It's all about the food. . . (Pied A Terre)

Member Name: raveydavy

Product:	Pied A Terre
Date:	22/05/01 (75 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Food, relatively informal, staff attitude

Disadvantages: Overall price, wine mark-ups

Pied a Terre won't be to everyone's taste, or budget. But for those who are willing to spend a bit more in pursuit of culinary excellence, then Pied a Terre is one to put on the "must try" list.

Clearly one's enjoyment of a restaurant is much more a matter of taste than reviewing the effectiveness, say, of a washing machine. These, though, are those things that I like about this place:

Firstly the staff, and correspondingly the atmosphere is not staid or stuffy. You can approach Pied a Terre without the trepidation that accompanies a trip to Gordon Ramsay's, or the hard work that results in getting refused a booking at the Ivy. This restaurant is nice - with plainish, nice, decor (in good taste of course), nice people, and nice attitudes.

For larger parties, their private room is brilliant - take your own CDs along, sit on the sofa and generally take your time.

The centerpiece of the occasion is the food. Despite a downgrading from 2 to 1 stars, from the fickle Mr Michelin, the ambitious menu is delivered to outstanding effect. From mini appetisers, through super creamy soups and melt in the mouth scollops, to tasty tart and choccies, the whole thing was delicious. I took advantage of their tasting menu, which at £65 for 8 courses works out at £8 per heavanly mouthful. Not a price all are willing to pay - but necessary if you are chasing the best possible meal.

All dishes demonstrate a skill, whether it is the choice of complementary flavours, the construction of a particularly delicate ensemble or the pure ability to get a piece of meat just so.

Wines too deserve a mention. Though a full read of the list will take you well past bed time, and prices can be a little high, there is enough in the £20 - £30 per bottle bracket to choose from, and a well selected range of wines by the glass chosen to compliment each of the dishes. Do seek help if you need it - and don't feel pressured to t
he upper echelons of the list!

As you would expect from my above comments, service is good. I hate overly stuffy places, and so Pied a Terre's staff - who not only smile (horror of horrors) but also share the occasional joke with a customer - do their stuff with efficiency and amiability.

As well as the tasting menu there are other choices, which all fall into set price menus (choose 2 or three courses).

As far as I'm aware there isn't a dress code, and this is an informal restaurant. However though jacket and tie aren't needed, I would think twice about the scruffy tee shirt and jeans.

And that's it. Very high quality food, served with nice if overpriced wine, in a congenial atmosphere in a pleasant space with efficient and relaxing staff. Go there.

One final word of warning: I love eating out, and I particularly like Pied a Terre. However going to restaurants is a variable thing - you could be having a bad day, Chef could be having a bad day. You may choose the wrong thing, or your company may not be that scintillating. Pied a Terre is a good place, but there are no guarantees. Like going to the cinema, you can on occasions just watch a bad film!

So - take a deep breath, dust down your credit card, and enjoy!

Website: www.pied.a.terre.co.uk

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