Snails !

My French nationality allows me to enjoy nasty things like really smelly cheeses, frogs and of course snails! I must admit I am not a big fan of frog legs but I love those crawling little tasty snails.

Knowing this, I was taken on a date to L'Escargot in Greek Street, Soho.

(For the non-french speaking, escargot means snail in my mother tongue.)

This French restaurant was opened in 1927 and was known as the first place in Great Britain to serve fresh snails.

The place is quite cosy, offering a glamorous brasserie atmosphere. Walls covered with amazing paintings of fantastic artists such as Mir'o, Chagall and Matisse. It instantly gives you that nice feeling of being somewhere you already know will fulfil your cravings!

While you wait your meal, a variety of breads is offered to you. Be careful not to stuff yourself with it! More is coming!

Waiters are really nice but the girl at the entrance wasn't looking really happy to see customers...

Guess what I ordered to start my meal? SNAILS! Of course! We took a small plate to share. Filled with Persillade (parsley and garlic sauce) my little friends were quite delicious! Good enough to make me feel like home.

Then we pursue with a Salmon and Crawfish Terrine as a starter. This was completely delicious! Outstanding! Simple but very tasteful.

The main plate was a Sirloin Steak with Mash Potatoes for me and Salmon and Vegetables for my date. Both dishes were incredible. The salmon perfectly cooked and the sauce that came with my Sirloin was delightful. I like my beef to be rare, and it was perfectly rare and tender as butter.

For dessert I tried their Vanilla Cheesecake and Red Fruit Coulis. Being a huge fan of cheesecake (I make the best Strawberry and cream one), I am very picky and this was not an incredible one. They shouldn't have put coulis on it, fresh fruits would have been better and the cheesecake was simply nice.

In conclusion I would say that L'Escargot is a perfect place for a date. The atmosphere is charming, food is really tasty (I definitely recommend the Terrine and the Sirloin) and accompanied by a nice wine list.

I only tried the ground floor which is the Brasserie, but if you are craving for more exquisite food ask for the first floor, different menu corresponding to a gastronomic restaurant.

L'Escargot

48, Greek Street, W1D 4EF,  London

020 7493 9393 

(Click on L'Escargot to access their website and on the address to see where it is on Google Maps)

Snails!

Salmon and Crawfish Terrine

Sirloin Steak with Mash Potatoes

Salmon and Vegetables

Vanilla Cheesecake and Red Fruit Coulis

Goode and Wright, Sunday Aspirin Brunch

A lot was going on during these last days, so I apologize for my lack of posts!

But I am back! And this time I'll post about my favourite meal: Brunch!

After a very long night out we slept a few hours and woke up with an empty stomach begging for some attention. As we weren't in our best shapes the plan was to drag ourselves to the nearest Brunch place around. A quick search on Google allowed us to find the closest place between my friend's flat and mine: Goode&Wright on Portobello Road.

What a wonderful surprise! Owned by French guys we felt completely at ease. The French speaking waiter quickly understood in what mood we were and allowed us to order some aspirin!

The place is cosy, the service fast and friendly and the food oh so yummy! Incredibly beautifully presented, see by yourself on the pictures below.

We tried the Eggs Florentine, Eggs Benedict, their Sunday Roast and a more original dish made of Chorizo, Salad, Honey, Truffle oil and other tasty stuff. As the choice of the restaurant was completely impulsive and random (thank you Google) we didn't know what to expect and thankfully Goode&Wright's Brunch is delicious!

This was a perfect brunch, filling our belly and leaving us ready for the Sunday nap in front of good old Notting Hill movie.

Goode & Wright

271 Portobello Road

Notting Hill

London

W11 1LR

0207 727 5552, eat@goodeandwright.co.uk

Eggs Benedict

Sunday Roast

Eggs Florentine

La Petite Bretagne, original french crêpes !

This Friday, I was around Hammersmith looking for a Fancy dress store as I was preparing my outfit for a party taking place the same night.

As I didn't have time to have some lunch I ended up in a small crêperie just in front of the Hammersmith tube station: La Petite Bretagne.

The place is small and cosy, decorated with taste, simple and functional.

And bien sur, the crêpier was french and friendly.

It felt a little bit like home !

I really liked the épicerie (grocery) athmosphere, as there were some shelves with classic french products in vintage packaging. Like sardines, soups, french jam, pastries, marron glacé... All related with la Bretagne, a western french region known for their fishes and of course for their famous crêpes.

After a long hesitation I finally choose one salty crêpe: the Campagnarde with cheese, ham and mushrooms.

My friend tried the Chèvre: goat cheese, rocket salad, mango chutney and ham.

They are really big and I couldn't even finish mine ! It tastes very good and I will encourage you to try the Chèvre one that was quite interesting.

The filling is really generous and prices are more than affordable.

I also liked the graphic design of their logo, menu and cardboard holding the crêpe. It is quite funny and fits perfectly !

I will recommend this place if you are around Hammersmith and I will definitely go back just to try their Speculoos spread in a crêpe or the Nutella+Banana !