Le Mercury
From Frikipedia
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The first of Friki's pretentious new restaurant reviews!!
Summary
Bargain-basement French(ish) restaurant near Angel of mixed quality, with a bitter service-shaped hole.
Le Review
When Friki arrived with three friends on a busy Friday evening, we waited akwardly inside the very cramped doorway, bags swinging in diner's faces, and were asked on which floor we would like to be seated. To avoid the doorway effect, we opted for the first floor, and the four of us were led to a table barely one metre square, next to the serving hatch & dumb waiter (more on him later). Intimate yes, comfortable, perhaps not. The room was cosy, and perhaps over-warmed by the open fireplace.
The intimate lighting was soon interrupted with a few seconds of fluorescent glare. Each time an order arrived at the serving hatch throughout the evening, the large, imposing waiter turns on a very bright light (presumably to read the tickets). No biggie, but it did spoil the atmosphere somewhat.
Friki started with the ballotine of foie gras, served with a chunky piece of sweet brioche, salad leaves, and a messily-sliced dried fig (almost mashed). Friki thinks it liked the dish, but there was an odd metallic flavour which Friki couldn't put its finger on (Le Mercury, perhaps?) One of Friki's companions had the feuillete of smoked chicken, which he enjoyed. All of the starters (except the daily special) were priced at £3.95.
We were struggling to keep our dishes, wine cooler, water and wine glasses on the tiny table, along with the large candle held aloft in a cobalt-blue water bottle. The waiter wasn't helping -- he seemed to acknowledge the impossibility of fitting our dishes on the table, and held them above our places waiting for us to complete the necessary shuffling and take them off his hands.
For main, Friki had rolled pork belly, which was wonderfully caramelised, not too fatty, and served with mash, cabbage, and "infused apples" -- slices of bitter apple which has undergone some bizarre preparation and looked both part-dried and swollen. This was the highlight of the meal. Two of Friki's companions chose an anaemic looking catfish fillet, slapped unceremoniously atop cous cous with grapefruit, which they found "interesting" and "unlike any fish they'd eaten before". Draw your own conclusions. Our fourth companion had a square piece of lamb, which looked well-cooked, but she seemed underwhelmed. All of the main courses (again, except the daily special -- it seems you pay extra for adventure here) were priced at £6.45.
At this point, the couple behind us (the same size as our table for four) stood up to leave. So crammed in are the tables at Le Mercury that two of our table had to get up to allow the lady to leave her seat.
For dessert, two of us chose a chocolate and walnut tart with Baileys ice-cream, and two chose the special, a berry crumble. The tart was excellent. A strong, cocoa filling, atop a pastry crunchy with toasted walnuts. The ice cream was okay. Friki's companions' crumbles seemed to have a stodgy base to them, which was left uneaten. Friki's dessert cost £2.95. According to house rules, the special cost slightly more. We had our desserts with a glass of unremarkable pub-spec port.
We had been served quickly (three courses in under 90 minutes), and the waiter didn't hesitate to let us know that he was waiting for our table by dumping the bill, which we had yet to request, on the corner of the table. Dinner for four (bread, 11 dishes, bottle of 2007 Argentinian Viognier, four glasses of port, tap water) came to just over £90 (including 10% tip).
Summary
Le Mercury serves some good dishes at very reasonable prices, but places an unashamed premium on time and space, at the expense of polite service and comfort. Two and a half celtic crosses for Le Mercury, more if you're into pain.
