9 March 2014

Pied a Terre

We recently enjoyed a lunch at Pied a Terre in Charlotte Street, Fitzrovia.  As my wifes birthday fell on a Monday this year, it required a little more research to find somewhere open on Mondays. Luckily Pied a Terre, somewhere we have passed numerous times and have been meaning to visit, was not only open on Monday lunch time, but also had a 6 course tasting menu available for £49 a head.

We started with a selection of canapes, with stand outs being a battered mussel, a salty crunchy delight of a bite, and a wonderful flavour rich celeriac panna cotta for my wife. We tried a few breads including an excellent brioche and ok baguette, but the star of the show was a treacle bread which was simply one of the best breads I've had in a long time, a perfect crisp crust with soft, chewy crumb with a definite hit of treacle.

We both started with a chestnut and juniper gnocchi, a golden fried pillow with a brown caramelised surface and a generous slice of truffle on top. Into the bowl was poured a chestnut and truffle veloute. This was a fine start to the meal, with a deep truffle flavour in the smooth veloute.

The next course was a carrot dish, the carrot coated with blackened spices and with accompanying vegetables, the spices were intense and well flavoured, a fine way to treat a humble carrot. I had a fantastic dish of cod with really lovely mussel sauce and some flavourful little new potatoes, the dish as delicious as it was pretty on the plate.

Our mains were both excellent, for me guinea fowl, morel mushrooms and shallot and liquorice puree. The guinea fowl had good flavour, a superior bird to chicken for me, but the morel mushrooms, my first of the year, were absolutely top class, some of the nicest I've ever had. My wife had a onion squash ravioli, topped with cavelo nero and a pine nut butter. She really liked this dish, especially the textures added by the pine nuts.

Pre-dessert was a glass with some lemon posset and orange mousse, a lovely little palate cleanser topped with some awesome white chocolate and freeze dried blood orange pieces on top, very nice indeed. Dessert proper show cased some very high end patisserie, a Valrhona chocolate creme, with dots of caramel sauce, cubes of chocolate jelly, some lovely peanut brittle pieces. The accompanying salted peanut ice cream was gorgeous, and the salty notes balanced against the sweetness of the chocolate perfectly.

We had some nice wine to match, 2 glasses of rose champagne to start, a couple of excellent whites with the food, the 2 dessert wines recommended were really good. My Spanish red, a Dolc Mataro was unlike anything I've had before, sweet with many fruity notes, and just my type of drink.

Petit four came with coffee, first up 3 on a dish, including a fantastic mandarin filled bowl, followed by some coconut ice cream truffles, and finally a bowl of hot doughnuts, each one as fluffy as a cloud, exceedingly fine examples of their kind.

I was really impressed with Pied a Terre, not only was every aspect of the meal absolutely first rate, a tasting menu with an especially generous selection of goodies to accompany the coffee for £49 felt very good value. The restaurant team, with Marcus Eaves and his crew providing the best London's fine dining has to offer, with a really charming front of house to back them up.

Canapés



Chestnut and Juniper Gnocchi with Chanterelles, Chestnut and Truffle Velouté

Cod with Poached Baby Potatoes, Fennel Puree and Cornish Mussels.

Carrots Cooked in Blackened Spices with Squash Purée, Cracked Wheat, Chilli, Coriander and Mint

Guinea Fowl with Morel Mushrooms, Braised Leek, Shallot and Liquorice Puree, Rosemary Jus.

Onion Squash and Sage Ravioli with Chanterelles, Cavelo Nero and Pine Nut Beurre Noisette

Lemon posset & blood orange

Valrhona Chocolate Crème with Caramel Sauce, Salted Peanut Ice Cream and Chocolate Jelly

Petits Fours



Dessert Wines.



Pied à Terre on Urbanspoon

Square Meal

1 comment:

  1. I love Pied a Terre and that looks like a great value lunch. I think your wife would love the evening tasting menu.

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