27.12.08: Out to Le Mercury

The bread. The wine. The candlelight (trust Us, it's there).

For Her b-day, They decamped to Le Mercury, Their favourite Frenchy restaurant ever - the one with the perfect buzz of romantic atmosphere, low prices, and, of course, good food. We first sampled the mussels and frites here together over 14 years ago, and we love it no less now than we did then. We pay it fewer visits now we no longer live in North London, but we think of it often.

We'll let the captions do the description on this one.

His moules marniere: mussels in white wine with
cream, shallots, garlic, lemon and parsely

His entrecote a l'echalotte: rib-eye steak chargrilled and served with shallot sauce

HE SAYS: Mmmm, mussels in creamy wine sauce. What's not to like? With the added bread basket I was set for an evening of soaking up and savouring the delicious nectar. And then came the steak in all its perfectly cooked and succulent splendidness. The fries were a marvelous crispy, sauce dipper when all the bread disappeared and the shallot sauce waited to be devoured. Did we have a salad? I remember little of it (must of been the wine). For dessert, I thought the coconut sorbet was perfectly paired with the pineapple, and I left full and satisfied into the very chilly north London night, secure in the knowledge that Le Merc still delivers a fantastic night out for pennies.

Her tiger prawns cooked in parsley and butter, with chili aioli

SHE SAYS: I was so happy to sink into our window seat after a l-o-n-g (but good) day at the after-xmas sales. I simply cannot believe we've not paid Le Merc a visit all year long. The thin, perfectly crisp frites are reason enough to go, but my fall-apart pork with its jus and baked apples gave me even more reason go mmmmm. The prawns were yumsome and indulgent, tho' the sauce was simply run-o-mill chili mayo, nothing special in the aioli dept.

Our frites and green salad, and Her poitrine de porc: slow-roast honeyed
pork belly with confit celariac and granny smith apple

Being the b-day gal, I chose dessert, and chose with restraint. Two days of cheesecake will do that to you. While I thought the glaze could have been a bit less rushed, the flavour combo of coco-pineapple was deeply divine and refreshing. Happy b-day to me, and make no mistake.

Our glazed pineapple with coconut sorbet, plus a decaf coffee for Her and a latte for Him

17.10.08: Out to Belgo

They met up in town with a friend Joe and after trying to get a table somewhere else they decided on Belgo, home of the fruity beer, mussels and frités.

SHE SAYS: My enjoyment of the mussels classique - steamed with white wine, shallots and garlic in a cream sauce - was heightened by hunger developed over a forced march through Covent Garden in search of sustenance. Everything's packed on a Friday nite. Little morsels of shell-clad seafood may sound light, but there's a whopping great many of them, and halfway through my kilo I could have slowed down, but didn't. The sauce was mild but not bland, and 'cream' in this case does not mean 'thick', so it was sop-worthy. Dunking the thin frites in a tiny tub of mayo added to the indulgence and rib-stickin' satisfaction.

HE SAYS: I opted for the curry-infused mussels and enjoyed 'em. The mussels were not the curry sauce experience I envisioned but more the subtle, fragrant variety - stilll very fresh and tasty. We were extremely famished by the time we sat down and it was a good thing there was bread and hot crispy frités available to mop up the broth and satisfy our hunger pangs.

13.06.08: Out to Belgo

Lining the stomach at Belgo's before a friend's Friday nite gig, with special dining guest Joe: He and She had mussels classique with celery, onion and a dash of cream, while Joe plumped for the tomato-based Provencal half-kilo. All of us made sure to order our own bowl of frites, each with its paper cup of thick mayo for dipping - not something you want to have to share.


And we were so hungry we forgot to take the photo til the damage was done! Mmm, look at the remains of that strawberry beer, top-left, too...

SHE SAYS: I do love the strawberry beer on tap - so intensely, almost sourly, fruity and refreshing - but I think Belgo's food is slacking on quality these day even as its prices have risen. The frites were tasty but not as crisp and hot as they should have been; I suspect they soaked up some rays from heat lamps. Mussels, too, were okay, but not as plump and plentiful as they have been in the past.

HE SAYS: The mussels were pretty good, but not as good as these; the chips were a notch above, say, these, but not as good as these. The beer waz fruity and so was the waiter. Overall a not bad outing made better by the company and plentiful beverages.