Thursday, September 22, 2011

La Marmite

While I'm not a fan of the Aqua group or the Soho area in general, I couldn't pass up trying La Marmite because I absolutely love marmite (definitely trumps vegemite) and French cuisine. Plus, the restaurant is done up in my favourite shade of green and makes me feel right at home, nothing like Aqua's typical restaurants.

The set lunches are priced reasonably at $98 for 2 courses or $118 for 3.

complimentary bread

As always I wished carbs didn't tempt me so... when it's sitting in front of me I can never resist! This bread was quite good, but what made it really yummy was the pot of garlicky herby spread in the background.

prawn and citrus salad

This salad would've been much nicer if it weren't completely drenched in salad dressing and olive oil. There's enough flavour from both the grapefruit and the prawns that it doesn't need all the other stuff... couldn't finish it, it was too greasy!

fish & mussels

Can't remember what fish this was but it was cooked really nicely and I loved the bouillabaise broth. There were yummy potatoes underneath too :) If only the portions were larger...

cheese platter

They needed to give more bread and I thought the way it was plated wasn't too appealing with the clunk of wilted lettuce in the middle... Otherwise the brie was nice, blue cheese a bit too strong for me, and camembert can never go wrong :)

The meal was definitely good value and I quite liked the ambiance, particularly on a weekday lunch when the restaurant was relatively quiet. The service was fine, food was fine, but I suppose the whole experience was rather forgettable. Perhaps dinner would be a more exciting affair?


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La Marmite
46 Staunton Street,
Soho, Central