Terroirs Wine Bar & Restaurant

Terroirs is poised perfectly in covent garden for a cosy dinner and a big glass of vino with a mate or lover. This is the perfect French wine bar with rustic dishes like hearty rabbit stew on wooden tables. Bustling and vibrant, you will not want to leave especially on wintery nights. (Monikasays.com)

Great food, wine and service in handy central location. You will pay for the quality. Better for couples or smaller groups.

A great example of getting the little things right: attentive, cheerful staff, interesting well sourced wines, many served by the glass or carafe and superb, well executed, unpretentious, tasty food. Most people come here for the wines but for me the food is the real draw. If I were to have 1 niggle (and it is the only one) it would be that £14 is a bit steep for some black pudding, mash, egg and mushrooms, however it was one of the best boudin noir,smooth, creamy mash, duck egg and wild mushrooms that I've had, so retract that last bit!

Really good selection of 'natural' wines and friendly helpful staff. Food is good though not particularly gastronomic. We like to go for the wine & cheese.

Great food - fantastic wine in a good atmosphere.

Think of this place as a wine bar that does great food and you cant go wrong.

Waiting staff were very knowledgeable on the wine and I would recommend getting some advice from them.

I will go back!

Great place. A really good wine list, full of interesting and reasonably priced alternatives, exclusively (IIRC) from France and Italy.

The food also is great - not sure about the main courses as I've always gone at lunch or pre-theatre, but the sharing starters are great if you do three (four if you are hungry) between two. Really imaginative and exciting.

On my last visit I nearly had a disaster as I was told I would be in the basement - I hate basements. Happily, this one was done really well and was cool (on a hot day) and atmospheric, as opposed to cool and damp - Terroirs' done it again!

As a veggie (flexi veggie), I was a bit worried about going to a French restaurant but being as it was my carnivorous boyfriend's birthday and as I'd heard nothing but good things about it, we gave it a go, and I can't recommend it highly enough.

We booked ahead, which was just as well as the place was rammed, but even so, our waitress was really attentive and we didn't have to wait long for anything we ordered. The food was simple but delicious and the wine list, a little overwhelming but with a good selection of reasonably priced bottles.

We finished off the evening with some of the best cheese I've ever had and I'm already looking for another excuse to come back.

OK, now this is a strange review. I actually want to give this place five stars. Even though I didn't eat anything and I only had water.

For fairly dull reasons, I'm off the booze at the moment (those of you who regularly read my reviews will be shocked by this). But, after coming out of the theatre last week and feeling like chatting about the fabulous show I'd just seen, I jumped at the opportunity to find out what all the fuss was about.

All the fuss about this place is deserved.

We perched at the bar, and felt instantly at home. I wished we'd got there earlier and had time to stay. Even at the bar it's the kind of place you could spend all night (although some bag hooks wouldn't go amiss).

I did have a sip of my friend's Cote du Rhone and it was fabulous (organic too - their menu has little cows by the happy wines). Was mad at not being able to drink. The food smelled amazing, the bar staff we very handsome (especially the man with the curly hair) and they didn't bat an eyelid when I was drinking nothing but tap water. Dead sexy wine glasses too.

I want to come back here and try everything. The bar snacks looked good value, the wine isn't that pricey. I'm smitten, and the only thing they've given me is a smile and a glass of water.

Well done Terroirs, well done.

Went to Terroirs for lunch and the place was absolutely buzzing. The service is good and the wine list extensive but a little on the expensive side for some of the mid-range bottles. The wines are mainly french but with plenty of regional variety. thatr said, it is restricted by its 'frenchness' and if you're after much else, you'll have to dig deep.

There was only space at the bar, but for tapas (small plates) that was fine - I'm told the restaurant downstairs is excellent and I'd probably try again one evening, but for lunch, the menu was OK if not a little obscure, but that may have just been the day I visited.

Kitchen closes at 3:00pm for lunch so only cold cuts thereafter until dinner service.

Nice - but could probably do better for lunch.

Terroirs is one of those venues that is smart enough to serve proper french posh nosh in a clean and understated environment. You can feel the hobnobbing bouncing off their antique postered walls, with every name under the sun dropped all over the wooden floors, but with comfortable buzzing surrounds you don't really care (and if you do, you'll love it).
We spend a good twenty minutes ogling the wine menu, this is the wine lovers paradise (aside from the obvious- living in a vineyard, in a barrel) we got some great recommendations from the staff, and had a great glass of house champers. Stars all round, and we hadn't even got to the tasties yet.
We had a selection of Charcuterie to begin, including Duck Rillettes and Pork & Pistachio Terrine. This pretty much set the high standard for the rest of the meal. And these pass as bar snacks? Dear Lord.
We also ordered some small plates, intent on trying as many dishes as possible. We ordered the Whole Dorset Crab which had us cracking claws and dropping cutlery like bombs (totally undeterred) and the King Prawns a la Plancha, tasty tomato grilled delights. We also got the delightful Clams, Vermouth & Aioli dish, and slightly too salty Snails in pesto with cured meats.
After all of that we normally would have taken to sleep for a good 2 years in pure happiness, but the birthday girl gets what she wants- and on this night I wanted blue cheese! Enter Fourme D’Ambert who I wish I could scrub form my memory, or else replace every other blue cheese ever served. Seriously.
I can't rate this place highly enough and would recommend it to anyone after a taste of France right in the thick of London.

