Saturday, 31 December 2011

Le Pain Quotidien, 1 South End Road, Hampstead Heath, London, NW3 2PT

I've been to Le Pain Quotidien a number of times before; Marylebone, NYC, the one near the Natural History Museum. It’s standard. Generally, you’ll get a decent meal at decent prices and the dessert should rock.

Usually, I order the Spinach and Ricotta puff pastry triangle which leaves me pretty satisfied. However, on this fine, rainy day I decided I wanted something lighter. It was also lunch time and I was having a quick bite with my cousin while she was on her lunch break. She ordered the beef and bacon broth (off the specials menu) which she described as ‘bland’. I ordered a tartine of ricotta, dried figs, roasted pine nuts and honey. It was served with chopped tomatoes and two slices of melon. It was also...disgusting.
This is probably merely a personal taste issue, and I can say, without doubt or reservation, that my personal tastes abhor this dish. The taste was reminiscent of cottage cheese and tropical fruit, which I have an equally strong dislike for. If you don’t mind that combination then you probably wouldn’t have cried over your lunch.

Due to the failed mains experience, I thought I deserved some pudding. Mmmm pudding.
My friend ordered the Chocolate Tart – I should have stolen it.

I ordered the Chocolate Bombe. How can you go wrong with that when it implies a chocolate explosion! Unfortunately for me (and the table next to me who had to listen to my incessant whining) it was indeed a chocolate explosion, but somewhere in the calamity, the flavour of chocolate had evacuated the dessert, leaving behind a heavy shell of what could have been.   


Price: Approximately £30.00 for 3 x cappuccino, 2 x mains, 2 x dessert and service charge
Veggie Friendly: 2.5/5
Food: 2.5/5 based on this experience, on my normal order it's probably 3/5
Service: 2.5/5
Atmosphere: 2.5/5

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