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

03.11.08: Pinches Tacos w/guest, Los Angeles, CA

Her spicy pork, nopales, and pollo mole taco plate

Our dear, longtime pal Martin guided us safely to this smashing taqueria he described as 'humble but good'. Accurate, but let Us intensify that second bit: fresh, delicious, well-balanced, and very well-priced.

SHE SAYS: My combination plate of three tacos - nopales (cactus), spicy pork, and pollo mole (chicken) - accompanied by rice and tortilla chips plus pinto bnz, was by far the best Mexican fare of the trip. The firm, juicy cactus, well seasoned and slightly crispy pork chunks, and, above all, the deeply savoury chocolatey mole all had me wanting more, if only I wasn't pushing my waistband limit already. The mole esp showcased the chocolate as it should be in a mole sauce: not sweet, or vinegary, or overly tangy, just richly approaching bitter with a hint of cinnamon for flavour equilibrium. And no wonder, given that it's a family recipe unchanged for 114 years, according to the PR on their website.

The pinto bnz did their best to match all the other goodness going on with a rib-sticking creaminess and a satisfying measure of salt. We shared a Coke since it came in a bottle (seems nicer somehow). And the company of our Mexifood sherpa completed the feeling of good, lively nourishment and pleasure.

His shrimp burrito

HE SAYS: I felt like we redeemed our last Los Angeles Mexican experience with the meal we had this evening. I ordered the shrimp burrito first, which was packed with fresh big ones. The portion was not giant, but manageable. I espescially enjoyed the zestiness of the salsa, which I applied generously like hot sauce.

After scoffing the burrito I couldn't help but order my own mole chicken taco after tasting a little of Hers. The mole sauce was how it should be: a savoury base with subtle sweetness. The chicken was shredded and tender, and the salsa added fresh herby heat. It was great to have fantastic food while we caught up with an old friend before having a few drinks at a bar a few blocks away.

Martin's pork and pollo tacos

11.10.08: Blk bnz with sweetcorn polenta and Austrian gala dinner

Second night on his tod he cooked up the black bnz over some polenta with corn kernels garnished with big slices of avo. A salad of figs, tomato, radishes and sweetfire beetroot tried its best to keep Him company.

HE SAYS: Definitely not as fun to make and eat this one alone but felt better knowing that there was enough leftovers for tomorrow's meal too. This batch o' beans was pretty good but not spectacular. I managed to get the polenta's consistency pretty spot-on and the sweetcorn helped it out by giving it some crunchiness amongst the tasty goop. The salad took a break from fancy dressings and acted as a fresh and zingy closure to the lonely night.


Meanwhile, She sneaked a snap of the main course among five: pictured is the pork filet served in pepper crust and cream sauce with a vegetable bouquet and a healthy helping of spaetzle. Before that She managed to get down her neck some slices of duck breast over Waldorf salad; consomme with a splash of sherry; Rabbit filet served on a puff pastry pillow of juniperjus; and a small scoop of melon sorbet floating in campari. Afterwards, a small square of the prosaically titled chocolate cake managed to find a corner to squeeze into.

SHE SAYS: Thankfully, most portions were smaller than last nite's, and the quality mostly nipped up a notch. The duck and consomme are not much worth commenting on, and if there was sherry in that soup I'll eat my hat. The rabbit filet was actually a kind of rabbit sausage in a few little sections over some sort of thin grilled bread; nice herby flavour, but toughish. The fruity palate cleanser went straight to my head and put me in an expansive mood for the main course, which was rich and satisfying, if a bit bland. (I do love me some spaetzle.) Choccy cake was a thin but rich square of the German variety (I was hoping for sachertorte, but it's just as well this was a little lighter as I was uberstuffed).