Pied a Terre London - Buy Reservations

I really enjoy opportunities to experience a tasting menu with wine pairing and this meal did not disappoint. Unless you're used to this type of meal, and have a few hours to sit back and take in the experience, it can be a bit overwhelming. Even for those who are not really wine drinkers, I cannot recommend it highly enough. The first sip (prior to the course) has one taste and after sampling the food, has has another. It is the pairing that adds a layer that would otherwise not exist. If I had to point to one thing that I would do different, it would be taking a break just before the main course because I was so full I couldn't finish it and I needed a good 10 minutes before continuing with the cheese course. I hope to be able to return again in the future.

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Experience started off very good, staff were very welcoming. I'm a vegan and decided to treat myself for my birthday so myself and a friend went to celebrate (we only do tasting menus twice a year on our birthdays). The food was very good, until I received the 7th course. I started to eat it and a couple of bites in realised there were two live slugs in my salad. I called the waitress over, who immediately removed it from the table and I advised another waitress that I didn't want a replacement since the thought made me feel nauseous. The dish included vegan cream cheese, so all I could think about was the creaminess of that and how I could easily mistaken a bite of that for a slug. My friend who was having the meat tasting menu, also returned her plate since she felt a little sick after she saw the slugs on mine. They came out after half an hour with the next dish, I was feeling better by then and was okay to eat more since the rest of the dishes didn't contain salad. A waitress came over to apologise and said they would take off a drink, but we both misheard and thought she said they would take off all drinks. When the bill came, we were surprised to see that they had charged us fully for the tasting menu and only taken off £30 for 2 drinks. We asked to speak to the manager, and this is when it all went downhill. We would have accepted a proper genuine apology, however, the manager (David Moore) had a smirk on his face the entire time. He refused to take off more money and when we told him to at least take off the 7th course because we didn't finish eating it he responded with 'well, there's no way for me to know that you didn't finish the meal', we told him to ask his staff since they saw the slugs and took the plates away, but he wouldn't. His excuse for the slugs was 'its all fresh produce so things like this happen', which I couldn't accept. There were about 6 tiny leaves of salad on my plate, how do you miss 2 slugs?! Also, not something I would expect from a Michelin star restaurant... maybe McDonalds. The whole time we were trying to explain it was unfair for us to only received £30 off, he made it seem like we were trying to get a free meal. We ended up not paying the service charge so saved around £60, including the drinks coming off. I was okay with the £60 off, but this should have come from the restaurant itself, not from us refusing to pay service charge. A genuine apology without a patronising smirk would have also gone a long way. First time I've ever written a review. The waiters/waitresses were very good, it was the manager that completely ruined the experience, there was no regret from his side. I wish I knew it is legal to not pay for food, I would have walked out without paying after the encounter with David Moore.

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We had the 10 course vegetarian dinner menu (perhaps two courses more than were needed) and nearly every mouthful lived up to the expectations when you think of Pied à Terre. Highlight were the Eggs Kayianna in the capanés, the Summer Tomato Salad for starters (tomato sorbet was something else!) and the Baked Soy Bean Terrine for mains. Desserts were light and refreshing, with the only disappointment being the rather sub-par olive oil and vanilla macaron (both were dry and crunchy, rather than soft, gooey and slightly crisp). Overall, an experience that must be had and shared! Even managed to snap a selfie with Exec Chef Asimakis as he was doing the rounds. Special mentions must go to Kieran and Sam for their incredible knowledge and table hospitality throughout the evening.

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This was brilliant cooking of very nice ingredients. We loved the Greek twist on the cooking. One flaw in the dishes, was the use of bright blue curacao as an analogue of the Aegean Sea. Personally you do not want to see bright blue food - the jelly was tasteless. I suggest plating in an interesting blue bowl. Otherwise the food was perfect. Service was excellent and not overly obtrusive. Wine selection in the flight was unexciting - shame not more of the exciting Greek offerings. Overall excellent cooking of nice ingredients. As with all these things, rather expensive for what you get. (Was the Turbot really necessary? could something interesting be done with another fish?)

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I spent a morning with Chef Asimakis and his team in the kitchen which provided me with a close-up impression of how much they care about what they do. It’s a tightly run ship and the attention to every detail was meticulous. The team was very welcoming and keen for me to see everything they were doing. I helped in small ways with some of the preparation always aware that what I was doing was being closely overseen and checked by someone in the team. Hygiene standards were "forensic" and everything leaving the kitchen was passed by Chef for his approval before being taken upstairs. My husband joined me after, and our lunch and wines were perfectly paired; the sommelier was extremely well informed and articulated her choices in an engaging and interesting manner. I was delighted with my “Kitchen Experience” package and would heartily recommend it to anyone interested in seeing how a restaurant of this calibre works at a “nerve centre” level. Enjoyed a six course lunch with wine pairing as part of my package. Spectacular as expected.

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