Finding value for money in London’s West End is a bit of a hard task, but Le Deuxième restaurant, in London’s Covent Garden, would just about qualify. Handy for the Opera House and other theatres, it has the added advantage of being open until 11.45pm. for orders.

 

The restaurant is modern, white and airy and we suppose that this is the way you could describe the cuisine by Geoff Adams. Geoff’s stints in Australia and Asia gives an East meets West slant to the menu, but nothing is there to suggest fusion cuisine, or even confusion cuisine, when it is taken to its extreme.

 

You could have as starters, on the Eastern side, tempura of fresh water shrimp with alfalfa and sweet Thai dressing, or soy marinated spare ribs with sticky rice and scallops, and on the Western side, a ballotine of foie gras with Puy lentils and toasted brioche, or lasagne of porcini, Parma ham and truffle oil. In the middle of the gastronomic spectrum, there is tian of crab and spinach with guacamole (a pretty rich dish, since it is topped with cream), or perhaps modern Britishly, a warm salad of smoked bacon, black pudding, potato and frisée with a soft poached egg.

 

Main courses are more conventionally modern British, with things like grilled breast of corn fed chicken with leeks and creamed morels, grilled loin of venison with sweet and sour red cabbage and balsamic sauce, or roasted rump of lamb with Koffmann cabbage and a minted jus, all flesh being accurately cooked. Six out of thirteen main courses are dedicated to fish and there are a couple of vegetarian dishes in addition to give a pretty wide choice. Starter prices average £6 - 8 and main courses £14 - 17 with extra vegetables not always needed at two or three pounds a throw, so the spend is reasonable. Desserts are sound without going overboard.

 

Service can be a little inexperienced, but manager Yves Dubant makes up for this, by keeping a beady eye on customers’ needs with aplomb. However, the 15% ‘optional’ service charge seems a little steep for what you get. But at least, they close the credit card slips, so you are not conned into giving service twice.

 

The wine list is a pretty good tour around the world, with the emphasis on France (and why not? It is still the greatest wine-producing country in the world), with plenty of half-bottle choices, and even more acceptable, a number of wines offered by the generous glass. These are certainly not confined to the lowest common denominator house wines, to allow you to experiment. Prices are not cheap, but then they are not over the top either. Even the “Fine Wine List” which has plenty of first division stuff.

 

Restaurant Ratings...

Food 39

Winelist 16

Service 5

Ambience 4

Value for Money 12

Total 76

 

 

Le Deuxième, 65a Long Acre, Covent Garden, London WC2E 9JH. Tel: 020 7379 0033

Open for lunch and dinner all week.

Closed, Christmas and Boxing days.

Credit cards: Visa Mastercard, Diners, Amex.

Average à la carte spend: £30 - £50.

Fixed price menus: £10.95 for two courses and coffee, £14.50 for three courses and coffee. Limited in choice and scope. Not available between 7 pm. and 10 pm.

 

 

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