Pied a Terre

The food is simply outstanding. I went with my wife from Greece on her birthday, a beautiful and intimate place. The stuff was very attending and at the same time very discrete. A better job could be done with the amuse in order to reach the level of the food. We ordered scallops and oysters for appetizer and they were just excellent. The main course was outstanding, turbot, complimented with calamari staffed with crab. The deserts were also very nice. The atmosphere was great. I would suggest this restaurant to anyone how would like to taste extraordinary food and feel a lot of chef’s love packed in each dish. Congratulations
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DIMITRIS KARAGIANNIS - View all reviews by this user
Overall rating
Food 10 | Service 9 | Atmosphere 9 | Value for money 9
Sunday, June 14, 2009

Took my other half to Pied A Terre for his belated B'day celebration last Saturday. We went for the Menu Degustation which was nice. The evening was enjoyable up to the dessert. When we finished eating our dessert, the waiter asked us whether we wouldn't mind if they served coffee and petits fours in their bar area so that they could use the table for other customers. I was surprised by the request since I made sure that I could have the table for the whole evening when I booked the restaurant (as I knew about their 2.5hours table turnaround policy for their standard A la Carte menu). However, I let my other half decide what he wanted since it was his special evening. He said to the waiter that he didn't mind so the waiter took us to the bar area for coffee & petits fours. The bar area was empty and not convivial at all. There was a waiter who was cleaning the glasses behind the bar and funny enough he wasn't the one in charge of preparing the coffee. We waited 50 minutes for the coffee to arrive! In fact, my other half was getting annoyed and was about to go to the restaurant area to let the waiter know his dissatisfaction. The waiter behind the bar saw that and offered to go downstairs to tell our waiter about the coffee! When our waiter came with the coffee, my other half told him how dissatisfied he was about being booted in the bar area and then had to wait for 50 minutes to get the coffee. Our waiter was apologetic however I still find this situation very unacceptable for a 2 starred Michelin restaurant. When we left the restaurant, we passed by the table where we had dinner earlier on and to our astonishment, not only they didn’t have new customers at that table but also the table wasn’t dressed! This meant that we could have had our coffee at our table all along!

This whole experience about having to wait 50 minutes to have coffee & petits fours served at the bar area was a real put off. Even worse when we found out that we could have had our coffee at our table where the atmosphere was much more convivial than the bar area.

Comparing to our 1st visit at Pied A Terre 18 months ago, it seems that the restaurant has become greedy and wants to maximise the number of services they can squeeze in one evening. It is very disappointing and unacceptable for a Michelin starred restaurant as the bill does not come cheap.
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Kim
Overall rating
Food 8 | Service 5 | Atmosphere 5 | Value for money 5
Tuesday, May 19, 2009

Stunning place, really good atmosphere.

Went on a Monday evening and it was very busy, the staff are very attentive without being intrusive.

Fantastic menu, superbly presented food, I would highly recommend this place to anyone. Try it you will not be disappointed.
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Karen
Overall rating
Food 9 | Service 9 | Atmosphere 8 | Value for money 6
Friday, May 15, 2009

Went for my wife's birthday and had an incredible dinner and wonderful evening at Pied a Terre.

Our starters (foie gras and scallops, respectively) were superb and absolutely delicious, and while we had arrived with the highest of expectations, the starters managed to raise the bar even further. The mains (venison for me, Andalucian pigeon for my wife) were both sublime - marvellously complex and tasty compositions beyond anything I've tried before. Everything else (amuse bouches, cheeses, desserts) was excellent too.

The wine list at Pied a Terre is extensive. We each had a glass of a very nice, white burgundy for the starters. For the mains, I asked the sommelier to recommend a red suitable for our respective mains within £50 - his suggestion, an Australian whose name unfortunately escapes me - was excellent and accompanied the food beautifully.

The service was impeccable and extremely attentive, without ever being intrusive.

Two minor points for improvement: my wife's cocktail on arrival, a Bellini, could have been better, and the Lapsang Souchong tea she ordered at the end of the meal instead of coffee was made with a tea bag - in a restaurant of this level, I would have thought they would have at least a modest selection of loose leaf black and green teas.

Overall, though, we both agreed that it was one of the best restaurant meals we have ever had, but the experience comes at a hefty price - our bill for the evening was app. £300. Not a regular pleasure then, but we would both love to go back for another special occasion.
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Jeppe, London
Overall rating
Food 10 | Service 10 | Atmosphere 8 | Value for money 9
Monday, March 02, 2009

I have not been since before the fire but on the whole an excellent experience. We opted for the taster menu but selected the wine from the wine list. There were only a few minor criticisms.

