L'Assiette in Southbourne

She Said:

Brett's turn to plan date night took us to a sweet little French restaurant over in Southbourne called L'Assiette (French for 'the plate'). He found this place on Trip Adviser - as it is rated NUMBER ONE! of all local restaurants. You can see all the great reviews here! And, we're about to add to them.

This place was spectacular!

We visited on a Thursday night around 7pm, and had the place to ourselves! For such a highly-reviewed restaurant, we were surprised it wasn't more crowded - and it's a tiny spot. Probably no more than 15 tables total. But the fact that we were their only patrons (for about a half hour, then it started filling up), the service we received was impeccable.

Now, as you have read in our past posts, service in England isn't anywhere near what it is in the states, due in part to the fact that tips aren't really a driving incentive over here. But this place - this place breaks the mold. The service was better than most places we'd been to in Seattle!

Once seated, we were immediately brought over a jug of water, and amuse bouche's from the chef - i LOVE this!

Our waiter was quick to help us decide what off the menu to order (as EVERYTHING sounded amazing!). We were sitting by a little window that looked into the kitchen, and was fun to watch the chef hard at work - and the kitchen was impeccable! Spotless.

The menu changes weekly depending on what is in season. We started off with some Parmesan Cheese and Basil Risotto Balls (£5.45) and they were PHENOMENAL. Hot and crispy on the outside, with oozing cheesy rice in the center.

For our mains, Brett ordered the Rib Eye steak (cooked to perfection!) with portobello mushroom (£18.95), and i ordered Pan Fried Fillet Sea Bass with bouillabaisse sauce (£17.95). The fish flaked off the fork, and the sauce was so rich and amazing - brilliant drizzled over the vegetables and potato that accompanied. We also ordered a side of Mediterranean vegetables (£2.50) - but we barely touched these, as we were so full from the rest of the meal!


At the end of the meal, our waiter brought out some homemade shortbread cookies and bon-bons as a post-meal treat. It just kept getting better and better!

Amazing ambiance in this sweet little French spot - impeccable service, sweet little surprises, and melt-in-your-mouth food - L'Assiette is definitely one of Bournemouth's best kept secrets!

Bon Appetite!

L'Assiette
www.lassiette.co.uk
141 Belle Vue Road
Southbourne
Dorset
BH6 3EN
01202 420537