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Les Trois Plats; Le Mesurier
Ni' I HAD arranged to meet A.N. Wilson for lunch, time and place fixed, then to my consternation found out too late to tell him that it was open only in the evening. I must get better at that sort of thing. However, we met at the allotted place where a driverless car was blocking the entire street with its engine still running, causing a great deal of trouble and an irate queue of cars. What an extraordinary thing to do; no wonder motorists get so ratty. We toddled round the corner in search of somewhere to eat and found Les Trois Plats (4 Sydney Street, London SW3, tel. 3523433).
The restaurant proper was also only open for dinner but above it, just over street level, is the cafe, which is open all day serving the same food but at cheaper prices — a splendid idea. They both belong to the Roux Empire. The tafe is a nice jolly little place decorated in Edinburgh Rock pastel tartan with room between tables.
A.N. had the soup of the day, which was a fine steaming bowl of the traditional French onion soup loaded with baked bread and gruyere cheese (an excellent hangover help). I had the salade du chef which turned out to be a mixture of different crisp leaves dressed with a rasp- berry vinaigrette (the vinegar being rasp- berry) accompanying some very tender slices of nicely pink pigeon breast, a light and fragrant combination. For the main course I had the filet de lotte au basilic, sitting on a bed of spinach with five tiny but perfect carrots. A. N. had supreme de poulet a la fleur de thym with pommes frites; both very good simple dishes. A.N. was stumped by then but I had two types of goats' cheese in prime condition, chevre and a little round one, creamy as a chaume. The rolls were first-class. There were some good-looking pastries available but we just had some very good coffee. This with a bottle and a half of the house wine at £5.70 a bottle came to £30.50, with service included. The place is run by a very nice French woman whose husband has the wonderful Boucherie Lamartine in Ebury Street, selling the best meat in London.
The evening menu has a wider choice, following the downstairs establishment. There were some tempting dishes of the day like boudin noir, saucisson Lyonnais and andouillette which I missed as they were written on a blackboard over my shoulder. But I shall return, as I found it an ideal place for lunch, pleasant and unhur- ried. I slung A.N. over the back of my motor-bike and off we went well pleased.
Le Mesmier (pronounced like treasurer) (113 Old Street, London EC1, tel. 251 8117) — open for lunch and dinner Mon- day to Friday — nestles in front of St Luke's church, which must have one of the most eccentric spires in London. This is a tiny little restaurant with a good animated atmosphere. It is in the capable hands of Mrs L.M. who is the chef. Her husband is an architect but not averse to giving a helping hand.
I °went with one of my uncles, the good Canon Bartlett. We were settled in a nice corner table and given some delicious mouth-amusers, little pastry cups of sauced prawns and minute cheese croissants. The good Canon chose leeks in a stilton sauce which proved, to be a curiously happy marriage of flavours, I had feuillete of chevre (can't keep off the stuff) beautifully presented but a trifle dry. Last week there were grilled goose livers which were a dream.
To follow, the GC had a splendid rare fillet steak with a properly executed sauce béarnaise sitting in the cup of a beheaded artichoke, rather a good idea if a bit messy to devour; no tip to hold on to. I had sea trout en croiite. Very good pastry but the fish was slightly on the overcooked side for my taste, though I verge on the Japanese liking for raw fish. There were three puddings on offer; banana and rum cream, almond tart and an apricot cheesecake, but we had had enough. There were some good-looking cheeses on the board; we had coffee and called it a day. We drank a bottle of Joseph Droulin burgundy, 1986, which cost £10.75 and was excellent. The bill without service came to £37.80. The restaurant was completely full so it is obviously wise to book ahead.
Jennifer Paterson
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