Truc Vert, London

Long overdue on many reviews, really cannot keep up with the amount of places that I dine at. One Sunday lunchtime, I found myself at the very quiet end of Mayfair, in a little café/deli. Truc Vert, named after a beach in France with a style of local fishermen's huts (seriously, that what it says on their website).

It's open for breakfast, lunch and dinner with a fantastic value of prix fixe menu. The café itself is nothing remarkable, very rustic decor and a small deli at the front.

Bread Selections

Cheese & charcuterie plate

French Onion Soup with cheese Garlic croûton

For starters, we ordered a lot. Bread was a bit dry and the butter was very hard. Cheese and charcuterie plate was of fantastic quality.  Cheese of Fourme d'Ambert, Brie de Meaux, Sainte-Maure de Touraine, Morbier. The Brie is to die for. Cured meats included of bresaola, chorizo, saucisson sec and capicola. I especially enjoyed the capicola and the chorizo was quite spicy. My knowledge of French onion soup is minimal, I don't know whether this is a good onion soup or not. It was tasty and the onion was very sweet. 

Grilled Toulouse Sausages with bubble & squeak, French bean & rich red wine jus

Truc Vert Wagyu Beef Burger with Lettuce, tomato, pickle, chutney & chips 

and when the burger is stacked together...

I was greedy for ordering the large cheese and charcuterie plate and felt quite full before the main arrived. The Toulouse sausages was salty on its own but with the bubble and squeak it mellowed that saltiness. Somehow the taste of the sausage reminds me of chinese sausage "lap cheong" and the accompanying French beans was cooked perfectly with a crunch. The burger pattie was huge, cooked medium rare and when stacked together it was very difficult to eat. It is not the best burger and chips, not particularly bad either but definitely not on par with specialised burger places and I'm not talking about fast food.

I feel bad for unable to empty the plate, I'm not trying to waste food but we were seriously full and the portion is actually quite big. Overall, the food is not spectacular but they do fantastic cheese and charcuteries. Service was friendly and the whole place feels very cozy and easy going. I definitely would come back to have a browse at their deli next time.

Score Rating: 3/5

Price: £20-30/head

I was invited to review Truc Vert




http://www.trucvert.co.uk/

L'Autre Pied, London

Usually I feel sceptical when buying a deal from groupon or similar sort of website. Many reasons why a restaurant would put a deal on such website is the inability to fill tables. What I worried more is the standard of food, is it going to be good? I saw another food blogger recommending this deal on Twitter, 7 course tasting menu at the Michelin starred restaurant L'Autre Pied for 50% off. Seeing that it has good reviews and the thrill of dining at a Michelin restaurant, without hesitation the deal was purchased

Tasting Menu

Kitchen lead by head chef Andy McFadden, an immensely talented chef and the show of the night was the tasting menu. After some argumentation with Mr T we opted to share one wine paring. Half a glass of wine each with each courses, at least with this minimal of wine we sure will not get drunk.

Onion Brioche

Baguette

The generosity of bread given between each courses with the onion brioche being pleasingly good. Fresh out of the oven and as soft as clouds.

Amuse Bouche - beetroot meringues

Amuse Bouche - Jerusalem artichoke mousse

Amuse bouche proceeded shortly after being seated with the arrival of beetroot meringues followed by a Jerusalem artichoke mousse which was unbelievably light with a snowy like texture on top. What a way to begin the artistic presentation of the brilliancy of food.

Salad of Radishes with Black Quinoa, Crème Fraîche, Fennel, Dill and Kaffir Lime

Cherchi "Billia" Vermentino di Sardegna, Sardinia, Italy 2013

The presentation really draws you in with the fresh, clean and crisp of radishes whilst the quinoa gave texture to the dish and flavour coming through from the fennel and dill. The wine also works wonderfully between each mouthful.

Flamed Grilled Mackerel with Cucumber and Horseradish

Domaine Bruno Sorg Sylvaner Vieilles Vignes, Alsace, France 2013

Poached Cod with Brassicas and Ruby Grapefruit.

Ken Forrester Old Vine Reserve Chenin Blanc, Stellenbosch, South Africe 2013

Two fish courses soon followed. The grilled mackerel was heavenly, cooked to perfection. Skin was crispy and the meat just flakes off paired with cucumber which doesn't overpower the oily fish and the powered horseradish acted like a sauce. Cod cooked very simple without the need to over complicating such a delicate fish, worked well with the texture of brassicas (broccoli, romanesco and cauliflower) but perhaps too simple to become uninteresting.

Fallow Deer with Beetroot, Cocoa and Peanuts

Built & Giné "Giné Giné" Priorat DOQa, Spain 2012

Food does not stop here with the fifth course of deer, pink in the middle and slightly caramelised around the edge is deep with game flavour (more gamey than venison). Meat is very tender from the slow cooking of sous vide. Beetroot added a note of sweetness and the cocoa and peanut crumbles giving another dimension to the dish. The black pudding was intensively flavoursome and matched with the deer.

Pre Dessert - apple foam, apple granita, honeycomb and pistachio

Coconut Rice Pudding with Sweet Cheese, Sake and Lime

Domaine Philippe Delesvaux Coteaux Du Layon Saint-Aubin, Loire, France 2012

Petit Four - rum truffle and grapefruit jelly

It's not a meal without a second stomach finished with sweets. A pre-dessert of apple foam, apple granita, honeycomb and pistachio acted as a palate cleanser, incredibly refreshing. Finishing on a high note of coconut rice pudding, usually I prefer my rice pudding to be hot but this was light and bursting with coconut flavour. Give me a plateful any day, I will happily eat it.

The sommelier did a fantastic job with the wine, blind tasting and introducing lesser known region of wine only after each course; making the experience memorable. The wine pairings really do complement the dishes. The highlight was the Vermentino from Sardina, Italy.

The service was attentive and easy going, instantly feeling relax. Staffs was knowledgeable, ended the meal with pot of Darjeeling tea and even went the extra mile of showing the tea caddy to us (I'm always intrigued by the tea I'm drinking, needing to know what and where). Tea leaves from Rare Tea Company but lacking the deep aroma. Décor seems a bit run down, missing the spark compared to other Michelin starred restaurants. In turn, this allows the food to take centre stage without distraction. It may seem that a seven course meal is a tad too much but the portion size was just perfect.

As mentioned before, I dined here through 50% off a seven course tasting menu for two and it was bought through Amazon. Equally, Groupon does this deal occasionally too.  I do applause L'Autre Pied for making the price more accessible to more people without lessening the quality.

Score Rating: 3.5/5
Price: £62 without service/head (additional £38 for wine pairing)




http://www.lautrepied.co.uk/