Pied à Terre (restaurant)
| Pied à Terre | |
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Pied à Terre, photographed in 2009 | |
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| Restaurant information | |
| Established | 1991 |
| Current owner(s) | David Moore |
| Chef | Andy McFadden |
| Street address | 34 Charlotte Street |
| City | London |
| State | UK |
| Postal code/ZIP | W1T 2NH |
| Coordinates | 51°31′8.5″N 0°8′7″W / 51.519028°N 0.13528°WCoordinates: 51°31′8.5″N 0°8′7″W / 51.519028°N 0.13528°W |
| Website | www.pied-a-terre.co.uk |
Pied à Terre is a Michelin starred French restaurant in the Fitzrovia district of central London.
The restaurant is co-owned by David Moore who has been involved since the restaurant first opened its doors in 1991, with Andy McFadden as head chef. The restaurant caters for business and leisure diners and is open every day except Saturday lunchtime and Sunday, when its sister restaurant, L'Autre Pied is open. Moore has had key roles or contributed to television programmes such as BBC’s The Restaurant and Masterchef.
History
The opening on 16 December 1991 by part owner David Moore and head chef Richard Neat, saw the restaurant achieve Michelin star status after just thirteen months and then went onto double them in January 1996. When it was time for Neat to move on, Tom Aikens stepped into the limelight and retained the two stars until 2000. After Aikens’ departure in December 1999, his own sous chef Shane Osborn took over the top position in the kitchen and furthermore became part owner. In January 2000, the restaurant was of one star status. Marcus Eaves who was head chef at L'Autre Pied earned his first Michelin star at the age of 27, just 14 months after L'Autre Pied opened its doors, took over the reins from May 2011. The current head chef Andy McFadden also comes from within the Pied stable of chefs and moved over from L'Autre Pied in November 2015.
In November 2004, a fire forced the closure of the restaurant for most of 2005 but it was re-opened on 26 September 2005.
Design
The restaurant seats 44 downstairs with the second floor private dining room accommodating a maximum of 13 diners which is often used for prestigious product launches and has played host to a tasting evening by Pierre Hermé, the French Chocolatier.
The cracked glass features which are found on every level of the restaurant are exclusively made by George Papadopoulos who creates a unique way of working with glass. The restaurant features four unique paintings by Clare Chapman, some of which feature in the main restaurant. In the bar on the first floor, where pre-dinner drinks are served, there are prints by the world-renowned pop artist, Sir Peter Blake, who is best known for his design of the sleeve for the Beatles' album Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band. Other notable artwork displayed throughout the restaurant include: various pieces by Richard Hamilton, an English born painter and collage artist and also a piece by Sir Howard Hodgkin. The distinctive glassware used on the tables were provided by Annie Morhauser of Annieglass.
Cuisine
Signature dishes have an emphasis on seasonal ingredients, which vary a great deal throughout the year. The notable wine list at Pied à Terre includes an extensive red wine, white wine and champagne collection from around the world. There is a sommelier onsite who recommends the correct wine to accompany the food being served.
A selection of recipes are revealed in David Moore's blog on a regular basis.
In spring 2010 Pied à Terre planted a rooftop herb garden with over 200 plants. These plants, herbs and edible flowers are now featured in the dishes prepared by the kitchen.[1]
The restaurant has recently gained quite a following amongst vegetarian diners since promoting its extensive menu from vegetarian à la carte menu to a 10 course vegetarian tasting menu as well as a vegan friendly menu.
Art at Pied à Terre
David Moore, owner of Pied à Terre, has a long-standing interest in contemporary art which is reflected in the artworks that hang on the walls at Pied à Terre. Artist in Restaurant allows Pied à Terre further to underline its support of contemporary art by offering a specially chosen artist the chance to exhibit to a select audience. The restaurant has long-standing relationships with many contemporary artists and displays a collection that includes works by Peter Blake, Richard Hamilton and Sir Howard Hodgkin. Each year the Committee selects one successful artist to be the Artist in Restaurant for a period of one month.
Awards
Awards and accolades include: Four Red Rosettes AA, 8/10 in the Good Food Guide, 29/30 in the Zagat ‘Readers Choice’ and Best Restaurant in the World 2007 as voted in the Top 50 Restauant Magazine. Also voted in the top 20 in the Hardens/Sunday Times UK Top One Hundred Restaurants in 2013.
See also
References
- ↑ "Kitchen gardens: a growing trend" The Sunday Times, 27 May 2010, retrieved on 3 August 2010
External links
- Official website
- Featured recipes from Shane BBC
- The Restaurant
- Masterchef