L'Autre Pied

Quite simply one of the best restaurant experiences I have had in London for some time

Quite simply one of the best restaurant experiences I have had in London for some time, perhaps comparable to The Greenhouse, but without the formality. Full marks on almost all counts: amazingly fresh ingredients, beautiful presentation, friendly and knowledgeable waiting staff. If there were one quibble (which, arguably, may be part of the restaurant’s charm), the tables were perhaps somewhat too close together and given the passing traffic of waiters etc., the experience was not quite as intimate or romantic that it could have been. Nonetheless, both my dining comrade and I will definitely be returning, given the food and the wine. Both carnivores and vegetarians are well-catered for, with the latter having their own menu and a choice of three starters and three mains, a surprisingly rare feature among Michelin-starred restaurants. The highlight for me was the main of Sika deer cooked in cocoa and juniper, with black pudding, beetroot and watercress. The presentation was first class, the deer remarkably tender and juicy and the beetroot and watercress perfect foils. The wine we selected (a South African Pinot Noir made by Hamilton-Russell) was another stand-out, sufficiently supple yet gamey not only to go with the deer but also with my comrade’s aubergine sambal. Another feature we both loved was the cheeseboard. None of the obvious names featured here, and yet each had its own personality and history, carefully selected and explained to us by our server. The cheeses were brought to our table for sharing on a granite slab, presented in order of tasting (and hence strength), a very nice touch and a great note on which to conclude.

All a bit underwhelming to be honest. Five of us (including one veggie) arrived with relatively high hopes only to have them somewhat dashed by lacklustre service and food ranging from sublime to sub-optimal. Evening did not start very well when we were only asked for our choice of water (again another restaurant that only asks, “still or sparkling” with the brave punter obliged to proffer “tap”) and no-one appeared to want to take orders for aperitifs (handily probably saving us around £50 or so in the process!) This did however mean that we ate our amuse-bouche and pre-starter (both in the sublime territory) with nothing bar Thames Water's finest.

Starters were a mixed bag – I particuarly loved my beetroot baked in salt and balsamic but from my companions, no real noteworthy comments and between us we covered a good few of the dishes on offer. Mains were somewhat better received although those choosing the turbot and sika deer complained of the relative small portions. I on the other hand had a plate that looked like the kitchen sink had been thrown out with the hogget…

Desserts were delicious and very pretty to look at, but given the lack of atmosphere and indifference of the waiting staff, we were not unduly saddened when the time came to leave. “Did you say it has a Michelin star” himself asked on the way home in a somewhat disbelieving tone and I have to admit to sharing his disbelief…

Here comes the grumpy one, i'm afraid – i just didn't enjoy this place (or didn't get it leading to the same result). While the cooking was not neccessarily to be faulted as such it was just trying in my mind way too much to come accross as trendsetting. Way too many different flavours going on with almot every dish leaving me thinking they would be better off only using half their incredients at any one time

