Contributed by Carole Chung

Pied à Terre
34 Charlotte Street
London W1T 2NH
020 7636 1178

Pied à Terre’s narrow, understated premises makes it difficult to find, as it blends in with many other restaurants and design studios on the street. When you plan an evening at Pied à Terre you might be looking forward to the modern, stylized French cuisine of Shane Osborn, Australia’s first Michelin decorated chef; what you might not have anticipated is the best value menu of this standard in the city.
There are two dining rooms downstairs, with tables set far enough apart and some comfortable banquettes in the back one, with the bar and another private room above.
A couple of extraordinary dishes: deep-fried snails bathed in a feather-light batter; best end of lamb was slow cooked by the sous vide method and literally melted in the mouth.
Service is good while not being overbearing.
The restaurant has an excellent wine list and a few unexpected wines by the glass to pair with all the dishes.