Ergon, 19 Picton Place, London W1U 1BP

Ergon, 19 Picton Place, London W1U 1BP

30/03/2014

www.ergonproducts.gr

She said: His mum was in town and we wanted somewhere close as she’d hurt her ankle. We opted for Ergon, a relatively new Greek restaurant just off the crazy, tourist-ridden St. James Street. Ergon has two floors with a deli in the basement and the restaurant at ground level. The space is modern and bright and when we went, busy but not noisy. The menu was great; lots of choice of small, creative plates so we ordered a mix of seven. The food didn’t disappoint, every dish was full of flavour including juicy grilled shrimps, oozing cheese pies, a creamy goats cheese and lentil salad and a roasted aubergine spread that you wanted to keep scooping up. But there is a but…The portions. For £16 I was expecting our salmon to be a main course and not the single, tiny (though tasty) strip that sat lonely on the plate. For £13 I think we got 6-8 shrimp; and cheekily they charge £3 for bread (whereas half a mile down the road any Middle Eastern restaurant on Edgware Road will include a bucket of bread with every order. Shame really as Ergon is a lovely place with great food. There are reasonably priced mezzes on the menu so I would still recommend Ergon but maybe stick with the veggie options. 

He said: The Real Greek did a hell of a lot to upgrade the knackered image of Greek food this side of the Balkans, and Ergon has now raised the game a few more notches. The only things Greek here you can either eat or drink. No balalaikas nailed to the wall, or blue-and-white stripy anything. From the outside you can’t really tell what you’re getting yourself into – it just looks like a nice, inviting, modern joint. So I walked in with no expectations, but I walked out really impressed. The food had the fresh, healthy zing of classic Mediterranean food, which Ergon delivered with a modern twist. And the drinks were really impressive too, like the excellent Rouzo cooler, and the martini made with grapa. I liked every dish and would gladly go back again and again. The only false note was that when ordering a dip, like the delicious roasted aubergine, bread is charged separately for an extra £3. If you’re going to charge for it then the bread had better be the best damned bread, which this definitely was not. Otherwise it comes across very Ryanair, really desperate and stingy. So just include it and charge more for each plate. Pricing is maybe a touch high, but this is W1 and the quality is very high. Ergon’s a hit with me.

Casse-Croute, 109 Bermondsey Street, London SE1 3XB

Casse-Croute, 109 Bermondsey Street, London SE1 3XB

29/03/2014

www.cassecroute.co.uk

She said: What some might call cheesy I think of as classic. I’ve always had a soft spot for restaurants that evoke our stereotypical cultural ideas, without falling into the offensive: breadsticks and hanging waxed wine bottles in Italians: red lanterns and dragons in Chinese: and, as with Casse-Croute, red and white chequered table cloths, Bibendum posters and Brel in the background. Casse-Croute is definitely a throwback to a neighbourhood brasserie, complete with black and white family photos on the walls and a chalk board menu with the day’s classic French offerings. I was very excited and loved the cosy, relaxed feel of the room. I went for the Asparagus starter which was fine but essentially boiled Asparagus with a hollandaise sauce on the side which I had to remove bits of pig from (I’m guessing it was ham). The main was a mullet which was tasty, a good portion but a bit too buttery and salty for me. Being London (be it Bermondsey), prices were on the slightly high side at £50 for just the food but maybe I’ve just not kept up with the times and what may seem like a local is still in our nation’s capital and prices fit the neighbourhood. I liked Casse-Croute as a place but was hoping to be blown away by the food. It was just fine.

He said: Casse-Croute does a great job at emulating the typical neighbourhood restaurant you’ll find in just about every quartier up and down the pays. The food was satisfyingly and classically French: technical, lots of butter and no surprises at all – good ol’ comfort food and friendly, laid-back service. This will be a perfect place for me to visit once Alzheimer’s sets-in, and I can half remember memories I never had, tasting really familiar food, in a cardboard cut-out environment, served by smiling people who seem to know me. I really don’t know what else to say about Casse-Croute; it was nice, and I enjoyed it in the same way you might enjoy almost any good, unfussy French meal. I’m a little surprised by some of the gushing praise this restaurant has received. But I suppose that if you are a trend-surfer, then the ultimate novelty is getting good, straightforward food that doesn’t desperately try to impress. It’s no big deal for our French cousins, just business as usual. I guess for me that’s the trouble with French food: even when it’s good it’s always the same.