V Le Muscadet V
"A trip back in time"
Paddington Street
Marylebone
London
Style of cuisine: French (traditional)
Date of visit: Multiple times between 1997 and 2003
Verdict: Highly Recommended
Le Muscadet was my favourite local restaurant. Somewhat old-fashioned, with decor that probably hadn't changed much in 25 years, it served good traditional French cuisine at reasonable prices, with a suitable wine list to match it.
Old favourites included snails or pan-fried foie gras for a starter, while main courses usually included an excellent carré d'agneau and stuffed quail. There was always a superbly stocked cheese trolley, and a raft of traditional desserts which included my old favourite, creme brulée. Typical wine prices ranged between £15-50, making an average three course meal for two cost in the region of £65-85
Service was always friendly and competent - despite only sporadic visits I rather suspect the owners recognised my girlfriend and me thanks to our constant bickering and inability to decide which language to order in.
Alas, the place closed last year, for reasons unknown to me - did it finally succumb to the fact that it was rarely particularly full - rare was the time that we couldn't turn up and get a table - or did the owners finally decide that enough was enough, and headed back to France? Who knows?
It has been replaced by a Greek restaurant called Angelo's. I must fear for its future, though, as it seems to attract even less than Le Muscadet did. Which is a pity, as the one time I have eaten there service was good, as was the food, and prices were reasonable. But more of that some other time...
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