Visit La Garrigue, arguably the most authentic French restaurant in town and be transported into the Languedoc region of France. Enjoy the food, sample the 'Terroir wines' and the warm service. Winner 'Les Routiers Guide; Scottish restaurant of the year'.
Chez Pierre
- Food served: Mon–Sun noon–11pm
- Number of wines sold by the glass: 25
- Also offers: Gluten-free options, Children's portions, Children's high chairs, Wheelchair access
- Music on stereo: Nothing at all
- Capacity: 68
- Largest group: 68
- Open since: February 2008
- Average price 2 courses:
£6 (main & coffee served Mon–Sat) (set lunch)
£23 (evening meal) - House wine: £9.95 per bottle
This review appears in the The List's Eating & Drinking Guide 2008 – in the shops now or buy online.
Chez Pierre may be a recent addition to Edinburgh's restaurant scene, but the name will be familiar to seasoned Scottish diners. Co-owner and head chef Pierre Levicky was the entrepreneur behind the Pierre Victoire chain, which briefly flourished across the country before spectacularly collapsing a decade ago. His new venture is something of a departure from the traditional French bistro style of his former enterprise. While the traditional three-course route is encouraged, the lengthy menu offers patrons a wide selection of small, tapas-style dishes, ranging from meat and fish options to vegetarian. The label 'tiny playful dishes' is somewhat misleading, though, as the portions are more generous than you would expect from a Spanish tapas restaurant. So, choose sparingly and enjoy the care and attention to detail that has been applied to this cuisine. The soft flesh and crisp taste of baked oysters is complemented by fluffy scrambled egg with fresh chives. Of the meat dishes, fillet of beef arrives as small, tender strips accompanied by a crispy potato scone and sweet caramelised onion, while the tasty duck confit is served with buttery mash and fresh thyme. You may wish to offset all this indulgence with a leafy salad, and the heaped plate of char-grilled chicken and asparagus is a particular highlight. There's every chance this unassuming corner of the New Town – it's situated next door to Duck's at Le Marché Noir – will become a popular dining destination.
- High point: Battling your way through the mountain of food
- Low point: Realising how prohibitively large the dishes are
Comments
- 1. crewsaustin, Chez Pierre – 23 July 2008, 2:57pmReport
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I've eaten here twice and been pleasantly surprised both times. The first was for a light evening meal where my friend and I had a pair of light bites. The tempura was generous although a bit underdone in some areas. My friend enjoyed the lamb shanks. The second occasion was for lunch where we dined sumptuously on two of the daily specials: poached salmon and chicken with fresh tarragon. The starters for our two-course meal were stuffed pepper and minced pork balls. But wait! The price each was a mere £6 and we couldn't even consider dessert! Surely the best buy in Edinburgh.
- 2. DB, Chez Pierre - Eyre Place – 3 September 2008, 2:31pm
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This restaurant lacks atmosphere. It's over-lit, there are too many hard surfaces and the dining is in one big room. If there's a large party dining at the same time you won't be able to hear yourself think. I thought we'd seen off the days of wobbly Formica tables but at Chez Pierre I regret to say that they're making a comeback!
The menu is confused to say the least. The restaurant bills itself as French but has a slightly strange Asian influence...my seared scallops came with a plate of basmati rice! However, the food is prepared and presented well.
The service can be on the abrupt side but I suspect this is down to who serves your table.
Overall this restaurant is best avoided. There's better atmosphere, better food, better service and better value for money elsewhere.
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