Alastair Burgess (founder of world-famous bar Happiness Forgets) teams up with chef Chris Smith at this new French bistro in Hoxton Square – do they have a winner on their hands?
Happiness Forgets is one of London’s best bars – and this sweet, bijou French bistro is the latest enterprise from the same team.
Petit Pois is located in the premises above Happiness’s basement and overlooks Hoxton Square. It’s just the place to come and while away a few hours, pretending you’re in a leafy square in Paris: either inside, where the room sports bare-brick walls and wood-lined floors and ceilings, or outside on a small patio.
Hipsters fill the banquettes and give a fun buzz to the place. As you’d expect, the drinks are on point: a small list of cocktails (focusing on the aperitif side of things), a well-edited wine list and a few choice spirits.
A concise menu of French-leaning dishes (moules marinière, French onion soup, sole meunière) is offered for lunch and dinner, while small bites such as oysters and croque monsieur are available throughout the day. Our starter of beetroot, Bleu d’Auvergne, walnuts and horseradish arrives delicately assembled on a fluffy slice of toasted bread: the tang of the blue balanced with the sweet, mild horseradish. Earthy, soft black pudding is served with a perfectly poached egg and delightfully chewy, salty pancetta cubes in a light red-wine sauce.
To follow, duck confit is satisfyingly tender, falling off the bone under the crisp skin, and is offset with a sweet onion purée and pot of creamy, comforting gratin dauphinois – if you’re having a bad day, this dish will set everything right. For sweets, the dessert on everyone’s lips is the chocolate mousse; a huge dollop is served on your plate, spooned from a big bowl wielded by the waiter. It’s dark yet sweet, oh-so-light, and comes with a significant dusting of cocoa on top.
Like its vegetable namesake, Petit Pois is small yet well-rounded: a great addition to the Hoxton Square line-up.
Find out more and book a table at Petit Pois here
This article was published 1 July 2016