With all this hot weather we have been having recently, we thought the perfect place to cool us down and get us ready for this Autumnal turn in the weather would be would be Piste in Tarporley with their wonderful Alpine theme. Piste opened its doors in 2010 on Tarporley’s busy high street and has since opened a second restaurant in Sandbach back in 2017. Piste offer an extensive European and British menu in a relaxed, comfortable environment.
Coming straight off the high street the restaurant has 2 large windows, perfect to sit in and watch the world go by, as we entered we were lucky enough to be sat on one of these high tables. The restaurant is fitted out with beautiful rustic furniture, high and low, which really adds to the atmosphere but allows diners that little bit of space, to enjoy their own company. We were met by a very smiley lovely server, offering us drinks and a choice of the different menu’s. Since we were following the theme of our #TCLunchDates, we went for the Table D’Hote menu, despite the persuasion of the a la carte menu. This menu has a similar offering, but at reduced portion sizes, ideal for lunchtime. This Menu is available Monday to Thursday 12 -9.30pm, Friday and Saturday 12pm-7pm and Sunday 12pm – 3pm, and you can enjoy 2 curses for £14 or 3 Courses for £18.
Whilst it was hard to choose, I opted for the Peking Duck Pancake Roll with Plum Sauce to start and Tegan went for the Calamari, with Garlic and Parsley Aioli. Both were delightful and came with fabulous presentation on Black slates. My Pancake Roll was perfectly crisp with well-cooked duck which had been seasoned well, the addition of the plum sauce added a lovely sweetness and slight sharpness, which left you with a great mix of fresh flavours. This was the ideal serving size leaving you satisfied but wanting more. Tegan’s Calamari had a great flavour and you could tell the fish was fresh but perhaps left a little too long as it was a little bouncy. The tempura batter however was light and had great flavour, very well complimented by the garlic aioli and the fresh lime, perfect for me but perhaps a tad strong for some. Our server came and cleared away, with good timing, topped up our drinks and we didn’t wait long for our next course.
For mains I opted for the Pan-Fried Seabass, Grape Beurre Blanc, Broccolini and Thyme rosti. Firstly, the plate again was wonderfully presented, and every individual element looked and tasted amazing, alone and with everything on the plate. The seabass was perfectly cooked with a crispy seasoned skin, the broccolini (my favourite vegetable) al dente, to embrace its flavour rather than getting lost on the dish, the rosti, crunchy on top and soft but well flavoured in the middle and the grape beurre blanc, brought everything together with its sweetness. I often find that sauces can mask the other flavours in a dish, but with this there was just enough to add to the elements, without drowning the plate. My favourite element, not mentioned on the menu was the broccoli puree, full of flavour and added a great additional texture and colour to the plate.
Tegan opted for the 7hr Shin of Beef, with Leek Croquette, Caramelised Onion Puree, Cavalo Nero, Pickled Red Onion and Red Wine Jus. The beef as you would expect was the highlight of the dish, it was so tender and just fell apart, the leek croquette perfectly complimented this with a crisp exterior and then lovely smooth filling with visible leeks. The flavour was divine and something I could eat plates full of. The Caramelised Onion Puree added a needed sweetness to the dish overall. Not quite to my taste, but the Pickled Red Onion added that extra zing to make it special. Sadly, with all the big flavours the Red Wine Jus was a little lost, but perhaps a slightly larger serving would help with this.
Overall, we had a lovely meal, in a wonderful setting, with fabulous service and we were finished within the hour allocated. If we had tried we may have had time to squeeze in one of the beautiful desserts, but with the size of the dishes we left very satisfied. We can’t wait to return, and you should all give it try, there is something for everyone at Piste.
Ratings:
Service 10/10 Ambience and Setting 8/10 Food 8/10 Value for Money 10/10 Total Score: 36/40
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