David Moore is the founder and co-owner (with his wife Valerie) of Pied à Terre, London’s longest-standing Michelin-starred restaurant. A natural hospitality giver, he worked for Raymond Blanc front of house at Le Manoir aux Quat' Saisons after catering college, and spent a short time at Alain Ducasse's Le Louis XV in Monaco before opening Pied à Terre in 1991. The restaurant got its first star in just 13 months and has held on to it ever since.
A resident of Bloomsbury for almost 30 years, here are David's favourite places to eat and drink in the area.
Andrew’s
59 Gray's Inn Rd, London WC1X 8TL
I opened Pied à Terre in 1991 and the following year met, and subsequently married, my wife Val. In 1998, on returning from our honeymoon, we moved into our apartment on Gray’s Inn Road, on the west side, the most easterly boundary of Bloomsbury. I really didn’t know much about the area and its rich artistic history; I was only interested in it being a 15-minute walk to the restaurant. Back then, there were few dining locations of note in Bloomsbury, but there was one: Andrew’s - a greasy spoon that still comes with a sound recommendation from me. Every taxi driver in London eats there too. It’s an amazing menu, and my gauge of a proper greasy spoon is: can they do a soft poached egg? They can. My go-to is the Andrew’s breakfast - £11.95!
Otto’s
182 Gray's Inn Rd, London WC1X 8EW
From bacon and eggs to deep-fried veal brains, we head across the road on the zebra crossing by Elm Street, just a few doors along, to Otto’s - a restaurant I can see from my bedroom window. It’s a blast from the past: smoked salmon and smoked eel are carved, and steak tartare is assembled tableside. Duck à la presse and the art of the guéridon (trolley) are ever-present, taking you on an unexpected journey back to those good old days.
Matbakh Kitchen
21 Great Ormond St, London WC1N 3JB
I always have an eye for the new kids on the block, and especially so when you see freshly-baked cakes in the window. Matbakh Kitchen call themselves an "Arabic eatery and café". I call it a warm, welcoming, and authentic taste of Lebanon. The menus change every day, and repeat on a weekly cycle; find your favourite day and make it a regular event.
Fryer’s Delight
19 Theobalds Rd, London WC1X 8SL
This is an old-fashioned chippy (take a moment to appreciate the colourful fascia) with a decent list of familiar options, but the skate wing is stunning. They’re also one of the few chippers still frying in beef fat - apologies to all veggies and vegans, who we proudly cater for at Pied à Terre, but it just tastes better. While you’re there, pop next door to McKenna’s butchers, where Mark the maestro will talk you through all the cuts and top cooking tips. I dream that one day, Mark and I will open a steak restaurant…
Noble Rot
51 Lamb's Conduit St, London WC1N 3NB
Lamb’s Conduit Street is as quirky and individual a street as you’ll find anywhere, with a unique mix of restaurants, bars, delis and specialist independent boutiques and retailers. Previously housing VAT’s wine-bar of long standing, no. 51 is now the institution Noble Rot, the first site for what has grown into a small group of restaurants. With food overseen brilliantly by Stephen Harris of The Sportsman fame, you should have the great-value set lunch menu and go large on the wine list.
Ciao Bella
86-90 Lamb's Conduit St, London WC1N 3LZ
A little further down Lamb’s Conduit Street is Ciao Bella, the quintessential London local Italian we all dream of having in our neighbourhood, and which thankfully, I do. Here, everything is done with flair, passion, and a smile. Pizza and pasta are the mainstays, but they also do a very decent Dover sole. Only bookable by telephone, which is a charmingly old-school touch in this age of everything being app-based and online.
See also
For more of these local area guides, visit the My Manor page.
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