The proposition was simple: choose a restaurant, book it for dinner for two and Square Meal would put down £250 towards it (the prize, along with a splendid bottle of Martell XO cognac for a previous review). The mind-bending task though was to choose the restaurant. I didn’t want somewhere with some celebrity chef’s name above the door who would, most likely, be in LA or Tokyo overseeing some far-flung outpost of his empire. I also wanted somewhere I’d not been to before. So I opted for L’Autre Pied in Marylebone. Foodie friends spoke highly of it, I’ve long loved its sister, Pied à Terre and, being of sentimental bent, the fact that it occupies what used to be Stephen Bull was a major plus – I virtually used to live there.
£250 is quite a healthy sum for dinner and I didn’t want simply to blow it on the wine’s mark-up so opted for the eight-course Tasting Menu (£62). A warm welcome and a glass of fizz on the house started the evening off promisingly even though we did appear to tucked away on a corner (company arrived in the form of a young couple more intent of feasting on each other than what the chef was sending their way; mercifully they calmed down when their friends arrived). Plentiful bread was offered frequently. I left the wine decisions to the sommelier.
A large glass of Gavi di Gavi accompanied a little tomato salad with gazpacho and lemon oil, then followed asparagus with mushroom beignets, and a gorgeous velouté of courgette, grass green with basil oil, and poured over a little pile of black olives, toasted hazlenuts and feta. A fish course of perfectly roast cod (just translucent) was accompanied by two little artichoke hearts. We moved to a terrific bottle of a Catalan red (Portal del Priorat Negre de Negres) for the meat – a perfectly cooked, and melting, pressed piece of suckling pig, the crackling as thin and crisp as the caramelised top of a crème brulée. (I could have eaten it twice over). A platter of six different French and English cheeses took care of the remainder of the red. To accompany the two puds, the sommelier brought us a different glass of sweet wine each (one Austrian, one French – the latter more complex but the former richly intense and very sweet). It helped the lemon possett and dreamy custard tart down a treat.
The menu was perfectly judged: ideally proportioned, as full of variety as one could have hoped for and the finale (the custard tart with a passion-fruit cream) was heavenly and truly comforting – with a sweetness that left one happy and satisfied. When I inquired whether we owed them anything we were informed that we’d spend £249! The staff was terrific, the manager friendly and enthusiastically knowledgeable about the food, and the sommelier (French) was clearly a master of his art. The decor is stylish and quietly modern. All in all, a wonderful meal and Stephen Bull must be happy that his old premises lives on and still offers food of a gloriously high standard that’s also mindful of the changing seasons. Next time, I'll pay the bill myself – with pleasure!

Despit being quiet at lunch – at least on the early weekday we went, and I suspect most lunchtimes – standards are high and bright intense flavours are complemented by exciting executions. Open ravioli of confit pork, ragout of white beans, Jerusalem artichoke and horseradish foam is a complex and masterful starter, deliciously textural and packed with flavour. Asparagus, mushroom and tarragon beignets, mushroom vinaigrette, red mustard leaves looked strikingly pretty and was, according to my guest, a riot of taste too. Pan-fried cod with crushed potatoes and baby carrots, with a carrot and star anise pureé and tarragon sauce was again pretty as a picture and another assault on the taste buds, the sweetness of the carrot offsetting the savoury elements of the fresh, fleshy cod and the earthiness of the potatoes.
Strawberry and macadamia nut crumble, strawberry sorbet, basil ice cream struck a comparatively low note (a pass rather than distinction) but my friend’s mascarpone pud saw the kitchen right back on track. Budget prices these are not, but the 2 and 3 course set lunch is a bargain at £18.95 and £22.50 respectively, with the added attraction of wines to match if desired.
The setting is a surprisingly simple brasserie-style room which engenders a relaxed, informal vibe.

Whilst the food is excellent this is sadly let down by poor service and at £80 per head i expect more

Went on business with a group of colleagues, whilst the food was top class- seasonal, excellent presentation and perfectly cooked, the service was very poor. A manager boardering on actually rude and staff who were not that attentive- strange since the restaurant was half empty. I really wanted to love it, but the service really lets ot down.

Was disappointed with the overall experience. Not quite a 1-star Michelin experience. The interiors and atmosphere is nothing special and while the staff at the reception were warm in welcoming us, the service staff looked quite indifferent when serving us. The menu is simple to choose from and this process can be quick. The food arrived quickly and was reasonably well presented – what waslacking was the intensity of flavors! I had the tomato-avo-mozarella starter (good) followed by wood pigeon (average – not really well cooked and lacking flavors). We asked for coffee at the end and when being served my cup of capucchino, the waitress accidentally spilt a little coffee in the saucer – she said “oops, i am so sorry” and went away! They would have brought back a clean cup of coffee even in a roadside diner leave alone a 1-start Michelin restaurant. Regrettably, that was the last emotion on my mind as I stepped out of the restaurant.

