Pied à Terre (Bloomsbury)

David Moore still owns and runs this restaurant as he has done since 1991 and it was good to see him and the head chef Asimakis Chaniotis in their restaurant on this visit – something of an increasing rarity these days in many restaurants.  I’ve been meaning to get back to Pied á Terre (last visit in 2017) and after years of thinking I can do this anytime, have been amazed at how busy this and many other restaurants have been post-pandemic causing a problem getting a table.

Pied á Terre represents one of the last bastions of Michelin starred a la carte – another sadly retreating option I’ve noticed in the past year.  The menu choices stretch from four courses for £65 to 10 courses for £110 on the tasting menu selections and £93 for two course and £113 for three course a la carte menus, the latter obviously offering larger portion sizes of the premium ingredients on offer.  I couldn’t resist the foie gras parfait and decided to have that a la carte size which decided the type of menu choice quite quickly on this occasion.

First to arrive however, were a selection of canapes: eggs Kayianna with a lovely, creamy and original yoghurt, Greek gougere with Taramosalata and Bottarga which had a subtle roe and breakfast radishes served from a plant which was a pleasant bit of theatre for serving as a snack.  Sourdough came with marmite butter which was a brave choice, owing to marmite being by its nature, the definition of an acquired taste, but thankfully this was toned very down.  If I had the choice, my preference for butters will always been just the best salted, natural kind however, this is just me.

The starter of foie gras parfait came with Bourjasotte Figs, purple Romaine lettuce, black Autumn truffle, hazelnut and an unusual addition of tiny pine cones.  The latter had been preserved and softened to a lovely, soft texture, boosted by a pickled edge.  The parfait was thicker in texture than most had, but with a very pleasant liver flavour and this was complemented very well but the other elements, particularly the acid from the pine cones and sweet from the fig to a nice balance.  This was washed down with a well-selected glass of Hermann Donnhoff Riesling (Spatlese).

Salted cod Skordalia is a cold, Greek speciality comprised of potato, garlic, crispy shallots, dill and gloriously large royal oscietra caviar from De Neuvic. This was absolutely lovely and the mash made with plenty of olive oil would actually rival Joel Robuchon’s mash.  My main was a poached Turbot from a large, 5kg fish, served in a sesame and poppy seed crust with a whole host of compliments: gem lettuce, egg and lemon liaison, dill, mint, basil, parsley, chervil, black curry, shallot and herb purée.  This was a gorgeous version of turbot with all the additions working well not to over-dominate too much and I was especially pleased with the curry and sesame components which worked like a charm together.  The earthy sesame seed crust was lovely touch and the soft turbot itself, grand.  A lovely dish all round.

Small, homemade breads were also served with the main which were another show of the kitchen’s efforts for this meal.  They included a delicate carob and fennel seed muffin, tomato and black olive roll with cheese (very good) and a tomato, rosemary & salt focaccia (the latter was just a little too dense for ultimate versions I have enjoyed at The Sportsman and other venues.

A pre-dessert of forced Yorkshire rhubarb came with a Tahitian vanilla and Grenadine Sorbet which was superb – a mouthful of palate cleansing loveliness.  Then the dessert followed: in a restaurant headed by a Greek chef with Greek influences, it seemed only appropriate to opt for the Greek yoghurt parfait and I’m very glad I did.  The Greek yoghurt parfait itself was the all-out star of the show here, in texture and flavour and this was beneath a visually beautiful representation of a bee biscuit on a lovely honey ice cream.  On top of this, a whole heather honeycomb from Sussex was brought to the table, a piece carved tableside to serve with the surprisingly good addition of a hint of basil on the desert.  I’m always nervous of herbs in deserts now as I’ve had quite a few deserts that have been decimated as a result, but this subtle addition felt just right.

An array of petit fours came ranging from a hazelnut cup with hazelnut praline,  Piedmont mandarin jelly and a macaroon with lemon oil and traditional canelé and these accompanied the Difference coffee which on this occasion was the fabled wild Kopi Luwak.  This is so named after the wild cat that inspects every coffee cherry before selecting to consume only the finest ones.  These beans are prized so much as the Luwak’s natural enzymes strips them of their bitterness to a refined level.

