait (£6.95) is also nice and creamy, the parfait served in a little round terracotta dish, crosshatched on top and sprinkled with tiny grains of salt. On the side is a small salad with lettuce leaves, radishes and cornichons – a nice change from chutney – and the accompanying brioche is light and not too greasy, although there could be another slice as one isn’t quite enough for the amount of chicken liver parfait.

Mains feature more than a dozen choices of meats and fish, plus two vegetarian options. Whole roast sea bream is massive and well worth the £13.50. It’s served head, tail and all, with plenty of tender meat that still retains its firm texture. An accompanying fennel gratin works surprisingly well without overwhelming the flavours of the fish, which is stuffed with the remaining bits of fennel that didn’t make it into the gratin. Cassoulet (£13.95) is a quintessential French dish and it doesn’t disappoint here, packed with creamy beans, chunks of duck and slices of sausage. It’s rich, warming and not overly seasoned, and though it’s filling you’ll try your best to reach the bottom of the little iron cauldron it’s served in.

Desserts include creme brulee, pot au chocolat, tart tatin and bread and butter pudding, but a must try is Ile Flottante (£5.50), which translates to floating island and is served as a huge, fluffy cloud of meringue resting in a bowl of vanilla-specked custard and drizzled with caramel and flakes of pistachios. Although it looks light it tastes like a sweet, sugary marshmallow and it’s deceptively rich. The lemon meringue tart (£6) is sharp and tangy, with lightly scorched, delicate meringue on top and a dense pastry base.

The Drink
The wine list is mainly French, although there’s a few choices from Italy, Spain and even a bottle from Greece. Prices range from £15.50 to £77 but there are a lot of choices under £25 and about a dozen available by the glass and carafe, starting at £4.50 and £12.50. From the reds, a 2008 Montepulciano d’Abruzzo Frentano is slightly spicy but not too heavy, whilst the 2008 Pinot noir de l’Ardeche la Boussole is a good accompaniment to the rich cassoulet.

There's a choice of three dessert wines, of which the 2003 Sauternes Cru Classe, Chateau Filhot is delicate and sweet, a perfect match to both the lemon meringue tart and the Ile Flottante. A range of Champagnes, sparkling wines, aperitifs, beers, spirits and liqueurs complete the drinks list, and soft drinks, teas and coffees are also available.

The Last Word
Although it might not be a restaurant you’d cross the capital for – especially if you never venture anywhere without an easily accessible tube station – Brasserie Vacherin will no doubt be highly appreciated by locals looking for an upmarket place to have a post-work drink or a nice night out – that doesn’t involve pizza.

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