Tuesday 29t June 2010
Restaurant: Le Relais de Venise, Marylebone Lane
Price per Person: £20 excl drinks and service
Rating: 3 out of 5
Currently Munching: dried apricots...roll on payday!
This restaurant, also known as l'entrecote, is modelled on its famous original counterpart in Paris, of which there are now a few scattered across Europe and beyond. We went as a family to dine here, with old family friends who had been taken there by their son previously. There are a few things to get your head around on the off - firstly there is a no booking, and you are invited to queue around the building until a table is ready. Secondly there is no menu - you are all served the same starter and main course. So, after an hour waiting in the queue on a Friday night were ready for our table; in fairness we would of been seated much sooner had 30% of our party not been stuck in Wimbledon! The decor is pretty dated, think cheap 1980s faux French, wobbly tables and school hall chairs. There is even a glass cabinet displaying deserts in the entrance of the premises, a rather obscure tradition which I thought was rightly phased out in restaurants... Also, I should note that the maitre'd for the evening was very polite and efficient walking up and down the queue very regularly to check how big peoples parties were - she seemed very in control which made us feel much more comfortable with the slightly off kilter way of waiting to be seated.
So, seated comfortably (kind of) we had some cold beers to start which were a Kronenberg and therefore none offensive. We followed this with a decent bottle of Chateau de Nardon 2002, for £22 which was really tasty. About 5 minutes after being seated we are served the starter of mixed leaves salad topped with walnuts and mustard vinaigrette dressing. It is good enough, I personally would rather of not bothered with the song and dance of starter followed by main and had it as a side with the steak frites as I think the flavours of the walnuts and the dressing would work really well. French baguette baskets were placed on the table, no butter, and having read previous reviews of the place we decided not to request as apparently that's when the switch flips and the waitresses turn snotty! The bread was plentiful and refilled with no problem on request. The waitress had asked how we wanted our steaks cooked and scrawled this in Biro on the throw away paper table cloth by way of helping her remember position numbers. I personally don't like when they use this technique, like they do at Wagamama's too; especially if i am planning on ordering a rather large amount of food, i don't want the rest of the restaurant seeing the waitress turning my place mat over to find space to continue my order! I also think it looks ugly, and its not that hard to remember 6 peoples steak temperatures especially when the options are rare, medium, or well done!
Starters were cleared instantly (peoples plate removed when people were done rather than when the table was, I don't like this but it does help to speed the table along which is the idea here). I foolishly did not ask if the famous mustard sauce is served on the side as I have just been diagnosed with a dairy and gluten allergy (more on that fun in future posts...). It came poured all over the steak so mine had to be taken back - the waitress needed a little coxing, no more than most who always assume your just being fussy when you have an allergy and look at you as if to say 'really? just eat it'. She warned me I would need to wait up to 20minutes for a fresh plate of food but within five I was chowing down. The steak was perfectly cooked, fantastic quality meat and the chips where hot, skinny and crispy chip heaven. The beef is Scottish, and reared by a gentleman called Donald Russell who sells his lovingly reared cows to the Queen no less. The flavour certainly was top notch. My mother had to describe the secret sauce whose recipe seems to be held with more confidentially than the wear abouts of FBI's most wanted - she said it was 'good'...so not really as amazing as I was hoping. I had a mouse's amount on a chip and yes it was mustardy, tangy, worked well but I would suggested the PR machine has slightly created its own hero out of an average affair...which reminds me, must find out who does their PR... Best thing is that after one plate of food, more chips are piled on your plate and a second helping of steak, including some sauce free steak for me which I thought was really good of them to remember.
For dessert I had some raspberry sorbet, it was only ok but I was impressed that there was several sorbet flavours to choose from as having a dairy allergy normally means I don't get to have dessert! My sister had the famous profiteroles, again she described them as 'ok' and our family friend has a very well executed creme caramel.
We didn't feel pressured to leave even though there was a queue around the building which was really good. We did pay up and get on out though as you felt a comradary with those waiting few as it had been you with bellies rumbling only hours before. I did really enjoy the main course, and I would visit again. I think you need to leave all your preconceptions at the door, and if you go with a good positive attitude you will enjoy this restaurant. Yes, i could have cooked the same food at home, apart from the sauce, but atmosphere was really warm and I enjoyed the wine so I think it was still worth the trip. Just try to not be to British about it all!
