Le Mercury, 140a Upper Street – With a sandwich board propped outside proclaiming a “restaurant on three floors, and all starters £3.95, mains £7.95 and puddings £2.95 (excluding specials)” it’s not surprising that North London students start to salivate at the very mention of Le Mercury. But does it live up to the hype?
I came on a Sunday night, at 8pm. Although Sunday isn’t exactly restaurant rush-hour, I’d taken the precaution of booking, since every review I read online said the place was always packed.
Even so, we waited for ten minutes while waiters jostled past, before a flustered manager told us to go away and come back in a quarter of an hour.
A good bout of huffing and puffing and whipping out notebooks in angry-reviewer style earned us some sugary prosecco concoctions on the house, but the service all evening remained incredibly slow.
But those who survive the endless waiting will be justly rewarded. Maybe an hour of pre-salivating had boosted my taste buds, but I nearly went nuts over the food. I had a delicately crispy sea bass, while my two friends tucked into a succulent piece of lamb and delicious duck.
Whatever you do, do not neglect your pudding stomach. My poached, glazed pear was almost like a crème brulee without the crème guilt, and the cinnamon ice cream complimented it perfectly.
Le Mercury – worth the hype?
This said, the dishes can be a bit hit and miss. My crab ravioli starter had something of the tinned fish about it, but the beautiful creamy sauce and wilted spinach made up for this.
One of my friends had cheesecake and the other sticky toffee pudding, but both were ever so slightly too stodgy – although this might have been the inevitable result of stacking three substantial courses – plus bread – into our stomachs.
Seated by a chimney, it was a little draughty, but the busy atmosphere and seventies-tastic candle-in-a-bottle on every table made the whole French bistro thing wonderfully authentic.
There was even a Gallic price tag on the house wine – just £12 a bottle – which only made things go down more smoothly.
The service is dreadful, but at this price, you really can’t complain. Plus the food is better than anything you will get in your standard pizza-pasta chain, and even when it’s not excellent, it’s really very good. Believe the hype – just make sure you’re not in a rush.
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