Pied à Terre

Pied à Terre is a relative veteran by London restaurant standards (so many open and close in the blink of an eye), but owner David Moore has managed to ensure this 30-year-old institution feels in no way obsolete. Sure, the dining room has all the hallmarks of old-school Michelin fine dining - starched white tablecloths, richly decorated interiors and fellow diners speaking in hushed tones – but a contemporary playlist and a gregarious welcome puts diners at ease the moment they step through the door.

Every menu exceeds the £100 mark, so you may as well opt for one of the tasters – either eight (£120) or 10 courses (£150) - for the full experience. Executive chef Asimakis Chaniotis’ dishes are intricate, multi-layered and distil classic flavours into genuinely fun and surprising ideas. One of our favourites saw seabass treated in two brilliant ways - a plump, perfectly cooked fillet perched atop two crisp spring rolls stuffed with the belly of the fish – then immersed in a verdant samphire and dill sauce. Sublime.

Some dishes are designed to challenge the diner, like beef boudin paired with chilli oil and apple cider vinegar, while others aim to soothe. Pink venison with buttery confit potato, smooth pomme puree, chanterelles and a meaty, viscose sauce catered to the latter and scored a perfect 10/10. A savoury millefeuille layered with brie and golden sheets of puff pastry was a little dry and needed more of the quince jelly to counteract the cloying richness of cheese on pastry. Still, a tastebud-tingling palate cleanser featuring Cox apple sorbet did the job instead, and was closely followed by a sensational dessert; chocolate cremeux layered with notes of pear and hazelnut, then finished with earthy chestnut ice cream and a crisp tuille.

We recommend leaving the wine up to the sommelier, who confidently picked out a delicious white from the Loire bursting with depth and minerality. All in all, Pied à Terre’s enduring legacy is well and truly intact today, and if you have £120 to spare, you won’t go far wrong spending it here.

Founded in 1991, Pied a Terre in Fitzrovia is the longest standing independent Michelin restaurant in the UK, serving French cuisine with a subtle nod to head chef Asimakis Chaniotis's Greek heritage. It’s owned and run by David Moore, who previously worked at Le Manoir Quat’Saisons with Raymond Blanc for six years before opening his own restaurant. Pied a Terre received a Michelin star within its first year of opening. Meanwhile, executive chef Asimakis Chaniotis is in charge of the menu where he blends classic French cuisine with a subtle nod to his Greek heritage.  

Guests can choose to dine a la carte, or opt for eight or ten-course tasting menus. There is also a fixed lunch tasting menu, as well as vegetarian and vegan options available so that everyone is catered for. The plates are elegant and expertly fuse French and Greek influences and cuisines. Examples of dishes range between things like ‘Ionian Sea’ marinated sardines with mustard seeds, fennel, ouzo and marine phytoplankton, to Asimakis' smoked quail with celeriac, confit egg yolk, piedmont hazelnuts and winter truffle. While vegan dishes include the likes of delica pumpkin, bergamot, shiitake and kombu tea and ‘caviar’. For dessert, Asimakis' nod to French cooking really shines through via pain d’epice mille feuille, rum mousse, milk chocolate namelaka, pineapple and chilli.   

Meanwhile, a word for the wines, of which there are a staggering 800 varieties available and all are sourced from the finest producers. If an 800-strong list is a little too daunting to choose from, you will find expert sommeliers on hand to answer any questions and offer advice when it comes to the perfect pairing with your meal. There is also a wine pairing available with each of the tasting menus or, if preferred, guests are able to bring their own wine to the restaurant for a corkage fee.  

The dining room itself is decorated in dark colours, from charcoal walls to black leather booth seating, to create a unique and moody feel. The intimate restaurant is a cosy affair, so as to ensure every diner receives the best experience possible.