I went out for a friends hen night. I would like to say that I am the type of person that usually avoids such occasions, but I realised - this is the first I've been invited to, therefore, 100% attendance! After a rather short stint of playing Cinderella in the restaurant, I was allowed to go to the ball, well, to a karaoke bar. Electric Circus is a place that, I have to admit, I would never have entered off my own back - mainly due to the afore mentioned karaoke. It is weird that I have no idea of the reputations of the clubs and pubs in Edinburgh anymore. If I say I like somewhere I could be committing a massive social faux pas - but then Adam will not know either, so to hell with it! My name is Nicola Pym and I like Electric Circus. I do not like karaoke, but as these people are kept segregated, much like the smokers, everyone's health is protected! There is some live cabaret, and a good mix of music (indie included) and I really wanted to dance! This opinion was formed on a very brief visit, but I would like to go back soon. The staff deserve a special mention as they are amazing! The hen night hit a 'snag' and they were really helpful, nice and supportive. This is certainly not the norm in my experience of the majority of club/pub staff! However, this is maybe more a comment on the type of establishments I frequent... (The night ended in my darling Citrus Club, swigging Red Stripe from the can and moshing with sweaty men!)
On the note of Electric Circus being a slightly more upmarket venue, they make a fabulous Old Fashioned! A perfection that is hard to find, especially in this type of place, when it can take up to 5 minutes to make. The perfect blend of sweet and bitter and finished of with the crowning glory of a cocktail cherry - perhaps not the purists choice of garnish - but... lets put it this way I have an obsession with all things cherry related! I will however, draw the line at having a cherry on my Guiness - however, I drink my Guiness through a straw so a cherry probably wouldn't bother me - hey - throw on an umbrella too! Lets party!
So, from one celebration to another: B's birthday. Believe it or not, we didn't go for Mexican! Le Sept was suggested by the Urban Spoon app on my phone, and although it wasn't my birthday, I was paying and, damn it, I wanted snails! It was a departure from the usual night of carnage at the Pav Tav (a first floor hole in Brighton) expected of a birthday, but I think B had a good time. We learned from our experiences with reviews regarding Garibaldi, so we approached the restaurant with no further expections than those formed from a look at the menu. Thankfully we had booked, as despite it being a Sunday - it was packed. The poor staff (my brethren!) were rushed off their feet, but remained upbeat at all times, and ok, we had to ask for the dessert menu a few times but it just allowed us to digest our mains. There is nothing worse than having your plate cleared with one hand and the dessert menu thrust upon you with the other. The decor was simple but accessorised with French photographs and posters, which gave the restaurant a nice casual feel and the busyness gave a great buzz.
I didn't look at the wine menu as B and I arrived a few minutes later than my compulsively punctual parents. The only wine dilemma I had to face was white or red; mum or dad! Red was the order of the day, so dad and I had a bottle between us of the house - which was very nice, and mum had a half bottle of white, (again house!) which seemed to keep her happy. We were all able to ponder the menu for enough time to feel that we had chosen wisely. I had the escargots that I had been craving for a week! For my main course I had rabbit in white wine with dauphinoise potatoes - which, yeah is me!, the waiter complemented me on my choice of meal for being "very French"! Dad and B had the baked camembert and then beef daube and steak respectively. Mum had a crepe with ham and cheese followed by a rack of lamb. At this point I would like to point out that I could again see the microwave in the kitchen, however, there is no way that my mum's perfectly pink lamb and B's steak were 'zapped'.
Anthony Bourdain once travelled the world in search of the perfect meal, and rightly pointed out that it is not always exclusively to do with the food. I agree, ok, really bad food is going to sour the occasion, but a perfect meal (and I am not holding Le Sept in quite such high esteem) has a lot to do with the company. (Equally I am not quite putting my parents on that pedestal!) There were imperfections with the service, due to the busyness, but when the conversation and the wine are flowing it doesn't always matter. The food was good and I have to say that I really enjoyed my overall experience at Le Sept, and I think that goes unanimously.
I think that this would definitely be a contender for a meal with some visitors. It is French without the stuffy-ness that often accompanies a French restaurant. It may perhaps stray slightly from being truly authentic - but who cares? Not Adam, he was so poor during his stint in Paris that the closest he got to the French culinary experience was the Kronenburg that we had with our Big Macs! Also, I would like to point out that B was not denied his Mexican fix on his actual birthday, as we had a Mexican take-away. So I am a well behaved girlfriend after all!
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