The reason to come to Brasserie Blanc is partly the food and largely the terrace. It sits on the edge of the West Cliff inside the Bournemouth Highcliff Marriott, and its outdoor tables look straight down the drop to Poole Bay — one of the few restaurant views in town that earns the description. Inside is a French brasserie under Raymond Blanc’s name doing the classics; outside, on a clear evening, is about the best seat on the cliff.
The food
The cooking is French brasserie: the familiar canon done to a reliable standard rather than reinvented — steak and frites, crab, the sort of plates that reward ordering simply. Sunday roast runs all afternoon with bottomless trimmings, which is worth knowing if you are settling in for a long lunch. Breakfast is served every morning, so it doubles as somewhere to start the day. Vegan and gluten-free options are marked on the menu, and there is a children’s menu of smaller plates.
The setting
The terrace is the draw — angled at the sea rather than the road, and the tables you want on a warm day. Inside is a large, bright brasserie room, more hotel-scale than intimate, which suits what the place is for: an occasion, a group, or a lunch that spreads across the afternoon. Dogs are welcome in the bar. Several private dining rooms mean it can take larger bookings without turning the main room over to them, and service is quick and unfussy, geared to moving a busy sitting along without hurrying you off the terrace.
Where it is
Brasserie Blanc is at 105 St Michael’s Road, on the West Cliff about ten minutes’ walk from the town centre and a similar distance from the Bournemouth International Centre next door — handy if you are eating before a show. The zig-zag paths down to Durley Chine begin close by, so a clifftop walk and dinner here pair easily. It is one of the more comfortable options for anyone staying among the West Cliff hotels and apartments.
Good to know
The hotel car park is on site, with a discount for diners, and on-street parking nearby is limited to about a couple of hours. With breakfast on every morning, it is as much a spot for a coffee and a plate before the day as it is for dinner. Booking is recommended, especially for the terrace on a fine evening and for Sunday lunch, and you can reserve by phone or online. For more in this part of town, see the restaurants guide or the neighbourhood guide.