Léon de Bruxelles

Remember the scrumptious mussels I had in Niolon? Well, I think there might be a place in London to get a little taste of that.

The other night, I was so determined to try and recreate that at home, but failed on step 1: buying good quality mussels. We discarded that idea and E made a delicious dinner instead (a little blog feature on that to come!).

So when we stepped out of the gallery and were pondering our dinner options, E had the genius idea of searching for a good place for mussels nearby.

And what do you know, after a little googling and reading rave reviews, we hit jackpot with Léon de Bruxelles.

From the outside, it doesn't look like much. Considering the area, you might presume that it's a tourist trap with overpriced, mediocre food.

Not so. The inside has a retro euro-diner feel to it, the vibe is relaxed and the staff very friendly.

We both went for the classic Mariniere, and were promptly presented with buckets of mussels (1kg each!) and a lovely gingham cup of fries (which are unlimited. really. we didn't take them up on the offer with the 1kg of mussels already being a challenge, but it's a good perk).

E was eating his at the speed of lightening, scooping them out with the shell like a pro. I tried to catch the action and copy it, but I wasn't very successful.

We thought that the food was fairly reasonably priced for London, and were very impressed by the mussels themselves - fresh, plump and delicious.

I am so glad we found a good Moules Frites place for when that craving kicks in, although now I'm afraid it will kick a lot more often.