Name: Le Deuxieme
Address: 65A Long Acre, London, Covent Garden, WC2E 9JH, UK
Telephone: +44 (0) 20 7379 0033
Rating: 8

Many years ago, when I worked in the offices opposite, I used to be a regular at the restaurant on this site (and for the life of me I can’t remember what it was called – anybody know?) but I had never managed to visit Le Deuxieme which took its place a few years back. So I was delighted when a business colleague suggested we had lunch there recently.

The staff were polite and welcoming, recognising immediately that my colleague was a regular visitor. I was impressed at how the contemporary, calm, minimalist and mostly neutral/white and beige décor of the place managed to still have a strong sense of character and warmth. It’s stylish without being fussy. The place was pleasantly busy and the clientele was diverse – some business people, tourists, shoppers, friends and even couples.

While we nattered away, the staff didn’t seem at all perturbed by our delay at ordering either drinks or food. So we didn’t feel rushed or harassed which was good. We ordered a couple of glasses of the house wine (we were offered Chardonnay or Sauvignon Blanc and opted for the latter) with our still mineral water.

After tucking into the bread basket (which appeared more than once), my colleague choose a starter for her main course - Goat’s cheese on toasted sour dough bread with green beans, baby spinach and walnut dressing (£8.50) It was a good size portion, beautifully presented and the cheese had a good texture and taste. My companion said that the various flavours – which were easy to separate out – were intense and delicious.

Whilst sorely tempted by the crayfish risotto with caramelised red onions and shaved parmesan (Small £8.50, Large£17.00) and my favourite -spaghetti with clams, white wine and chilli (same price) I choose the fillet of hake with saffron and clam risotto (£16.00). Whilst I didn’t mind mussels replacing the clams, I would have liked to have been told. The hake was cooked perfectly and the risotto had the required creamy nuttiness. The saffron was obvious by the colour although the taste was a little distant.

We were enjoying our meal and chat so much that we ordered desserts – my colleague on her best behaviour with the fresh fruit (£6.75) although I indulged in another favourite – Crème Brulee (£5.75) which had absolutely the right combination of crispy top and creamy inside.

I was impressed with the choice on the menu with a good selection of both fish (tuna, seabass, monkfish, black bream, halibut and hake) as well as meat dishes (veal, guinea fowl, pork belly, lamb, calves liver, steak and duck breast) dishes so there’s bound to be something for everyone.

The bill for main courses and desserts and four glasses of wine was £65.50 with a service charge of 15% taking the total to £75.32. So it’s not cheap but the quality of the food, impeccable service and easy environment – a touch of tranquillity in the hurly burly of Covent Garden – made it reasonable value for money. So no particular stand out features – just well prepared food served by professional people in a comfortable, modern space.

It would be interesting to see what it is like for dinner – I wondered how the atmosphere would be despite its excellent location.

Monday	Open 12:00 - Closes 15:00 Open 17:00 - Closes 00:00
Tuesday	Open 12:00 - Closes 15:00 Open 17:00 - Closes 00:00
Wednesday	Open 12:00 - Closes 15:00 Open 17:00 - Closes 00:00
Thursday	Open 12:00 - Closes 15:00 Open 17:00 - Closes 00:00
Friday	Open 12:00 - Closes 15:00 Open 17:00 - Closes 00:00
Saturday	Open 12:00 - Closes 00:00
Sunday	Open 12:00 - Closes 23:00

Le Deuxieme

All In London Review

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