So a fine meal, and it explained why it was so difficult for me to get a table. Something myself and others commented on in general for an article in the i Newspaper recently in  As a reflection, I actually had difficulties getting a reservation here for a midweek lunch in January of all months – it was booked out for all of January when I was booking in that month.  As mentioned, rezexe dealt with this as it has the ability to acquire unwanted reservations at certain restaurants that otherwise do not have a waiting list.  Perfect timing(!) as this had a table available at Pied á Terre that was perfectly close enough for my needs and solved things superbly.  The more on here the better and would recommend having a look on this if you find yourself in a similar position (there are also other perks above scenarios of restaurants without waiting lists).

This was a fine meal indeed and I walked away with renewed affection for Pied á Terre as it proved strong on many counts – lovely location, homely interior, professional and caring hospitality, an owner and Executive chef that were both in, good wine options and a varied menu that most importantly, was without doubt at the top bracket of its one Michelin starred contemporaries.  I’m pleased that in addition to all this you can actually have a four course option for £65 as well representing a very good return if in a hurry on selected lunches.  For all these reasons I have no hesitation recommending this venue….if you can get a table when you need it.

Food Grade: 85%

The meal started with snacks of taramasalata with cuttlefish mousse and vine leaves which were essentially complete opposites – the former being light and pleasurable and the latter being very dry and bland.  The bread was home made and whilst it was very nice to experience the focaccia, it is exceedingly difficult for anywhere to beat the focaccia of Noble Rot and The Sportsman.

The braised goat shoulder with fennel and tomato was actually packed with flavour, had decent crunch and balance and the buratta and salad starter was a simple, refreshing and visually appealing starter.  An interlude of very pleasing mushroom foam and ham was brought to the table and it was not clear if this was given to the table on account of this site or whether this was the norm – my gut says it may have been the former and whilst this certainly was an extremely good interlude, I will assume this is not the norm as I did not see other tables receive this and therefore discount from the overall value for money.

The mains were lamb and cod.  The lamb with aubergine purée, lamb jus, cucumber and orange had good return on the deep jus but it was overdone to the request which was rare – medium rare which was a shame to get this basic wrong.  The cod with seaweed butter sauce was an absolute delight, but for the price it was a little bare of vegetables which I think could have easily been included more to upscale the size and balance of the dish.  The cod itself was beautifully done.

A yoghurt mousse with walnut purée and honey was a pleasant, little pre-dessert although the walnut purée was set quite hard at the bottom so getting all of the components at the same time (as intended) meant having to dig quite substantially as the minor negative.  The desserts then came in the form of banana, chocolate, vanilla mousse and cherry which was a simple and effective dessert, followed by three cheeses (Pave d’Auge, Monbien and stilton), all of which were nicely chosen and a good mix without over doing the portions.  Petit fours were particularly good with the classic French canelés, soft and juicy orange gels and prunes that were soaked to a very good level.  Interesting to see the similarirties and simplification since 6 years ago having the same.

Overall, this was a fully competent meal and the only food negatives were the one snack, the lamb and perhaps downsize of the dishes, but the flavours and presentation were good to experience again.  Two other things stand out: 1) I came to learn that the L’Autre Pied (Pied a Terre’s sister restaurant) is now closed and all eggs have been placed in to the former 2 Michelin starred basket of Pied a Terre, and 2) one of the waiters at this lunch towards the end was almost argumentative with our table on receiving a request to identify the cheeses which soured the experience somewhat and was very surprising to have this at this Michelin starred restaurant.  I accept that the star is officially given for the food alone (although this is hugely debated), but it was surprising to have an abrasive finish after being looked after so well by the bulk of the staff including a particularly hospitable Sommeiler.  The observation with the waiter was explained to the management at the end in order to raise awareness and this was gracefully received as far as it could be.

A good meal showing general authority with one or two aspects to improve for the overall experience.