An email update arrived from Square Meal informing of a lunch offer. I telephoned the restaurant at once and booked lunch for today. Sadly the £20.90 lunch special of three courses does not operate on Fridays but there was the lunch menu at £20.95, having thought about this I said – ‘what the heck’ – and decided to blow the extra 5p, and how wise I was.
Friendly greeting, managed to get a better table than the one initially on offer and the tap water came pretty quickly in an old fashioned ‘pop’ bottle alike.
The lunch menu is a selection from two starters, two mains, one sweet desert and a selection of French and English Farmhouse cheeses, this latter carries a £4 supplement.
The restaurant appears to hold about 45 people who are split between three areas. Including the two of us there were eighteen in all with about six staff – nice ratio!
The reservation was for 1.00pm and we arrived at 12.55, we had ordered by 1.05pm all pretty quick.
My guest went for the starter of: Glazed Herefordshire Snails, Crushed Ratte Potatoes, White Bean and White Garlic Cream.
I went for the: Raviolo of Scallop and Monkfish, Cauliflower Puree, lightly Smoked Sabayon, Crispy Wild Rice.

For the main course we both went for the same thing: Pan fried Calves Liver, Shaved Morteaux Sausage, Garlic Pomme Puree, ‘Petit Pois a la Francaise’

All this was to be washed down with a charming little ‘house’ wine rejoicing in the name of Bourgogne, Roncevie, Domaine Arlaud, it was really good wine and complemented the food beautifully.

It was the manager/ maitre d' who had taken our order and he was back again with the sad news that he had ‘sold’ the last of the Raviolo. There was only one other possibility, suddenly it was snail-time.

since L'Autre Pied is a French Restaurant I got into character by feeling suitably ‘desolated’ by the fact that the starter that I had wanted had been sold to another. My facial expression told all, ennui shot through with a modicum of confusion, no one could have cared less!

Moving on.
At 1.25pm the starter suddenly arrived. In order to keep us entertained during the slightly too long waiting time we had about six rounds of the various breads and buns on offer from one of the utterly charming waitresses. This massive consumption of bread was in fact everything to do with the fact that there cannot be any better bread in the whole of Britain, eat your heart out Poulenc!

The snail starter was green in colour, the sort of green that exists only in dreams andnot in day to day experience. It was an incredibly good dish, well cooked and tasted delicious – bravo! personally I am not that into garlic, thoughfor medical

The plates were cleared and after ten minutes or so, our lady of the bread was back again.

After half an hour or so I asked the manager/maitre d' if everything was okay in the kitchen,.Had the chef fallen ill or something? I was told that not only was the chef well and nothing had gone wrong, further, the chef was so happy that he was beaming from ear to ear.

Two minutes later the calves liver arrived.

We didn't do pudding – White Chocolate Mousse with Passionfruit Ice Cream, nor the cheese and coffee, there just was not the time.

This is a gem of a restaurant.

Wowee!

We all know what calve's liver is like don't we?

Wrong!
We do not!

The whole meal came to £70 for two, the wine was not cheap hence the slightly higher than expected total.

I reckon that all in all the cooking was better than Le Gavroche – please see my recent review – and it was very much cheaper to boot!

Great stuff and many congratulations to them.

I intend to return very soon, before entering the restaurant I intend to have gone to Daunt Books on the High Street and have found something to read between courses!

I treated my boyfriend to this one Michelin star restaurant as a celebration to his new job. As I devour my morning muesli, I ponder fondly on the dinner just the night before.

I had roasted breast of quail served in herb broth for my starter, roasted halibut with smoked sabayon, and white chocolate tart with fun blueberry cannelloni wrapped around lemon curd ice cream. We also had quail egg amuse-bouche, courtesy of the chef. By the time the dessert was served, both my boyfriend and I were in seventh heaven.

Thank you for such a sensational evening, L'Autre Pied! You've found a repeat patron in me!