Le Moment is a small wine bar and restaurant on the lower side of Peel Street in Soho. Neighbor of the artist bar Joyce Is Not Here, bohemian-musicians' hangout Peel Fresco and the hip African bar Makumba, the new venue is equally strong in personality.
You can hardly imagine this French-style cafe with white-painted walls with simple sketches, two cinderellas, dark-wood tables and leather chairs used to be the red hot Alcove. However, like the former restaurant, Le Moment with just around 15-20 seats is ideal for an intimate dinner with the beloved one(s) or a private party.
One of the things that makes Le Moment stand out from other restaurants is the personalized service. Owner Bobby, is always there to help. As a wine connoisseur, he can give very good advice when comes to wine tasting, yet without making you feel embarrassed even if you know absolutely nothing about wines. We choose a red wine from France called Miss Terre, for we prefer something fruity. After 15 minutes of airing, we have a sip. "It should taste like berry, quite sweet and not overwhelming," Bobby says. We love the no-jargon, precise description. Today, we are the only customers here when we arrive. So once in a while Bobby would chat with us casually, asking us what kind of music we like, if the jazz tune is ok for us, and what indie bands I usually listen to, for he plays guitar too, just like a friend. We are also very surprised that when we have finished half a bottle, Bobby asks if we have noticed any change in the taste of wine. Had he not told us that we'd never have noticed our wine has a mushroom, spicy aroma and taste now. Like the wines in Le Moment, you can easily smell Bobby's passion about his food and wine, from meters away. Later in the day when there are other customers, we hear him explaining to them in details about the wine they have ordered, letting them smell their gourmet teas, have a taste of the French cheese slices, without being too overwhelming.
In Le Moment, a bottle of wine is around $380 - $490. Just a little bit more expensive than a house wine in any other restaurants. They import directly from micro-cellars mostly from Europe - something not very easily available in town. Apart from wines, Le Moment serves gourmet teas too. In the late afternoon they offers tea sets. On a nice sunny afternoon it's perfect to have a piece of home-made cafe, sipping a nice cup of Mariage Freres Marco Polo (a very fruity tea) before opening a bottle of nicely chilled white wine at their alfresco table. At night they serve set dinner ($158) which includes a salad, a main dish and a tea. Or else you can choose from their tapas-style small plate menu (around $38/dish) which is good for snacking over a bottle of wine. Sometimes, they offer a 5-course wine-pairing menu ($550), an excellent deal because it's almost like all-you-can-drink. Also, they do not charge cockage fee because they believe your wines are something too. They are happy as long as your order a bottle when you open a bottle of your own. If you are a vegetarian, there are plenty options to choose from their small plate menu. If you'd like a set dinner or try their 5-course wine-pairing menu they can also arrange something for you if you book in advance.
The romantic atmosphere, friendly and personalized service and good price in Le Moment will definitely draw you back once you've been there.
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