9th December 2007
New Marylebone Contender
L'Autre Pied, a stylish new addition to the Marylebone dining scene, is sister restaurant to the two-Michelin-starred Pied a Terre. We dined there one Friday evening with friends, and booking four weeks in advance we were only able to secure a table at 7pm. At the time of booking I was pleasantly surprised they did not mention anything about us having to vacate the table within a couple of hours, as is the expected norm with this type of restaurant.
We were greeted warmly, coats whisked away, and led to our small table for four. I looked longingly at the banquettes which appeared to be a bit more spacious, though they were set for larger groups that evening. Drinks were delivered quickly, along with olives and bread. Service continued to be friendly and efficient throughout our meal - though the constant topping up of water was irritating.
The wine list was very good - not the largest selection, but a good mix and reasonable prices. There were plenty of wines available by the glass and some by the 500ml carafe as well.
The Modern European menu had enough options to keep us all happy. Overall, food was very good, with a couple of standouts and a couple of not so successful combinations. To start, the Terrine of Beetroot, Goats Cheese Mousse and Balsamic jelly looked fabulous, but didn't quite live up to the hype, while the Slow cooked Monkfish Cheek, Oxtail Beignets and Cauliflower Cream was top class.
A main course of Steamed and Roasted Hare, Root Vegetable and Caramelised Garlic Puree was a popular choice at our table, and I thoroughly enjoyed the Gilt Head Bream, Salsify Puree and Rosemary Jus - it was a great combination of flavours.
The standout desserts were the Chocolate Mouse, Clementine’s Marmalade and Orange Ice Cream, and the Pain D'Epice Emulsion with Banana Ice Cream. Less successful was the Crushed Apple, Pistachio and Almond Crumble with Blackberry sorbet - the flavours didn't come together. While the presentation of the Warm Financier, Hazelnut Foam and Coffee Sorbet may have looked nice, it lessened the enjoyment of the dish, and the sorbet melted way too quickly.
After our meal we decided to stay and chat for a while, so ordered some more wine. Just as we were finishing it, we were informed that they needed our table - the time was now after 10pm and it turned out a couple had been having a drink at the bar since 9.30pm, waiting for us to leave. I was impressed that we had not been pressured to leave earlier, and that made our evening at L'Autre Pied all the more enjoyable.
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