Like most reviewers I found this restaurant via Yelp! And the first picture I can across was their seafood platter, aka Fruits De Mer.
I attempted 2 bookings, one via Facebook which didn't seem successful, so to be on the safe side I also booked in via Seatme on the restaurant website. When I arrived they had no note of either booking, but I didn't have to show my email confirmation as the waitress seated me anyway.
Now, I'm sure I read that it was a casual restaurant, however, although I was quite dressed up for my birthday, and for certain the youngest (and only single customer), with visible tattoos, I felt a little out of place.
I ordered a glass of the Prosecco Spumante, delish and reasonably priced at €3.75 a glass. After pretending to peruse the menu (I knew EXACTLY what I wanted) I enquired about the difference between the Assiette and Plateau Fruit De Mer, and was told it was just size. Now, pay attention those who suffer from "Eyes bigger than your belly" syndrome, if you're eating alone the Assiette will most likely be more than sufficient. If, like me, you doubt the portion size of a €42 seafood platter, or you're sharing between 2-4 people, order the Plateau.
Along with some if the most beautiful crusty bread I have ever had, and a tasty side salad, I was given the tools with which to battle my meal. I started to wonder if I was having dinner, carrying out surgery, or building a battleship. However, when my two tier platter arrived, I knew I was going to war.
The top tier was my "Royal" section; half a lobster and 4 oysters, accompanied by a shallot and red wine vinegarette. Although I'm a huge lobster lover, and I know a dish like this is generally chilled, like other shellfish/crustaceans, I do prefer it served warm. I enjoyed it very much, but still felt it could have been cooked a few more minutes, as some of it seemed almost raw.
The bottom was 4 portions of allll the shellfish, including king prawns, clams, scallops, whelks and sea snails. The prawns were extremely tasty, especially when dipped in the accompanying Marie Rose dip. The scallops had a slightly smokey taste, although I think my pallet prefers them served warm. Clams, which seemed to be of varying types, were a first for me, and I was not disappointed. Whelks, nice, but not as tasty as Betty's from The Barras, and the sea snails were passed to my (at times, often sickeningly over affectionate and most likely adulterous) neighbours. They seemed to enjoy the horrid looking creatures.
All in all, despite my fear that I would be conquered by a bunch of cooked and chilled seafood, I won the war and cleared my plates.
My only complaint was I wasn't given a bowl of lemon water to dip my paws in in between, and was only offered it when I asked to be directed to the washroom. Other than that the staff were friendly, the bill a reasonable €62 (though I did start to doubt when I left that the biggest number on the bill wasn't the last, and the extras below may have to be added to the total) and I would definitely return, though hopefully with a companion next time! read more