Don't judge a book by its cover...

Tonight' we headed to the 1  Michelin starred L'autre Pied to celebrate a friends birthday.  Having very high expectations of this place, I was initially rather underwhelmed by its outdated and simplistic interiors. 

This  however was very short lived as the engaging staff and attentive service set the tone for what was to become fantastic evening of culinarily opulence.

The amuse bouche of a lemon  infused youghurt foam with cucumber and puffed wild rice was delightful. 

 Heritage Tomato Salad 2016", Olive crumbs, goats curd and pesto perfectly paired with a Rosade Furlane Bianco Venturin a crisp exotic blend of Friulano, Gewürztraminer, Sauvignon Blanc and Riesling that comes together very well.

The second course of poached cod, brown shrimp with butter lettuce and a sourdough crumb, its powerful aroma overwhelms your senses begging you to dive straight in, again a perfect pairing by the talented young sommelier this time In the form of a green, floral yet fruity Kaiken  tennoir series torrentes. 

The third course of Roast Gressingham Duck, Crushed Celery, Walnuts, Brown sauce which was rich and complemented the tender bird, beautiful matched with a fruity Spanish red Bioca Mencia a complex mix of mencia, Tempranillo and Garnacha Tintoreta with dark fruity notes. 

Course 4 was the cheese course which  consisted of a blue cheese and a hard cheese, not as beautifully presented and certainly my least favourite however combined with the fantastic South African red Babylon's Peak Shiraz Carignan soon had my pallete excited and intrigued.

Pre dessert,  a texture of raspberries, raspberry cream,meringue and vanilla ice cream set the tone for the moorish final dessert of the evening. 

A decadent Blueberry and Lemon Cheesecake with Blueberry Yoghurt Sorbet perfectly balanced by a rather charming Chenin blanc based dessert wine from France Coteaux du Layon Vieilles Vignes with hints of baked apples, quince and pineapple.

 Next up was a double shot Macchiato accompanied by petit fours, the fudge was a tad too sweet for me but the delicate sponge cake went down a treat. 

Attentive yet non obtrusive service, a knowledgeable sommelier and an excellent team make this place special. 

The head chef Martin Major should at this point take a bow for the fantastic food that came out of his kitchen this evening, beautifully plated, flavoured and faultless. 

What's that old saying, yes never judge a book by its cover, forget the outdated decor as the food speaks for itself. 

The damage 

The contact details