Le seize - Full Menu

Best duck ever! Re another review ... I was offered a decent red wine for a reasonable price. I had come to this street for another restaurant more highly rated... read more Best duck ever! Re another review ... I was offered a decent red wine for a reasonable price. I had come to this street for another restaurant more highly rated on Trip Advisor but liked this menu better. Really a good choice for me.

This restaurant has changed hands relatively recently we have eaten here several times previously and always enjoyed the atmosphere and food. It is always hard... read more This restaurant has changed hands relatively recently we have eaten here several times previously and always enjoyed the atmosphere and food. It is always hard for a new owner to make his mark whilst preserving the success of the previous proprietor. The ambience remains...much as before and the team also seem friendly enough. The service is good. The main selling point as we were reading the menu seems to be home made Honestly, I would expect food to be made on the premises in such a restaurant so the comment took me by surprise. My reaction upon seeing the menu was that the choice was very limited and the wine list expensive. Two of our party of three are not fish eaters. The set menu (which we were encouraged to take) had a mandatory fish course (coquilles St Jacques). My wife would have liked this menu, however it was only possible if two people on the table ordered it. So we were really pushed into ordering from the carte. In fairness, we did not discuss this with the owners, or point out the problem for us. Perhaps they would have proposed a solution...The wine list really pushes one to spend plus. There is little under this price bracket although wine by the glass is available. The service was efficient and amuse bouche and wine duly arrived, followed by our starters. The onion tart was tasty. The Coquilles St Jacques looked rather lost on the plate. The overall impression was of small portions. The coquilles were slightly over-cooked according to my wife, but otherwise pleasant enough. Chicken burger and fish risotto followed as our mains. The burger was competent, but no more. The risotto slightly watery and the delicate taste of the fish lost (again according to my wife), but it wasn't unpleasant. We finished with coffee, no dessert. We spent much time (actually several days) discussing the evening. The food was OK, but we felt slightly disappointed overall. The meal lacked a certain spark we concluded that (on this occasion at least) there was nothing on the plate which we could not have prepared ourselves therefore the wow factor which a good restaurant can provide was, for us, lacking. Another reviewer stated that the new young team should be encouraged and given a chance to succeed. Whilst I do agree, I also feel that I must write a review which I feel reflects our experience of the restaurant on the night. The menu does change every week, so it may be we fell upon a week which suited us less unfortunately. I don't expect to pay less for a good meal, however I do expect there to be more choice for my money along with exciting cuisine.