La Cour Is As Safe As It Gets
La Cour
NOSA: I drive past La Cour, almost everyday, on my to work and it has never really occurred to me to check out.
FOLLY: It’s not on my daily route but I’ve noticed that sign so many times.
NOSA: And for someone that complains about Casa Lydia so much, you’d think I would’ve checked it out, right? Oh, well. It’s pretty interesting how La Cour doesn’t come up in conversations about Ikoyi hotels. Maybe it’s just my circle, but considering how many philandering men I know, it should’ve.
FOLLY: Show me your friends and I will tell you who you are.
NOSA: Despite the pretty noticeable sign on the outside, La Cour is pretty discreet and the clientele is mostly of the expat variety.
FOLLY: Clearly it’s not discreet for you and your cohorts’ philandering activities. Or do you just prefer the Moorhouse?
NOSA: It might be for expats only tbh. Speaking of, there was this Nigerian, I think, lady sitting beside us. Listening to her flawlessly go from pidgin to Portuguese with her lunch dates blew my mind completely. There are lots of bilingual Nigerians out there, but the ones fluent in non-Nigerian languages wash me so much. I digress
FOLLY: I have a university degree to prove that I once could, but I’m so upset that I currently cannot speak French to save my life. That said; don’t try to sell me in French because I’ll understand everything. Okay, let’s get on with this review.
NOSA: The most expensive thing on the menu was the Seafood Platter, which we got to share. At ~8k, the platter is a good 4/5k more expensive than the next most expensive thing on the menu.
NOSA: Our food took the longest time to get to us. About an hour, if my memory isn’t dodgy. I’d be lying if I said the wait was worth it, unfortunately.
FOLLY: The bread rolls and water helped
NOSA: The Seafood Platter was a bit boring. I expected it to be a lot unhealthier. That’s a thing, right?
FOLLY: I really should have vetoed this decision. At first, I was against it but Nosa was quite curious about it so I caved.
NOSA: Boring isn’t something I should hold against the platter because it was properly made and tasted well enough. It’s not you, it’s me, Seafood Platter. It’s me.
FOLLY: While I don’t think the calamari was properly made, everything else gets a pass.
NOSA: I got the Chicken Schnitzel as my starter.
FOLLY: I got the Spaghetti Bolognese (because it was the only non-white sauce option)
NOSA: A little confession here, I had no idea what a schnitzel was before I ordered it. Don’t judge me.
FOLLY: Me neither. I’d only heard of it from a German friend and for that reason, I imagined it to be some sort of Bratwurst contraption.
NOSA: On first sight, I’d say it’s a lot like an escalope. According to Quora,
“Schnitzel is the German word for a meat that is pounded flat, breaded, and fried.
Escalope is the French term for a meat that is pounded flat, breaded, and cooked.
The one minor difference is that escalope need not necessarily be fried, though it usually is.”
So yeah....
As for the rest of my plate, the mash was bit clumpy and I didn’t like it much.
FOLLY: It tasted like it had little balls on couscous tossed in along with the potatoes.
NOSA: I should have gone with the fries instead. If you come here, please get the fries instead so you’re not disappointed like me.
FOLLY: My spaghetti was spaghetti and the sauce wasn’t corned beef, so I’ll say they already did better than 90% of Lagos restaurants. On the whole, a solid 7/10.
NOSA: Lots of description there, young grasshopper.
POSTSCRIPT
NOSA: It’s nothing spectacular, but for the price, it’s pretty good. Another restaurant/hotel would overcharge for the same order
*looking at you, Intercontinental*
FOLLY: While the prices are exclusive of VAT & service charge, it is still good value for money even when they ring it all up.
NOSA: If you aren’t particularly adventurous and you’re in the Ikoyi area, this is not a bad option. A lot safer than going to the awful Casa Lydia or the inconsistent Samantha’s Bistro.
VERDICT
DAMAGE
Schnitzel – N3150
Seafood Platter – N7500
Spaghetti Bolognese – N2550
PARKING
It's a hotel, there's parking.