Two's company on Long Acre

This review was published in May 2002

The Leicester Square end of Long Acre on a Friday night is a pretty ghastly place, so I was relieved to discover Le Deuxi?me at the Bow Street end.

If you are looking for a smart yet relaxed place to go where you won't be thrown to the floor and trampled by a hard-partying crowd, nor be robbed when it's time to pay, where the staff are kindly and knowledgeable, and the food perfectly nice, then Le Deuxi?me is the place to go.

It is not a highly fashionable restaurant. The chef is not on the telly, nor does the room appear to have been given a makeover by David Collins. Yet somehow, we could do with more restaurants like this in Central London.

Starters are eclectic, ranging from escargots bourguignon to tempura of freshwater shrimp with sweet Thai dressing, from Bayonne ham and grilled radicchio on toasted olive bread to breaded lamb sweetbreads with split pea dahl and roasted red pepper sauce. I chose a dish of tagliolini 'tossed' with crab, chilli oil and coriander.I have to say it was impressive, managing to combine lightness and piquancy without obscuring the crab. Less successful was the shrimp tempura, which was adequate rather than outstanding.

The mains list is conservatively modish: baked cod wrapped in air-dried ham; panfried veal filet with mozzarella, rosti and red pepper chutney. As a man of mode, I took this year's fashion fish - arctic char. I am becoming unreasonably fond of this salmon-like newcomer to London's menus, and Le Deuxi?me's way of serving it with kedgeree accompanied by a light and very mild curry sauce was spot-on, playing to the fish's texture and delicate flavour.

At the other end of the gastro spectrum, my wife's peppered entrec?te with saut?ed potatoes and caramelised onions was the personification of robustness. Despite protesting that she couldn't finish her generous portion, she managed to eat it all.

Normally I would not linger in Covent Garden a moment longer than required, but on this occasion we felt relaxed enough to stay for pudding: an acceptable sticky toffee pudding and a good banana crumble spoiled only by a pointless scoop of ice cream.

Le Deuxième
65a, Long Acre, WC2E 9JH