Day 27 - Seafood Delight

Today I went out for dinner with my two sisters T and A.  It was partly because we've not been out together in quite a while and partly a gift to my older sister, T, for her birthday.  We are all big fish fans, T in particular and since it was her treat I chose to go to the landmark seafood restaurant, Randall & Aubin in Soho.  It operates a no reservations policy and can fill up fast.  We met at 6pm outside the restaurant but it was still pretty empty and I always like to eat amongst people as it really adds to the ambience.  We decided to chance our luck and headed for a quick drink at a nearby pub, hoping that in half an hour or so it would be a little busier. Boy were we lucky with our timing!  The place was now packed with well-heeled workers navigating their way through the extensive menu. We snagged the last available seats and settled in. Seating is on high stools at marble counters running around the edge of the room as well as jutting out into the room, breakfast bar style. The place itself used to be a butcher's shop and this is evident in the original fixtures and fittings, that have been lovingly restored. I know people have complained about the style and volume of music in previous visits but from my experience on this particular occasion it was at an acceptable level and the choice was not intrusive by any means. We were able to chat quite easily without having to shout.

Having perused the menu quite a bit before we arrived I was pretty sure that we should order the Plat de Fruit de Mer.  On a quick side not, I seriously love looking at menus, be it for expensive dream restaurants or even the bog standard takeaway menus that come through the letterbox, for me it really is food porn!

The platter itself was a sumptuous array of  rock oysters, a whole crab, Atlantic shrimps, sliced diver picked scallops, whelks, Cherrystone clams, langoustine & green-lipped mussels. All served with horseradish sauce, tabasco and what seemed to be a red white vinaigrette. We ordered this for two, after deciding it would stretch to the three of us but to be on the safe side and to try out the meat offerings, we also ordered the Roast Pork Belly & Apple sauce which came with pomme frites. The food was simply delicious, the oysters were fresh and creamy, the mussels were enormous, the prawns juicy and the amount was wonderful and I really felt that we got our money's worth. The pork was tender and felt apart easily and the pomme frites were also wonderfully crispy, so delicious in fact we had to get another bowl!
 
In regards to the wine here, bearing in mind that my little sister works in the wine industry so is pretty well-informed of such things, it was a good selection but vastly overpriced. The house white starts at £16.95 which is pretty steep for what it was. We did, however, enjoy a couple of different bottles from Portugal and Spain.  Lovely but at the upper end of our price range.

Despite the fact that the main was very filling we couldn't resist dessert and opted for a lemon and raspberry tart and a cheese board.  The tart was nice and the cheese ok if a little hard.  It probably could have done with a little relish or something to go with it.  However, to sum up the food was delicious and the service attentive without being pushy.  We did have to wait a little while for our platter but I put that down to how busy it was.  We were also there quite a while and despite the queue we never felt like they were trying to hurry us to leave. It's certainly very popular and I can see why, I will certainly be frequenting this lovely little find soon. All in all, we had a thoroughly enjoyable evening and one we hope to repeat again in the not too distant future.

Plat de Fruit de Mer