French Food On A Small Budget At Le Mercury

Living in the most expensive city in the world as a grad student on a budget proves to have its difficulties, especially on weekends. Somehow, I wake up every Saturday and Sunday morning with an empty wallet, a headache, and faint recollections of the previous night’s shenanigans.

Dinners in this city have affirmed to be nearly as expensive as my excessive nights out. There are few places in London where you can enjoy a gourmet, candle-lit meal for £10—wine included. Imagine swapping a grease-soaked, albeit tasty, kebab at a roadside eatery and a bottle of Heineken for filet de loup de mer—seabass fillet with crushed new potatoes and minted pesto accompanied with a glass of Italian Pinot Grigio.

Le Mercury, a charming French bistro housed in three-floors of a Victorian building on Islington’s Upper Street—is my haven of cheap, yet choice, French eats. Deciding between dishes like slow roasted honeyed pork belly with confit Celeriac and Granny Smith apples or seared fillet of Scottish salmon with sautéed spinach and lobster sauce proves to be the only arduous part of the dining experience. But the almost ridiculous reasonable price of £6.95, with starters at £3.95, will beckon you to return again and sample the remainder of Le Mercury’s tempting fare.

The Boulettes de Pomme Terre—sautéed potato dumplings with baby artichokes, parmesan foam and wild rocket salad is a mélange of savory flavors with hints of lemon that melt in your mouth with every tender chew. The toffee sticky pudding adds the perfect sweetness to the finale of an already amazing meal.

Le Mercury makes me feel better about being a struggling grad student—It’s a cheap eat in a very well disguised splurge.