Terroirs

We had a lovely meal. Sharing plates, The smoked eel was excellent and the Burrata. The atmosphere was buzzy and lively and the service was very good. An enjoyable pre theatre meal. I recommend this restaurant, and will return when we have more time to spend over our meal!

If you order anything, order the charcuterie board and the snails!

A very varied and adventurous menu, which didn't disappoint. An extremely knowledgeable waiter on both the food and the wine. The wine we had was so good I have looked it up and bought a case today. One caveat is it is a noisy, bustling and quite frenetic restaurant, which is great if that's what you are looking for, perhaps not if something more low key. That being said, it is a very fun atmosphere, and downstairs is far more subdued when open.

As a regular visitor to Terroir and it's sister restaurant Soif, I came expecting a treat and the food was excellent as always. However the whole meal was tainted by some horrific wine. We ordered a Gavi, which one would expect to be light, crisp refreshing and zesty with some minerality. What we got was a extremely sour, oxidised and rather unpleasant wine. The staff member assured us this was a special style of Gavi which was supposed to be oxidised and a very different colour from normal Gavi. He even mentioned malolactic fermentation as a reason for why it tasted as it did, though I was under the impression that ML fermentation normally removed some of the sour taste and introduced a more buttery taste. A real shame as this has been one of my favourite restaurants but it will take a while before the taste of the awful Gavi disappears and I am tempted to visit again.

We are blessed in London with access to one of the most diverse choice of cuisines in the world. Every now and then however one yearns for the well trodden track of delicacies to be found on the menu of a french bistro. To sate this habitual craving I would go to one of a few trusted restaurants to avoid disappointment. Chez Elles on Brick Lane is very friendly with some fantastic dishes; The Bleeding Heart Bistro near Smithfields is perfect for sitting outside in the summer; Cafe du Marche in the same area is a bit more romantic, and finally you have Brasserie Chavot when you are ready to take it to the frontier of the meaning of Bistro with a Michelin starred experience. Every now and again though one must try something new and in this case for my partner and me it was Terroirs. We went late on a Friday which is probably always a risky time to eat anywhere. My partner started with the Rilletes which was OK but did not eke out anything more than a grunt, a verbal realistation of the gallic shrug. I had the Cantabrian Anchovies with shallots and was disappointed to see a set of anchovies that looked as if they had come out of a tin accompanied with slivers of the aforementioned allium and some toast. I was willing to forget this as a mistake due to ignorance on my part… For the main course I had the bavette (steak) with dauphinoise potatoes. Many may disagree with me but in my mind the French cuts of meat are far superior to the English ones. They are more tender and definitely lend to eating the meat rarer which is my preference. When I received my plate with 4 small pieces of meat I was thoroughly disappointed. The size was akin to something you would expect as part of a tasting menu rather than a main course at a bistro. The potatoes were adequate but I prefer far less cream. I can understand the reasoning (I surmise it is to give you something to mop up with the bread and the steak) but I would definitely have preferred a sauce as an accompaniment. Furthermore I asked if they had any seasonal vegetables as an accompaniment (something other than potatoes) and was told that the only option was a side salad. My partner's choice of Morteau Sausage, Puy Lentils, Ham Hock & Savoy Cabbage was nice to have on the menu but came over a bit salty with nothing to boost it above mediocrity. We played safe with dessert and took the chocolate pot and Creme Broulee. The former lived up to expectations. The latter had a wonderful custard but, for my taste, was let down by too thick a crust which meant it got too easily stuck between the teeth. In summary, this place was very average with nothing to make me want to go back. I will be sticking with my more frequented haunts for a while yet.

I visited Terroirs on a wet Friday evening in March after work. I had been looking for an informal but tasteful place to escape the elements and enjoy a glass of wine, with good but simple food, close to The National Gallery. Terroirs met all my expectations. It's the kind of place you could so easily walk past without giving it a second glance, and yet when you enter you realise you've discovered something special – a small piece of France just off Trafalgar Square, and importantly, seemingly undiscovered by tourists. Based on other reviews, and wanting somewhere slightly quieter to be able to talk, I chose to book a table in the basement, which was cosy, nicely lit, and not too crowded for a Friday night. The restaurant has a real French vibe (at least to my mind) and is beautifully rustic, with exposed brickwork and little touches to the decor like an old fashioned record player. With some assistance from a very helpful French waiter, we chose to share the charcuterie (duck rillettes, pork and pistachio terrine, and salami), paprika braised chickpeas, Lincolnshire smoked eel – and selected an excellent but affordable Sauvignon Blanc. All were delicious but I have to single out the duck rillettes, which melted in the mouth. I was pleased to see the eel had come from Lincolnshire, partly because that was my friend's home county (they didn't know each other), but mostly because it set the tone for the whole menu – although the style of food is Parisian tapas, many of the ingredients were best of British. The rhubarb tarte fine was the perfect light dessert and even got the approval of the person with a self-confessed sweet tooth sat opposite me. I debated whether or not to write this review. Terroirs is the kind of place that once discovered you want to keep to yourself. Ultimately though, with so much competition around, restaurants need to stay popular to survive and I wanted to spread the word. I doubt anyone could be disappointed by this French idyll in the heart of London. Highly recommended.

I am full of plaudits for Terroirs. A group of five of us had a table in the corner downstairs last night and from my vantage point in the very corner I was able to look out at the whole restuarant. Unsurprisigly, every table was taken, but – as trivial as this may sound – everyone appeared to be enjoying themselves. Despite how full the place was, the waiting staff seemed both relaxed and efficient and this compelling combination seemed to be having the desired effect on the clientele. Clearly the food and wine undoubtedly helped too. In a nutshell, Terroirs succeeds in creating an atmosphere that many others should seek to emulate: superb home-cooking/ comfort foods in a wonderful setting, how I would like (a much larger version of) my kitchen/house to be. In terms of the food, our table sampled four different starters, as diverse as oysters (simple yet effective) to raw steak (well-presented on a board with pickles), all of which met with success. For the main, the majority of the table went for the rabbit leg with flagelot beans, presented to us in a dish where we served ourselves at the table – a nice idea – and perfect for a wet December evening. The cheeses with which we concluded were also excellent, served at the right (room) temperature and beautifully ripe. The wine list is also an absolute joy, full of undiscovered gems, particularly from France. Although potentially bewildering to the uninitiated – there are no ‘brand names’ here – the result is that the discovery of new wines is that much more satisfying. We enjoyed a Muscadet from the Loire and then a red blend from the Gard (in the Languedoc, but quite similar to Rhone in terms of style). Many of the wines are available in 500ml carafes, increasing one's options. To round it all of, Terroirs is priced very fairly too, all the more reason to return again soon.

Terroirs is a very good restaurant with a great concept. The small-dish approach really works for once and it is the kind of place where (uncharacteristically, for its Trafalgar Square location) everything seems possible. The wine list is inspired and the food is very nice and perfectly balanced. As promised, this is a rather rustic experience but all the more endearing. A well desereved thumbs up!

Fabulous lunch venue when you're not sure what to eat… enjoy lots of small plates to share with a good bottle of wine!

The best wine bar in London! The downstairs area is very relaxed yet intimate and is a great place to spend the evening. The bar staff are all very knowledgable and the wines and food are reasonably priced. Nothing negative to say about Terroirs! Top place!