L'Autre Pied

Restaurateur David Moore’s Pied Group of fine London restaurants – which includes pop-up joint Pieds Nus, Marylebone’s L'Autre Pied and the restaurant’s elder sister Pied à Terre in Fitzrovia – is one successful, happy family. Moore regularly promotes bright young chefs from one kitchen to another, taking Michelin-starred (at age 27) Marcus Eaves, for instance, out from under the mentorship of Shane Osborn at L'Autre Pied to head up operations at Pied à Terre. The family tradition continues, with chef Andy McFadden taking the reins at L'Autre Pied after being mentored by the masters in Pied à Terre. Genealogically confused? No matter, it all means that this Blandford Street restaurant offers some of the highest quality, Michelin-starred French-style you’re likely to enjoy in London.

As with David Moore's other restaurants, the first impression granted diners at Marylebone's L'Autre Pied is that of artful refinement. The main restaurant, with slightly more capacity than its sister, is decorated by fine art prints from the likes of Richard Hamilton, Henry Moore, and Henri Matisse. The understated, chic decor of L'Autre Pied's Blandford Street venue belies, however, the exuberance of the dishes represented by L'Autre Pied's regularly changed and seasonally-influenced menus. Lunch and pre-theatre menus - fit for London's West End - allow diners to indulge in 2 or 3 courses selected from L'Autre Pied's starters, mains, and desserts. Cornish crab, crisp pressed suckling pig and compressed watermelon with coconut and kaffir lime is just one possible itinerary.

It gets seriously gourmet down Blandford Street when you turn to L'Autre Pied's a la carte offering, with starters such as ceviche and roast foie gras showcasing the kitchen's fresh, New World and traditional French culinary strengths respectively. Head straight to L'Autre Pied's recommended 7- and 9-course tasting menus, ideal if you are committed to a thorough exploration of this restaurant's abilities. A luxury London Sunday lunch is also catered for at L'Autre Pied, and one must remember to match whatever you choose with a recommended wine from L'Autre Pied's extensive cellar. L'Autre Pied, in London's fashionable Marylebone, is not only an incredible addition to Group Pied, but an essential and rightfully recognised fixture in London's fine dining scene.