DARK winter evenings make it a little harder to head out for a meal.

I was rained on, windswept, and distinctly chilly as I ran through the door of Brasserie Chez Gérard on Berkhamsted High Street, but my frown soon softened as I was warmed up by the atmosphere of this relaxed eatery.

French-inspired restaurant group Chez Gérard came to Berkhamsted in May, and they have ensured this branch is as cosy as they come. A huge space, the restaurant has an interior that is almost more ballroom than brasserie. Two enormous wrought iron chandeliers swing from the ceiling, colours include rich aubergine, brown and cream.

Seating is a quirky mix of materials, with chairs in both leather and wicker, and there are a few scattered booths in the corners of the restaurant, covered in rich purple corduroy. My partner and I sank into one of these, joined shortly by a carafe of Cabernet rosé, and my regrets at leaving my central-heated home were no more.

The menu at Chez Gérard unsurprisingly offers classic French cuisine. Baked Burgundy snails, Isigny Camembert cheese and Onglet steak all make an appearance alongside less complicated pastas, salads and gourmet burgers - ensuring the restaurant caters for those with a sophisticated palate, but is equally family-friendly. The food is not exclusively French either, and lively dishes from Morocco to Montreal sit nicely on the list.

For starters, I chose the champignon farci - a field mushroom topped with soft spinach, shallots and an oozing poached egg, drowning in an indulgent cheese sauce. My mushroom was a little on the small side, and a bigger one would have managed to cup the other ingredients in this dish nicely, making it a little easier to eat. As it was, the gooey ingredients merged into a slightly sloppy starter, a texture which may bother some, but for me the taste was all that mattered, and it was good.

My partner opted for a traditional French onion soup. A bowl of powerful and particularly sweet broth, his helping was topped with two generous Gruyère cheese croutons, so generous they were more bread slices than croutons. Perhaps something our chipper waiter could have pointed out when taking orders, rather than suggesting the accompaniment of a somewhat superfluous baguette.

My main course was a grilled fillet of Scottish salmon, cooked to a nice shade of dusky pink and joined by a thick but sparing drizzle of basil and pine nut oil. This dish is usually served with mashed potato, but I chose to swap this in favour of a more unusual side of pastilla de legumes - a hexagon-shaped thin pastry casing filled with well-spiced and shredded vegetables, and served with a dash of mint yoghurt.

My partner chose a main dish of duck confit - a large leg of tender meat, which fell easily off the bone with little knife work, on a bed of sautéed potatoes, onions and bacon lardons, flavoured by a decent sprinkling of thyme and the sticky, burgundy-coloured confit. A hearty dish, and a good winter warmer.

Not quite ready to leave the warmth of our cosy cove just yet, we sampled the dessert menu. For me, it was a sundae of fruity lemon sorbet, vanilla ice cream, strawberry and mango chunks, with a cloud of whipped cream and raspberry coulis on top. My partner chose a waffle topped with vanilla ice cream and chocolate sauce, which would have been heavenly if served warm from the oven, but still yummy at room temperature.

Brasserie Chez Gérard is a restaurant with a relaxed approach to dining, but meticulous approach to its food. Certainly one that repays wrapping up and paying a visit.

Brasserie Chez Gérard is at 196 High Street, Berkhamsted, HP4 3BA. Call 01442 874 856 or visit www.brasseriechezgerard.co.uk

The bill

Mushroom £4.95

Onion soup £4.95

Baguette £1.75

Salmon £12.75

Duck confit £11.95

2 veg sides £8

Waffle £4.50

Ice cream £5.95

Carafe of rosé £10.25

Large water £2.95

Total £68(excluding service)

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