HUMA HYDER
De’ja v0
The Pierre Levicky show is back in town, and what is it the French say about ‘Plus ca
change . . . ?' Donald Reid visits Chez Pierre
ometimes we get a bit too serious about
food. But then it is a serious business. it‘s
what keeps us upright. but like any realm of human interest some folk. among them food journalists and chefs. become just a bit too earnest about the whole subject. It‘s not an accusation you could lay at the door of Pierre Levicky. Eating. to him. is an excuse to enjoy yourself. to relax. have fun. Most of life’s challenges and crises (situations not unfamiliar to Levicky) can be met with an easy smile and a Gallic shrug.
In early February this year Levicky made his heralded return to the city as chef-partner to businessman Donald Thow. In Iidinburgh we fondly remember the Victoria Street original. though the rise and spectacular fall of the l()()— plus chain is all part of the tale. Indeed. at the end of June. Levicky is promising a book. the self-published (naturellement) (baking Lilia
A Chez Pierre was set up in Andalucia a year or so back and. true to form. the Scottish version has simple. straightforward decor. bargain lunches. scrawled blackboard specials. a I‘rench
accent to the menu and a surprising amount of
bustle and buzz. given its location in the lower New Town-(‘anonmills area.
The main menu. principally for the evenings. tries to break down the standard approach to starters and mains with over 2() ‘tiny. playful dishes”. This tapas-style approach is much in vogue. of course. though to be fair Levicky was making inroads on menu structure back in the days of Pierre Victoire and its various offshoots. ‘Tiny’ is inaccurate (most dishes are hearty. though no longer the daunting size they were in the restaurant‘s early days) and ‘playful' describes Levicky’s general approach rather than the individual dishes. In the same vein. soups aren‘t soups but ‘slurpies‘ and mains. mysteriously. are "I‘hree Phase‘.
It‘s by no means all French — alongside seafood pot au feu or duck conlit there's 'l‘hai marinated chicken and lobster tajine * but the mainstays of the kitchen are classic dishes well cooked. eschewing fiddly finesse or fancy
T0 PIERRE LEVICKY, EATING IS AN EXCUSE TO ENJOY YOURSELF, TO RELAX, HAVE FUN
presentation. Salads are big and drowned in dressing. baked oysters are soft and crispy with fluffy scrambled egg and seafood spaghetti is straightforward and satisfying in a tasty though ultimately unmemorable way.
Enthusiastic. relaxed. cheapish. cheerful — it‘s Levicky's style and it‘s clearly engaging. Folk like it. and for the most part they accept the
CHEZ PIERRE 18 Eyre Place, New Town, Edinburgh, 0131 556
Strangely familiar casual French bistro. Average two-course evening meal 9223; set-
price lunch (main plus salad and coffee) 526
rouglmess around the edges. Around these edges it can be patchy in quality. slap-dash and confused — sometimes in substantial enough doses to upset customers significantly (we‘ve had the emails). (‘ould this be the start of something big‘.’ Perhaps not this time. but Iidinburgh will be content enough to have the original to enjoy.
THEY WERE ONCE A PIERRE VICTOIRE
Howles
10 Victoria Street, Edinburgh, 0131 225 1721 www.howies.uk.com
There's no question the original PV was in a great restaurant spot: right in the heart of town on one of Edinburgh's most interesting streets. Howies‘ casual, populist style clearly takes after its predecessor. but they've ploughed their own successful furrow with reliable, good value. kitsch-free Scottish food.
14 THE LIST 5549 Jun 2008
No Sixteen
16 Byres Road, Glasgow, 0141 339 2544, www.number16.co.uk
No Sixteen has been around since 1991 and has become a much—valued mainstay in the ever- changing landscape of Byres Road. What they lack in Space they make up for in beautifully presented dishes of seasonal Scottish ingredients, often with a Continental or Far Eastern spin.
La Cioclara
41 Friars Street, Stirling, 01786 451552
Trad French bistro mutates into traditional Italian trattoria before our very eyes. Unsurprising perhaps as it's another good site: with two floors. the upper level is more subdued and discreet. while the ground floor with its big windows is one of Stirling's better spots for people-watching over a coffee. ice cream or cheap lunch.