Pied à Terre, London

It was back in November 2004 at Heathrow Airport. I'd just arrived back in London from a one day trip to Seoul when I picked up a voice mail message from the restaurant Pied à Terre saying my table for the following evening was cancelled due to a fire! I was much saddened by the news as I was always fond of Pied à Terre - a tucked away gem (from the limelight) cooking up inventive and aesthetically exciting dishes. Luckily, it reopened last winter and I made my much delayed visit to this exciting restaurant.

The narrowness of the site makes the restaurant cosy. The use of a dark chocolate brown / grey makes for a somewhat indulgent feel. The food was excellent (I had a scallops cerviche followed by pigeon breasts done pink). The service impeccable without being overbearing.

What was enjoyable? The food, the service, the decor of the restaurant - all the right ingredients to make a lovely gastronomic night out. Nice bread plate. Great variety of petits fours.
What was not enjoyable? Slightly put off by being asked to take coffee and petits fours in the lounge even though the table next to us was not occupied. Why do restaurants do that?

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