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Is Pied a terre going down?


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During the past year I have been told some very surprising comments that Restaurant Pied a Terre is dropping in its quality. Some say it’s the weakest 2* in London and some suggestion has been it will be deducted the second star.

I my self love Chef Osborn style of cooking, saying that i also heard he is not in the kitchen much nowadays...

Egullet True or False?

I hope the reports I have heard is WRONG and that the Egullet can confirm its success is still going

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Had a fantastic tasting menu there a couple of months ago.  Ranked as one of the best I've had in recent years; great and interesting wine matches too.

i ate there not too long back with chefs from the same level as pt and had great meal and fantastic service so id say not in my humble opinion, it is fair to say the cookery is on the safer side of modern cuisine, dishes are mostly built on well known and tried combinations on the plates.

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During the past year I have been told some very surprising comments that Restaurant Pied a Terre is dropping in its quality. Some say it’s the weakest 2* in London and some suggestion has been it will be deducted the second star.

I my self love Chef Osborn style of cooking, saying that i also heard he is not in the kitchen much nowadays...

Egullet True or False?

I hope the reports I have heard is WRONG and that the Egullet can confirm its success is still going

the real question is, "will pied-a-terre be going up"

I ate there last week and it is was the most amazing meal. Seldom do i find a meal so faultless, it must be a contender for 3 stars, it is the strongest of the two star restaurants

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During the past year I have been told some very surprising comments that Restaurant Pied a Terre is dropping in its quality. Some say it’s the weakest 2* in London and some suggestion has been it will be deducted the second star.

I my self love Chef Osborn style of cooking, saying that i also heard he is not in the kitchen much nowadays...

Egullet True or False?

I hope the reports I have heard is WRONG and that the Egullet can confirm its success is still going

the real question is, "will pied-a-terre be going up"

I ate there last week and it is was the most amazing meal. Seldom do i find a meal so faultless, it must be a contender for 3 stars, it is the strongest of the two star restaurants

they themselves know they cannot get 3 stars. not that the food could not achieve such heights, but that they are too limited in front of house. not enough space, and can't get that right enough. they took out something like 15 seats during the big makeover to try and make up for some of it, but it will always be a problem.

unless your Arbutus or Wild Honey, Michelin cares heavily about FOH.

A meal without wine is... well, erm, what is that like?

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During the past year I have been told some very surprising comments that Restaurant Pied a Terre is dropping in its quality. Some say it’s the weakest 2* in London and some suggestion has been it will be deducted the second star.

I my self love Chef Osborn style of cooking, saying that i also heard he is not in the kitchen much nowadays...

Egullet True or False?

I hope the reports I have heard is WRONG and that the Egullet can confirm its success is still going

the real question is, "will pied-a-terre be going up"

I ate there last week and it is was the most amazing meal. Seldom do i find a meal so faultless, it must be a contender for 3 stars, it is the strongest of the two star restaurants

Perfect, I am pleased, Egullet seems to agree.

So you would agrue its stronger then Petrus. Sqaure for sure, Capital ...Close in my opinion. And regarding the space I dont think its smaller and more cramped then RHR or Fat Duck. Its not that tight, and the FOH has always been very strong when I have been for dinner, would not fault the service or food.

But 3 stars.. why not!

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During the past year I have been told some very surprising comments that Restaurant Pied a Terre is dropping in its quality. Some say it’s the weakest 2* in London and some suggestion has been it will be deducted the second star.

I my self love Chef Osborn style of cooking, saying that i also heard he is not in the kitchen much nowadays...

Egullet True or False?

I hope the reports I have heard is WRONG and that the Egullet can confirm its success is still going

the real question is, "will pied-a-terre be going up"

I ate there last week and it is was the most amazing meal. Seldom do i find a meal so faultless, it must be a contender for 3 stars, it is the strongest of the two star restaurants

Perfect, I am pleased, Egullet seems to agree.

So you would agrue its stronger then Petrus. Sqaure for sure, Capital ...Close in my opinion. And regarding the space I dont think its smaller and more cramped then RHR or Fat Duck. Its not that tight, and the FOH has always been very strong when I have been for dinner, would not fault the service or food.

But 3 stars.. why not!

the comments about FOH come direct from the restaurant themselves.

A meal without wine is... well, erm, what is that like?

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During the past year I have been told some very surprising comments that Restaurant Pied a Terre is dropping in its quality. Some say it’s the weakest 2* in London and some suggestion has been it will be deducted the second star.

I my self love Chef Osborn style of cooking, saying that i also heard he is not in the kitchen much nowadays...

Egullet True or False?

I hope the reports I have heard is WRONG and that the Egullet can confirm its success is still going

You have repeated specific allegations in public that a) the chef isn't in the kitchen much nowadays, and b) it has been suggested by persons unknown that the restaurant will lose a star.

It occurs to me that if these were untrue they are potentially libellous, given they are clearly defamatory to both the chef and his business. The current economic situation is difficult for any fine dining establishment. Hearsay comments that standards could significantly impact trading.

Could you please substantiate these comments. Do you have any evidence the chef isn't in the kitchen much? Could you clarify who thinks it might lose a star and why?

I suspect a little clarity is the least Shane Osborn deserves. Im sure if there are specific problems you can point to the restaurant will be very welcome to hear constructive feedback.

J

More Cookbooks than Sense - my new Cookbook blog!
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  • 2 weeks later...

