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Pied à Terre, in London’s Fitzrovia, has held at least one Michelin star since 1993, making it one of London’s oldest Michelin-starred restaurants (only the Roux family’s Le Gavroche has held one for longer).
This year marks its 30th birthday (December to be precise). To commemorate the milestone, restaurateur David Moore and the team are releasing a limited edition book, 30 Years Created by Pied à Terre, which looks back on what is, frankly, an absolute age in the London restaurant world.
“I think the most striking reflection is the amount of talented people that I have worked with over the years,” says Moore. “In every photograph and article there are employees that have taken what I do and gone forward with it. There are some who have taken it further, which is massively gratifying.”
The restaurant has been a stop for a number of well-known chefs, most famously Tom Aikens (Muse), while current head chef Asimakis Chaniotis is continuing the restaurant’s tradition of modern French fine dining, but with touches from his home country of Greece.
David Moore and Asimakis Chaniotis
“Chef changes over the years have helped move the creativity along more quickly than in other restaurants,” says Moore, but the food is not Pied à Terre’s only enduring appeal.
“Pied à Terre has always had a natural focus on service, a style that has developed and improved over the years. Importantly, we are an independently owned business. My wife and I have a long-term approach and do not look at Pied à Terre as a business, but more a way of life for us. This means that we put our people and our customers first and central in all that we do as opposed to the shareholder, which most businesses have to pander to.”
In addition to the book, the restaurant will be serving a series of signature dishes from over the years, culminating in a tasting menu of ‘greatest hits’ in the run-up to Christmas.
The pandemic and its consequences have hit hard, however. Only recently, we reported that Moore had made the decision to close at lunchtime due to staffing issues. But, he is characteristically optimistic, not that he anticipates another 30 years at the helm.
“Over the years, I have always managed to find the silver lining and pivot myself, and the business, towards the benefits. Pied à Terre continues to grow and evolve and I would like to think that there is a way to see a future for the restaurant without me; I have not figured that one out yet, but am working on it.”
Take a look at a selection of the book's pictures from the 1990s below.
Sea bass (1993)
The team (1994)
Original chef and co-owner Richard Neat and David Moore (1993)
John Dory, peas and foie gras (1997)
The dining room in 1995
Tom Aikens and David Moore (1996)
