La Petite Maison -

Valentine’s day. Two words that strike fear into the heart of every male in a relationship and every relationship-less female. Even as a girl in a relationship I think it’s the most pointless of holidays. No one sums up my dislike of the holiday then my friend Tracy in a very entertaining article you should all read here. As much as we want to, The Boyfriend and I have not been able to escape the pressure forcing us to celebrate. The furthest we have managed to is going out for dinner on the 15th rather than the 14th. Some rebellion, eh? But, at least it is easier to get a dinner reservation and romantic themed set menus aren't involved.

Ever the romantic, The Boyfriend managed to book the restaurant and get me to the front door all without me realizing a thing.

La Petite Maison is my favourite restaurant in London. Not the world, that title goes to the 16th century falling down farmhouse in the middle of the French Alps I mentioned in my Androuet review. But if I’m in London and have to eat my last meal, La Petite Maison would be the lucky venue. In fact, any achievement of any sort is almost always celebrated with a customary trip to La Petite Maison.

LPM is an offshoot of the famous Nicoise restaurant that is an institution in the South of France. Having compared the two, I have to say that whilst many areas are similar, the menu, style etc. surprisingly, I preferred the London equivalent. I found the one in Nice, too dark and cramped whilst the one in London, is light enough for menus to be easily readable, but dark enough to make each person like a slightly better version of themselves. Maybe it is the lighting itself, or it is the just the reflection of that lighting bouncing off many diamonds and Rolexes  which makes you look great. This one, was brought to London by Arjun Waney, of Roka and Zuma fame, and thus is filled with a combination of the Roka, Zuma “it” crowd,  with expensive handbags and fur in tow, but also a less trendy slightly older crowd. It’s a place like Zaffarano, that’s cool for all generations.

The Boyfriend, despite going to La Petite Maison many times, failed to realise that it is, essentially just behind Claridges, and after having a drink at Claridges, piled him and I into a cab driven by a very confused driver. After being driven round the block, we therefore arrived 15 minutes earlier then our reservation stated. They happily accommodated us.

The concept at La Petite Maison is a sharing one, divided into large and small plates. To be honest, it’s a normal menu that they just want you to share. Each menu says “tous célèbres ici”  - Everyone is a celebrity here, which makes me laugh because on any given night there will generally be a couple of celebrities present.

On each table is a bottle of olive oil, lemons and tomatoes all for your own enjoyment. Its something they’ve stolen from the original restaurant. The Boyfriend and I would have liked to a have been able to enjoy this but sadly, we were never brought bread. Probably a good thing as we struggled to finish what we ordered anyway but I would have liked the option of bread.

The Boyfriend and I started with a lentil salad. Lentils are not something I normally order in a restaurant, assuming that they are healthy and therefore are boring and taste bad. LPM is the exception. The salad includes apple, red onions, tomatoes and everything nice. It’s wonderful.

Combined with this we had an equally incredible scallop Carpaccio. Little raw slices of heaven. The scallops were combined with a lemon and spring onion tangy flavor but this was juxtaposed against the sweetness of dried cranberries and cashews. Such a strange combination I would have thought should never have worked but it did. Very well.

We also, had a thinly sliced octopus marinated in an olive oil thing. It was again fabulous.

This was followed, a little too quickly for my taste – it is nice to have a breather between courses -  by Macaroni with Black Truffle. At £39.00 it’s double the cost of the equivalent dish at Il Baretto, which is very steep. With that in mind, I didn’t think it was worth it, I actually prefer the pasta dish at Il Baretto, and the sauce had more flavor and bite. The Boyfriend however, preferred this version. It’s a winning combination rich and creamy with the beautiful truffle flavor. I wouldn’t order it again here though.

Our Sea Bream arrived shortly after. The fish was perfectly cooked and melted away in my mouth. A rich tomato tapenade style thing accompanied it. It was just perfect.

We finished with a giant crème brulee, which was easily big enough for two or three people. Again it was perfect and was great with our glass of Jurancon.

We ate mainly in silence, occasionally issuing groans and random exclamations questioning how food so simple could taste so good. What I wrote about the food will never do it justice, so you should pay LPM a visit. Go if its your birthday, or your celebrating something. Or go if your having a bad day, or want to catch up with a friend. It would be great with a group, but its also pretty romantic. Whatever your occasion, the place kind of works.

The bill was hefty, to say the least. At £175, it’s hardly a cheap meal. However, ignoring the dessert wine and the truffle pasta which were extravagant luxuries, and without it, we probably have been left equally satisfied. That would have made left the bill £50 lighter and a slightly more reasonable £60.00 a head. Along with the bill came the below, which made me like the place even better, because on the inside was a note written from the chef which was a nice touch and with prices so high £2 isn't all that noticeable on the bill.

When I arrived at the door of LPM, I was torn, I was wary of reviewing this place or eating with a critical tongue as it were. I was worried that like my beloved Il Baretto, La Petite Maison would fold in my mind under the pressure. It didn’t. It excelled. In fact the food tasted better than it ever had. The service, fell a bit but not enough to deem it a bad service experience just not the perfection I was used to.