Meat or Fish?

LFW AW11/12 starts tomorrow! I haven’t got my outfits sorted yet but what I have got sorted is the list of places I could go for flash meals at ridiculously reasonable price and within minutes from Somerset House.

TERROIRS

The first on my map is one meat-oriented, French wine bar Terroirs, which despite living in in Covent Garden for four years, I had not been. I have heard great things about it and also that recently the team behind Terroirs has opened a brother restaurant Brawn on Columbia Road. Before travelling that far east, I popped into Terroirs to check out the food and the scene. From the look of the glass door windows at the front, I didn’t expect Terroirs to be such a cosy and relaxing eatery. I opted to sit at the wine bar instead of going over to one of the tables. Bustling scene of professional locals, premominantly males. The decor was minimal but eclectic with wooden boards and signs in French. Say, if you needed the toilet, you’d follow the sign that said “Urinoir”. Charming!

Quite thrilled by their speedy lunch offering of Croque Monsieur, Salad and a glass of either red Les Clampins D’abord from Roussillon or white Chateau Clement-Termes, Gaillac. And all that for a tenner!! I was tempted but as I had time yesterday I decided to plunge into the full menu. Not extensive as you’d expect from a restaurant. This was more like a bar-oriented menu specialising in chacouterie but with their Plats du Jour and Cooked Small Dishes during their lunch and dinner hours. During the hours in between, bar snacks, cheese, cured meat and terrine were on offer, with their extensive selection of French wine.

My Pork Terrine with Pistacchio was, well, very meaty and lightly salted. The flavour of the liver came through nicely with the earthiness of the nuts. Smooth but firm texture, bites from pistacchio and another dimension from the quite meaty bacon wrapping. This was served with mini gerkins. fabulously pickled and crunchy. I am always a big fan of terrine but this was probably the most rustic at its best in London! That said, the dish was very masculine in taste and heavy. If you’re not a greedy eater, one of this plus toast would have been a big meal in itself.

The small plate of Snails, Wild Mushrooms, Garlic and Parsley on Toast screamed the great(?) French tradition. But, this came with a complimentary dollop of butter making the dish more distinctive in its diary allure. The garlic was strong – you might want to stray away from kissing – in its aroma but sweet in flavours. The snails were B-I-G!! There was a lot of texture going on from the springy, perfectly cooked snails, the mushroom and the crispy toast. Very indulgent but also rather heartily fattening. Loved it but at the same time I was quite glad the portion wasn’t bigger than this.

My main course of Boudin Noir with Button Mushrooms and Fried Duck Egg, served in a saucepan, was brilliant. If you’re not sure what a Boudin Noir is, think black pudding but in form of a hot dog. The texture is softer and it quickly disintegrates in your mouth without much bite. This dish at Terrior reminded me a bit of the favourite Scottish breakfast Haggis with Fried Duck Egg because it oozed out this rather mild offal-y flavour. The sausage was high quality and the egg perfectly done up. When I picked the egg yolk with my fork, there was this eruption of goo, which mixed well with the black sausage and turned it all into a delectable gravy. The sautee button mushrooms and crispy potato medallions added substance and dimension to the dish.

And progressing to the dessert of Floating Island! I quite enjoyed it, though the one at Les Deux Salons almost a couple of metres away from Terroirs was more orgasmic. The Terroirs one boasted very light quenelle of poached meringue and the mildly sweet layer of custard with a promounced flavour of vanilla. The sweetness came from the big squeeze of rich, slightly bitter caramel on top and the springle of praline. Personally, I’d like my Floating Island to be, well, floating. This one, served on a plate, did not float. But, putting that aside, it was a good dish.

J SHEEKEY OYSTER BAR

Walking a few more metres north-west of Terroirs, you’d come across another bar with a not-to-be-missed all day menu and discount during London Fashion Week: J Sheekey Oyster Bar. While I am not particularly a fan of the Caprice restaurants because I feel they’re too much of a British food institution and everyone-must-go-there kind of place. I totally make an exception for J Sheekey. The ambiance was less rustic but more retro glam. I felt I was in a very grand room of an oceanliner (hoping this one wouldn’t sink!). The crowd can be more of walk-in tourists and theatre-goers. Cheerful but more fussy than at Terroirs.

The menu at J Sheekey reads tradition but of the British kind with the highlight on the fresh and fab seafood. The all-day, no reservation Oyster Bar, just next door to the restaurant, fits well into any LFW schedule.  There were light healthy fish and seafood dishes on offer. I sat at the counter and saw the chefs preparing food in front of me. It was kinda Barrafina but British. Due to my very low budget – the day before my new credit round arrived – I went for their Fashion Week low carb, low fat, low choresterol and low income offer of Half a Dozen of Oysters with a glass of Pol Roger Pure Champagne at £15.75. Juicy, plump and fresh oysters, I couldn’t really ask for more!

And there you go, my top two pick of all-day bars in the LFW zone. If you’re involved in London Fashion Week, you can still savour these dishes, soak the ambiance and just .. take you time

Oh, one last thing, the J Sheekey deal finishes on Sun 27th Feb! The Terroirs lunch meal is always on.

PS J Sheekey, as well as other Caprice Holdings restaurants, does not allow photography. Therefore, I am forced to use their press images instead. That said, these images truly represent what they are doing at J Sheekey Oyster Bar. Period.

Enough said,

My head rating for Terroirs says, “9 out of 10″

for J Sheekey says, “7 out of 10″.

My heart rating for Terroirs says, “8 out of 10″.

for J Sheekey says, “7 out of 10″.

TERROIRS WINE BAR & RESTAURANT

5 William IV Street
London
WC2N 4DY

Tel. 020 7036 0660

www.terroirswinebar.com

J SHEEKEY OYSTER BAR

28-32 St Martins Court
London
WC2N 4AL

Tel. 020 7240 2565

www.j-sheekey.co.uk/oyster-bar