Mercury may be the Roman God of poetry, but Le Mercury is poetry in motion and London's God of value. Off the beaten path, yet worth the hike, take the Victoria Line to Highbury and Islington, turn right out of the station and walk 10 minutes to TravelValue heaven ... HOOAH!

Arriving 30 minutes before our reservation, thanks to an extremely efficient Tube journey, we were greeted warmly and seated at a table in the dark, romantic room surrounded by tables with white linen tablecloths each with a large candle on top. We started with bottles of Ochagavia (Chile - £16.95), an oaky, scrumptious cabernet sauvignon, and Hildon sparkling water (750 ml - £2.50).

The service impeccable, all starters are just £4.45 ($6.15) and all main courses £10.95 ($15.15 - except the steak which was £12.95 - $18), a bargain for the quality and flavor. My wife ordered the Chèvre Chaud Grilled Goats' Cheese starter with a salad garnish and basil pesto sauce and I had the Moules Marinière (mussels) in a white wine and cream sauce with "shallots, garlic, lemon and parsley". The goat cheese tart was tastefully presented as well as being light, yet savory, and flavorful. My mussels were plentiful for the price, but there was little sauce and what was there was a tad bland with nary a hint of the shallots, garlic or parsley as noted in the description. Still, they were flavorful and a good value.

For our main courses, my better half had the Asperges et Cheddar Tart, small cheddar tarts topped with asparagus spears in a balsamic reduction and a sliced avocado garnish in between the two. She did not care for the dish, as I thought might be the case, because of the balsamic vinegar which she is not a great fan of to begin with. I gave her half of my Entrecôte ă l’échalotte (grilled rib eye steak), served in a lovely shallot and red wine sauce, along with some of my chips (fries for you Yanks - £1.95) in return her second tart. I thought that the tart was quite delicious, but I am quite fond of balsamic and the avocado garnish was a nice, complimentary addition.

I was stuffed, so no dessert for me, but my "sweet"-loving wife (she is "sweet" and "loving too) had to have her favorite, Crème Brûlée (£3.45), which was a bit on the small side, but scrummy nonetheless. 

At £63.42 ($87.90), including a 10% service charge, we ate like kings and queens, appropriately enough. A comparable meal would have easily set us back $110-$125 in the States. The sole "Bomb" deduction is due to the not-so-flavorful sauce the mussels came in and the damp slice of bread that came in our first basket, which they apologized for and quickly replaced.

CombatCritic Gives Le Mercury 9 Bombs Out Of 10 ... More Bombs Are Better!

Nine Bombs Equates To: OOH-RAH!
Translation for Civilians: "U.S. Marine Response To A Verbal Greeting Or As An Expression Of Enthusiasm"

Uptown and wanting to push the boat out a little. Have walked past this restaurant for years but never went in.
So me and a friend decided we woukd take the plunge!
Small, intimate and perfect for a romantic night out.
Tables are a little bit too close for my liking, otherwise the table setting was inviting and crisp.
Wine glasses shining and cutlery gleaming.
Menu is a variety of French classics.
I decided upon pheasant and my friend went for the duck. Both cooked beautifully and duck rare, with crisp skin. Perfect.
Wine was expensive but the menu had an extensive list to choose from.
I was too full for dessert.
An intimate restaurant, perfect for date night!