Le Sacre Coeur

Gastronomically-sound eating in Islington

13 Sep 07, 19:47 Above expectations

If you’re destined down Islington way and some French food and wine takes your fancy, you could definitely do no worse than to head for Le Sacré Cœur. This cosy authentic bistro, adorned with good not garish theatre posters, is intimate enough to be romantique à deux, but also adequately caters for groups of 8-12; pavement-dining is also possible when the weather’s clement.

My dinner date and I had a hearty enough two-course meal for about £15 per head – the quantities and quality of which you’d normally pay around £30 each for elsewhere. Our final bill too (with a bottle of moreish Côtes de Rhône and coffee to finish) was still a reasonable outlay of less than 50 quid.

All the ingredients in our dishes tasted tellingly fresh – which I think makes Le Sacré Cœur stand out well from other French eateries I’ve tried in that part of London. We decided to bypass the regulatory entrecôtes and other meat dishes (rabbit’s a speciality) and respectively went for a filet de sole Veronique and Moules Marinières. Both excellent choices and, to my mind, as good as any of the many of their kind I’ve eaten all over France. My generous slice of tarte tatin totally agreed with my tastebuds enough to filch a little extra from my partner’s plate.

Top this with efficient service in agreeable surroundings and a wine list to please the most discerning palate, you’ll most definitely get your fill of all the bonhomie and Gallic grace you can handle.

They serve Sunday lunch at £6.50 a head which is an very excellent price to keep me out of my own kitchen!

Fantastic French Food

15 May 07, 17:52 Beyond expectations

Sacre Coeur is a small, intimate French restaurant just of Angel's Upper Street. It serves up delicious, rich French food, having a separate lunch and dinner menu. The french onion soup is a must have, and the steak-frites is delicious. Washed down with a caraffe of very good value french wine, it is possibly the ideal meal. The atmosphere is quite romantic, but definitely relaxed. One of my favourite restaurants.