Restaurant review: Impressive Gallic fare cooked with flair at Le Sept, Hunter Square

By HANNAH MILTON
Published on 08/12/2012 13:50

WITH simple dark wooden tables and chairs, Le Sept gains it’s quintessentially French feel via the music that pipes jauntily out and the framed pictures that cover the walls.

Presented with both an á la carte and table d’hôte menus there were more than enough options.

The menus largely feature home- cooking style dishes with added Gallic flair. Ordering from the table d’hôte menu (£17 for two courses, £21 for three), I chose the potted ham hock and parsley terrine to start and a house speciality crêpe to follow. My friend went á la carte with pan fried whole king prawns (£6.50) followed by an Aberdeen Angus sirloin (£17.95).

The prawns arrived, heads intact, swimming in a fragrant garlic and white wine sauce and were as pleasing to taste as they looked. The terrine was beautifully presented in a small kilner jar with mouthwatering gherkins, sliced bread and salad. Disappointingly, the bread was a touch stale and the terrine was one large chunk of ham surrounded by parsley gelatine. The ham was delicious though, as was the dressing on the salad. I selected the South African Pinotage (£6.50 for 250ml) to accompany.

The steak came with fries and the Roquefort sauce chosen from a fairly extensive list. Well cooked, it demonstrated Le Sept’s ability to execute simple fare with flair, and the sauce had just the right amount of fragrant cheese. Expecting a thin pancake much like you have at farmers markets and fairs, the crêpe was certainly not what I expected. Similar to a burrito in style, two crêpes stuffed full of cheese and ham, my chosen ingredient, came in an oval dish slathered in béchamel sauce and topped with grilled Gruyere. Delicious and warming, it was the perfect comforting meal on a cold wintery night. We partook in another glass each of the South African wines, both of which were very good and reasonably priced.

Good French fare with a lovely atmosphere, the staff are what you would expect in France too, adding even more Gallic charm.

• Le Sept, 5 Hunter Square, 0131-225 5428, www.eloc.demon.co.uk.