Dear Jon,

You are missing my point, As i have an intressest in london Dining and so has my friends who go out and experience many resturants some work in the industry some dont, however when we talk we rate resturant like any other human being , in these discussions Pied a terre has been discussed my self and some of what i call my friends highly enjoys PAT and some has stated thiere beleife that its the weakest 2 star my opinon is NO way and some tips it for losing its 2nd star, only thire own opinoin no secret little info etc... Its just a few of my friends suggestion nothing more, I thought Egullet would be a good place to see if this is what people thinks,

So I wrote aswell

I hope the reports I have heard is WRONG and that the Egullet can confirm its success is still going

I agree that the topic name is a little bit doom and Gloom with a headline taken from THE SUN, however thats common practice to use a DISASTER headline, it generates more readers...

See below some comments on the Egullet

This is what Corinna Dunne writes about GORDON RAMSAY

Edited by Robot Coupe (log)
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just to clarify, this is not some crusade against le gavroche, ( i am aware we should probably be on the le gavroche thread, although i will mention pied a terre in a sec!) it is one of my favourite restaurants when on form. it is a restaurant with soul, when i eat at pied a terre or petrus i find it very hard to fault but come away quite flat emotionally, technically excellent food but lacking the deep understanding of natural hospitality, le gavroche has this in spades, no showing off just good food and good service in surroundings that are comfortable but don't command your attention for more than a fleeting second. but the cooking is not consistent enough for two stars, imho.

I am not sure this makes sense, i had to try to mention pied a terre to keep on topic! to sum up, i like le gavroche and all it stands for (except the prices, but then if you have punters who will pay then you can charge what you like)

Matt Christmas.

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I'll take your word on the inconsistency. I don't unfortunately visit often enough to have experienced it.

A very nice piece from AA Gill this morning-'The star system has created exactly the opposite effect to the one intended. It has encouraged restaurant food to be snobby, twee, hagiographic, meritlessly elitist, uncomfortable and bereft of any human emotion that is desirable or attractive'.

Regrettably he's absolutely right. The current London restaurant scene is simply unutterably tedious and depressing.

Edited by muichoi (log)
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I'll take your word on the inconsistency. I don't unfortunately visit often enough to have experienced it.

                      A very nice piece from AA Gill this morning-'The star system has created exactly the opposite effect to the one intended. It has encouraged restaurant food to be snobby, twee, hagiographic, meritlessly elitist, uncomfortable and bereft of any human emotion that is desirable or attractive'.

  Regrettably he's absolutely right. The current London restaurant scene is simply unutterably tedious and depressing.

He also has a pop at us - "Let me tell you: the opinions of the sort of people who’ve got the time and inclination to write to papers and publishers simply for the pleasure of the sound of their own pursed and sanctimonious prose are a peculiarly weird and onanistically myopic little troop."

I couldn't link the rant against guides etc with the review. I find reviews like this enjoyable to read, but I rarely rely on them to help me choose a restaurant. I am past trying to differentiate "the good story" from an accurate review.

If I was a professional reviewer, who ate out all the time (at my employers expense) a guide would add little value. But when spending my own money I like to have some clues. I also don't believe many of us naively use just one source of information: a guide is simply one of the inputs, which I weight accordingly.

Does Michelin really drive restaurants to a singular type of food? Or is this a "chicken and egg" discussion i.e. does restaurant cooking follow a trend which the guides then reflect, or do the guides create the trends, which chefs then replicate in the hope of recognition? To me it is the former, an example would be St John/The Eagle and the trend towards British food. Another trend is the "molecular" style of Adria and Blumnthal. Did the guides create the trends or simple reflect them?

Part of the problem in the UK is the general lack of quality across the restaurant scene. The number of starred restaurants is quite low compared to the total number of places, and non-starred places can be a real lottery. I would argue that this creates quite a small homogeneous sample size. In other countries France or Spain for example have much greater depth and breadth of quality and therefore get a greater variety in the same rating system.

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I'll take your word on the inconsistency. I don't unfortunately visit often enough to have experienced it.

                      A very nice piece from AA Gill this morning-'The star system has created exactly the opposite effect to the one intended. It has encouraged restaurant food to be snobby, twee, hagiographic, meritlessly elitist, uncomfortable and bereft of any human emotion that is desirable or attractive'.

  Regrettably he's absolutely right. The current London restaurant scene is simply unutterably tedious and depressing.

I respectfully disagree. As a student, I can afford and feel comfortable in * (Arbutus, Foliage) and ** (PAT, Gavroche) dining here (and even *** if I could actually get a table!), but cannot in Paris (e.g. Le Bristol). This may be the market in action - Paris has no shortage of cheaper but still delicious and original places, whereas London has Cafe Rouge and Chez Gerard (with the odd exception).

Could also be the quality of a macaroon in the respective countries (I'll stop right there before we have a heated argument :raz: ). Similarly, one of my dining partners at Foliage last night (a "posh" location if there is one!) was perfectly comfortable wearing an untucked polo shirt and jeans, whereas in Vienna I got strange looks from immaculately dressed Austrians for not wearing a tie. Anecdotal evidence indeed, but so far not disproved. I remember an article in the Figaro last year which agreed with me - the author found Brits laughing drunkenly at St John, a baffling clash with established French fine dining etiquette - how could they possibly be having fun!

(as an aside, I wonder why * and ** here charge so little compared to their French counterparts, considering London's main industry and its players...)

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Nothing to do with the prices, Roger, which are often very reasonable at lunch. It's the yawn-making similarity of technique and seeming search for 'innovation' which goes down the same route at every establishment. I think I've had enough. What Paris has is quite a lot of places which have some culture, which we don't in London. There is the St. John school, which has reinvented a vernacular that never actually existed but can be fun.

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