Having spent yesterday in London, I thought I’d make the most of my visit and catch-up with my friend Mike.  And it wasn’t really a surprise that we ended up at Pierre Victoire on Dean Street.  Why?  Because although I don’t get to go there that often, I loved it from my first visit around 12 years ago.

At the time, my lovely wife-to-be and I were fresh out of uni, living in London, and on a seriously lean budget.  So when we saw vouchers for the then restaurant chain Pierre Victoire, we thought we deserved a well earned meal out.  When we got there, it turned out that the franchise chain had disappeared, but the restaurant had stayed open under the old name.  Not that it mattered – the French-accented food was great, it had a wonderful ambiance, and the guys serving us were incredibly nice.  And besides, we didn’t get out much at the time so it was a real treat!

Over the years from time to time we’ve gone back, enjoying the intimate atmosphere, ad-hoc pianist and ever-changing menu.  And 12 years on from my first visit, it is just as good.  Granted, the menus aren’t hand-written every night, but last night I had a perfectly cooked ribeye steak with a delicious pepper sauce (with just a hint of blue cheese) followed by an elderflower and honey parfait with berries, and the two (now slightly older) men that greeted me on my first visit were there to give me another warm welcome.

It may be partly due to sentimentality, but I do think the atmosphere and great food play a large part in it being my favourite restaurant for over a decade.  I heartily recommend – so long as my recommendation doesn’t make it too busy for me to get a table next time!

(Sorry for the poor photo – an iPhone in dim light shining in the wrong direction is never a good combination, no matter how much you try and post-fix it!)