They really espouse the slow food ethos in the kitchen and cellar of this centrally located gem. Well worth tracking down as it's a great place to enjoy a glass of wine and a couple of light plates after work.

See the full review at www.grumblinggourmet.com

I had been meaning to visit Terroirs for months, so when a good excuse finally came up (wife's birthday) I was straight on the phone to make a reservation (in my defence, my wife had Terroirs on her 'to do' list as well, so I wasn't being completely selfish).

Terroirs specialise in the kind of fodd I really enjoy: traditional, rustic, French charcuterie-style/tapas-sized dishes that you can spend your time over and sample a lot of the menu all in one go.

On our visit we went for the Pork & Pistachio Terrine (a more than generous size and really tasty), the steak tartare (I have a weakness for this dish and loved every forkful), the anchovies, shallots and unsalted butter which were the star of the whole meal. Such simple ingredients, and so incredibly good you find yourself wondering if you can replicate it at home.

There was no way were going to pass up the chance to try duck scratching either, and I'm going to say these probably take the prize for 'best bar snacks in London' - there can't be anything more moreish than these salty chunks of goodness in the capital, surely?

Oh, and the cheese selection - all great, and the wine that was suggested by the waitress (from the exhaustive and slightly daunting list) was perfect.

I'l be back at Terroris very soon to while away another three hours and pile on a few more pounds (which reminds me - this place is great value for money as well).

Full review at www.thehappinessprojectlondon.wordpress.com

This is up there with my favourite places for after-work dinner that isn’t expensive, serves amazing food and lovely wine, and will let us chat and mange to our heart’s content.

I loved the rustic, arty, chilled French atmosphere – with people eating at the bar and the cute table settings. It felt friendly, cosy and relaxed – perfect.

The menu is French tapas-style which I’m a huge fan of – there’s nothing better than sharing food with friends and chatting about how it tastes, a real bonding experience. We ordered 4 cold/warm tapas and 1 larger hot plate between 3. We started with the duck rillettes; endive, gorgonzola & spiced walnut salad; snails, bacon garlic & parsley and king prawns a la plancha.

Duck rillettes were gamey and fatty, delicious. Snails were salty, garlicky, earthy, and the endive, walnut and gorgonzola salad – a classic that I always love, but this was especially good due to the strong runny cheese and herby salad dressing.
King prawns a la plancha was meaty, melt in mouthy, sweet and lovely sauce.

For apres, we really stuck to our diet plans and ordered the bavette steak. It was really lovely – pink, tender beef and juicy roast potatoes on a bed of shallots. My only complaint was that I could have eaten more of it, and not sure about the crouton thingies that came with it.

As expected in a French place, the wine list is great. I liked how you could order a 500cl bottle (pretty much half a bottle really and totally acceptable for a detox school night) – we tried the Jurancon which was really nice, but next time I’d like to ask their recommendations for what wine to try with the food.

Oh yeah and then we had a bitter chocolate pot for pud. It was yummy – sticky, soft and rich.

Then the bill came and all this lovely wine and food came to £72 including service or £24 each. It was at this moment that I decided to come back here every week and eat my way through the wine list and menu until the buttons pop off my jeans. We’re definitely going back on a Friday for a wine and cheese fest for a start.

I’ve eaten some pretty terrible meals round the corner for far more, so we really couldn’t believe what great value this place was. Only downsides? Not sure veggies would find enough food on the menu – but this is pretty typical of French places, oh and you might have to book a table in advance for peak times, but what do you expect for this sort of value. I’d also probably order one more tapas plate to fill me up.

Simply perfect. I was hesitant to write this review and keep the place for myself. Amazing service, great selection of wines.

What a place! I went with a business associate- terrific ambience- amazing wine list and very interesting menu- almost French version of tapas.

Minor gripes (I am fussy in a quiet way) - the mark up on some of the vin de pays were hugely steep- I know from experience that some vdp can knock appellation into a cocked hat but with £30 plus for a vdp "on pousse l'envelope".

Also our waiter didn't speak any French which was a shame.

