260. Le Petit Bois

 

  After two lunches at le petit bois travelling restaurant at Herbert’s Yard a couple of weeks (I finally girded up my loins and, at a beautifully sunny English summer lunchtime headed for Moseley, to actually dine at the pretty Gallicly blue le petit bois (the lower case seems to be correct).

  A relaxed, perfectly judged welcome and I was seated in the extremely comfortable chairs at the very adequately sized table in the charming, bright, nicely sized restaurant and making my choices from the sensibly sized but highly interesting menu which included a clever ‘scallop of the day’ option.

   

  And indeed the scallop of the day option was too powerful a temptation to resist and by choosing it I was rewarded with a lovely plate of nicely cooked coquilles with a crispy bacon, a minty pea purée and much accompanying esteval joy. I had already been primed for pleasure by having been served a fine small baton with delicious chicken skin butter and a delightfully cooling, Bourbon and Cuantro-based brise d’été cocktail.

  The main course of hake with peas and wild mushroom macaroni reinforced the metaphorical breeze of summer wafting through the restaurant - quite, quite delicious - few chefs can serve their fish as perfectly as was this piece of hake with the most triumphantly crispy skin I have been served on a piece of fish for years.

  And to finish, a dessert created by the Devil himself - French Colonel - two gorgeous quenelles of light, refreshing lime sorbet made thoroughly wicked by having French vodka poured over them. What a dessert!

  Light and easy and alcoholic just as I like a dessert to be. Perhaps there should have been a biscuit or something with texture to accompany it but frankly I liked the Colonel just as he was 

  For those who wish to indulge themselves to the highest degree, a magnificent fruits de mer platter is available for a minimum of two people (£120 and by the looks of it worth every penny). A pair of ladies celebrating a birthday gave me an opportunity to witness the platter in the flesh (or perhaps, the shell) and I am glad to say they made short  measure of it and thoroughly enjoyed themselves.

  The restaurant, owned by Ben Taylor, the Head Chef, and front of house manager, Zsofia Kisgergely, is the successor to their previous Moseley restaurant, Little Blackwood, which they opened in 2018 but which, like other dining establishments, was severely affected by the lockdowns during the COVID-19 pandemic to the extent that it was not financially viable to keep the restaurant open with it shutting in March 2022.. Much of the problem underlying the restaurant’s closure had been related to a dispute with the landlord of the property and after a resolution of the issues Taylor and Kisgergely were able to take possession of the location once more.

  The restaurant’s website says that, “Le Petit Bois is your French country kitchen, in the heart of Moseley” and Taylor and Kisgergely appear to have been very successful in creating this atmosphere in this charming bistro.

Rating:- 🌞🌞