Primrose Hill’s much-loved JC – Jean-Christophe Slowik – has teamed up with one of the most accomplished chefs in the business and opened the doors to their new bistro in Crouch End, Les Deux Garçons.
JC needs no introduction to Primrose Hillers, as he spent more than a decade feeding our stomachs and our spirits through his beloved local restaurant L’Absinthe, on the corner of Chalcot and Fitzroy Roads. He still helps out with the Community Association’s ‘Neighbourhood Nosh’ on a Wednesday. Chef Robert Reid is JC’s partner in his new venture and over coffee, sitting at the pavement tables outside their new restaurant, JC explained to me that, just like L’Absinthe, this new venture will feel like a French bistro that has been there since forever; but that the kitchen will offer what he described as ‘a different stratosphere of food’, thanks to Chef Robert’s formidable talents and experience.
Super-talented Chef Robert has spent his career in Michelin three-star kitchens and is thrilled to be teaming up with his old pal – the two first met working at Marco Pierre White’s Oak Room back in 1998, where JC was restaurant manager and Chef Robert was head chef. Their gales of infectious laughter are a testament to this friendship, although their shared deep-seated professionalism, perfectionism and huge mutual respect are clearly the rock on which this partnership thrives.
The village atmosphere of Crouch End offers an obvious similarity to Primrose Hill and I am sure that JC and Chef Robert will quickly build a new following of regulars, delighted to enjoy the best produce, beautifully cooked at a reasonable price, right on their doorstep. Although I can’t help wishing that they had opened up in the heart of Primrose Hill, I am delighted that they are close enough to visit often. So see you all there!
Les Deux Garçons Bistro de Quartier
143b Crouch Hill, Crouch End, London N8 9QH
Follow les Deux Garçons on Instagram
LES DEUX GARÇONS 
LES DEUX GARÇONS