One of the fish courses was slightly inconsistent; my sea bass fillet was slightly thicker than my partners and as a result was undercooked.

The first dessert on the taster menu was not as described when it arrived; I pointed this out to the waitress and was told, “Yes, it’s different”. I mentioned it again to the head waiter who explained that a substitution had been made due to delivery of sub-standard ingredients. While I wholeheartedly agree with only using the best ingredients but I would expect the menu to be re-printed as it was only a standard piece of paper slipped into a cover.

I agree with Mac’s comment below, the excessive pushing of water was not appreciated. The glasses were topped up constantly until they were completely full and the bottle was empty, another bottle was offered, refused and the poured water then warmed in the glasses as a result of a very hot restaurant. A restaurant of this calibre should not be relying on water sales.

As mentioned above, an excellent experience but top dollar and two stars should equate to flawless food, attention to detail and exceptional service.
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Guy
Overall rating
Food 8 | Service 8 | Atmosphere 7 | Value for money 7
Wednesday, February 18, 2009

Quality, Service, Excellence...This is a fantastic place to dine..clearly if you can afford it...

This two Michelin-starred restaurant deserves the acclaim it receives...as there are many other that get stars and don't deserve them (in my opinion).

We were very well received at the entrance and were pleasantly sat down. When it came to showing the menu the service was excellent not too intrusive but enough information so that you don't feel lost. We were asked if we had any allergies or if there was any taste that we didn't particularly like.

As it was a special occasion we opted for the 10 course tasting menu. The food was exquisite, the flavours were flowing and the sometimes odd combinations fusioned beautifully. Not to mention, the presentation was aethetically pleasing. Whilst the dishes were small (to be expected of a tasting menu, especially 10 courses) they were very filling even if some were lighter and others heavier.

The only thing that one can critiize is perhaps the lack of ambience, or shall I mention animation. The chilled out atmosphere, was almost too plain and chilled out, perhaps a little dark (dark because we were at the back of the restaurant but with fantastic seating.

Highly recommended for an upscale special chilled-out occasion. If you want lively look elsewhere. Considering the quality of the food (superb) and the price of the food (expensive), I think it represent a good value.
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chribson - View all reviews by this user
Overall rating
Food 10 | Service 10 | Atmosphere 7 | Value for money 9
Monday, January 19, 2009

Spent a very pleasant evening working through the tasting menu along with the 'decouverte' wines. Every course well presented, wines imaginative and well matches and the service immaculate. Only downside was the taxi supplied at the end of the meal - at twice the price of a black cab it left a sour taste in the mouth at the end of a good evening. Just because I'm willing to spend top dollar for food does not mean I'm willing to pay over the odds for the journey home!
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Andrew Thompson
Overall rating
Food 8 | Service 8 | Atmosphere 6 | Value for money 7
Thursday, December 04, 2008

i have eaten many time at l'Autre pied and had been looking for an excuse to visit Pied-a-terre.

I was surprised by how small and compact it was, I was thinking it was going to be much bigger. We sat in a small front room with only 4 tables, very charming and beautifully appointed.

The staff were wonderful, everything was orchestrated like a lovely piece of music, every touch, dish and flavour had the impression of being thought about , and I believe that it is so because it has been thought about.

A fabulous gem of a restaurant and so very different to it's sibling l'Autre pied.
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the doc - View all reviews by this user
Overall rating
Food 10 | Service 10 | Atmosphere 10 | Value for money 9
Monday, November 24, 2008

Went there Friday 7 November for Dinner. Overall our experience was not great on the service front for a 2* restaurant.

Despite sending information to them ahead of the day regarding my wife’s dietary requirements, the staff seemed surprised and the menu was not easily adjusted to accommodate. Removing ingredients from a dish partly defeats the object, doesn’t it?

The cheese came at lightening speed after the main course, which I ate while my wife looked on....

The restaurant manager was profuse in his apologies, which was the best you can do in the circumstances.

Not sure I like the fixed price starter and main. Not sure if that supports the principle of customer choice. Food lovely, though
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Steve Lamb
Overall rating
Food 7 | Service 6 | Atmosphere 7 | Value for money 6
Friday, November 14, 2008

Enormous disappointment! Read great things about it and then I finally went there with clients. The food was pretentious and overcomplicated while the portions were still extremely small. However the biggest disappointment was the fact that it didn’t really taste that great.

They also served canapés before the meal and sweets after the meal that they gladly charged for, not to mention the water they kept on topping up as soon as you had a sip.

We didn’t have any wine or any desert and the bill was still more than any of the best restaurants I have visited in London for lunch. If they survive the credit crunch any business will.
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Mac
Overall rating
Food 3 | Service 3 | Atmosphere 5 | Value for money 0
Friday, October 24, 2008