L’Autre Pied
L’Autre
Pied
5-7 Blandford Street
London W1
Tel: 020 7486 9696
When reviewing a restaurant that
has been awarded a coveted and
prestigious Michelin star naturally
one’s expectations are immediately
raised. This is because in culinary
circles these are the equivalent
of the Olympic medals. In the kitchen
is Head Chef Marcus Eaves who trained
under Michelin starred Aussie chef
Shane Osborn at Pied a Terre which
is the better known sister restaurant
in Charlotte Street.
L’Autre Pied is situated
in just off Marylebone High Street.
A mere stone’s throw away
from the chaos of Oxford Street
but a world away in class and style
and a great place to people watch,
especially on a Saturday afternoon
when the small dogs and Louis Vuitton
brigade patrol the area in packs.
The restaurant’s interior
is welcoming with a buzzy vibe.
The décor is contempory
with subdued lighting and a minimalist
and pleasing airy environment.
Tables are a little too close together
which is one of my pet hates and
perhaps they could benefit diners
by removing a couple of them to
make everyone a little more comfortable
but that really was my only grumble
of the evening.
There are several menus to chose
between and of course an a la carte
section. However, if you are really
in the mood to push the boat out
may I suggest the seven course
tasting menu which at £52.00
a head strikes me as a relative
bargain.
We opted for the ‘Taste
of Spring’ menu which has
to be ordered by everyone on the
table. This is four courses and
priced again at what I considered
a very reasonable £42.50.
We began with a
wonderfully fresh white crab meat
starter served
with a splendid combination of
tastes in the form of an avocado
puree, tatziki mousse and a crispy
parmesan tuile wafer. The delicate
flavours mingling beautifully on
the palate, indeed like a fresh
taste of spring as the menu suggested.
With this we drank a glass of Austrian
Gruner Vetliner - a fresh and crisp
accompaniment. To follow we had
a plate of beautifully presented,
perfectly cooked pan-fried sea
bream, served with a buttery sauce,
asparagus spears, pea puree and
pink grapefruit. We had a glass
of richly flavoured white Burgundy,
Rully Vincent 2005. By special
request my guest had an extra course
of seared foie gras served with
artichoke and a glass of Vouvray ‘97
which with its slight sweetness
complemented superbly. A plate
of picture perfect well-flavoured
Cornish spring lamb came with glazed
baby carrots, pomme puree and thyme
jus and served with a glass of
silky smooth sensational Italian
red wine - Cave Di Barro Vallee
D‘Aoste 2004.
I have to comment at this point
that this meal was very well thought
as it was balanced with portions
being just the right size to avoid
overload. Thus allowing me enough
room to continue and finish with
the set menu pudding - a refreshing
citrus fruit bavarois served with
a blackcurrant sorbet. A choice
of two pudding wines were provided
to conclude our meal. A Spanish
Priorat ‘06 and a Italain
Vermentino Sardengna ‘05.
Our preference being for the latter
with its sweet orchid nose and
rich depth of flavours.
Overall we had a thoroughly enjoyable
evening. To summarise this is a
little gem of a restaurant and
if you stick to the set menus I
think you will leave, as I did,
feeling pleasantly sated and with
a bill that won’t break the
bank.
Louise Elgin. May 2009.
Taste of Spring 4 course menu £42.50
per guest.
Served with accompanying wines
+ £28.00pp