One other (important) thing- unless I missed something, the toilet I was directed to was a single sit down place which serves both males and females- a little "undercatered" here (please correct me if I am wrong on this)

The small plate snails in garlic butter with bacon on bread was divine (if ill advised with a client meeting later), but was terrific and will keep vampires away for a day or two.

A leisurely feel- great wine and food- once again I am thankful for other Qypers recommendations to lead me to this gem.

Terroirs - Pics at The London Foodie
(http://www.thelondonfoodie.co.uk)

A recent visit to Le Manoir de Raynaudes, in the South West of France, has re-ignited my love for French cuisine and all things French. I have since then signed up to French language classes and am devouring Julia Child’s memoirs “My Life in France”. The best part of this “francophonisation” process was finding Terroirs, a French bar and restaurant opened in Central London about a year ago.

Having been to Terroirs before, I normally try and sit at their zinc bar to watch the chefs at action and for a more relaxed dinner. The menu is short but offers an excellent spread of fish, shellfish, duck, cheese and charcuterie. This is a place to come with friends and share various dishes over a few bottles of excellent French wine.

In my last visit, I ordered a small selection of dishes together with one of my favourite bottles of wine, a 2007 bottle of Marcillac @ £18.85 (Dne du Cros, Philippe Teulier, Marcillac). Terroirs’ wine list is most impressive - it contains about 200 wines of which 20 wines can also be served by the glass. You will be assured to find a bottle to suit every budget and taste.

The menu is divided into 5 categories – Bar Snacks (Duck Scratchings £2.50 are fatty but very moreish, Bread & Butter £1.50, a “must”), Small Plates (for sharing like Steak Tartare £7 or a Whole Dorset Crab and Mayo £12), Cheese (Rocamadour £3.50 is divine), Charcuterie (Duck Rillettes £6 is one of my favourites), Plats du Jour (more substantial dishes like Brandade de Morue £12 or Slow Roasted Belly of Pork £13) and Desserts @ £5. My suggestion would be to order bread and butter, which are heavy and chewy, accompanied by a selection from any of these categories.

One of the dishes I order at every visit, is the “Snail, Bacon, Garlic and Parsley” @ £7. This is served on a slice of toasted bread with a delicious Pistou dressing (just like Pesto but without pine nuts or cheese but more garlicky). The combination of flavours is sensational, I just wished there was more on my plate!

Another favourite, “Duck Rillettes” @ £6, is rustic French cuisine at its best, and better avoided when on any diet. Originally made with pork, the meat is cubed or chopped, salted heavily and cooked slowly in fat until it is tender enough to be easily shredded. It is then cooled with enough of the fat to form a paste. They are normally used as spread on bread or toast and served at room temperature.

“Potted Brown Shrimps” @ £7, also served on toasted bread, was very good. Seasoned heavily with nutmeg and paprika as potted shellfish should be, the flavours partnered well with the Morecambe Bay shrimps.

The “Pan Fried Girolles Mushrooms with a Duck Egg” at £7 was also delicious. The mushrooms were meaty and full of flavour, and the runny duck egg was an interesting addition.

Other dishes that I had tried in previous visits and that I would also recommend are the Steak Tartare £7 (well seasoned and fresh), Pork and Pistachio Terrine £6 (quite rustic and a substantial portion), Selection of Charcuterie £10 (nice cuts but not good value), any of the cheeses £3.50 (they are all superb), and Duck Scratchings @ £2.50 (fatty but very good).

I have been impressed by Terroirs in all my visits. At £53.27 for two including an excellent bottle of wine, this is one of my favourite restaurants in London at the moment, and I simply cannot recommend it enough.

Verdict – Rustic, hearty and delicious French cuisine to share, and coupled with the best wine list in town. Great Service and reasonable prices make Terroirs one of the hottest tables in the Capital.

My husband and I had a lovely dinner here last weekend. When I called to make a reservation, I was told they were fully booked -- but had space at the new "restaurant" downstairs. I'd never eaten upstairs, so I didn't have a preference, and I can happily report that we were treated to a wonderful meal downstairs!

We ordered two small plates for starters and had a main each. Everything was delicious and really reasonably priced. The squid in particular was fabulous. We also ordered the tarte tatin "for two" -- scrumptious, but large enough for six, I'd say! The staff were extremely friendly, though, and wrapped up what we couldn't eat so that we could take it home with us.

All in all, a wonderful experience!

I’ve been to Terroirs over half a dozen times and I can’t find anything to fault. The food is wholesome and earthy: the smoked eel, the garlicky snails with bacon and superb rillettes are a must, but everything is worthy of consideration. The wine list is brilliant, sympathetic mark-ups, unusual but quite delicious “natural” wines many made with very low sulphur dioxide. This wine bar/restaurant is buzzing; the sight (and sound) of happy diners is proof of its success.

Great French food at reasonable prices,definitively value for money.
Very good wine selection and friendly atmosphere.