Pidgin

A neighbourhood gem, small, intimate restaurant with wonderfully prepared dishes and nice wine list. Located on a quiet road with lots of other great places to eat and drink. The staff are very friendly and super professional. Don’t think twice about making a reservation for dinner, you won’t be disappointed.

I had high hope for Pidgin. The setting and service were lovely, can’t really fault them. My issue was with the food. There were a few stand out dishes, but out of a “9 course” tasting menu with wine pairing, one of the courses was a bland tempura cauliflower and another course was bread and butter. None of it was unpleasant, just the food was disappointing given what what was promised. It’s a good local neighbourhood restaurant, but not a destination restaurant given my experience. I hope they improve, as the setting, atmosphere and service were good.

Having read the reviews on Tripadvisor and Google we were a little hesitant, however we thought it was worth a go as the menu this week sounded so great and we have zero regrets. The menu tonight hit the mark on every single course, the service was impeccable, the drinks delicious (we had the G&T followed by the house wine which was very reasonably priced at £5.5/ glass) Having eaten at a fair few places with stars, I don’t understand why the team doesn’t have one, it was definitely up there for me. Thanks Pidgin team, delicious dinner, and wonderful evening!

First of all - every single member of staff was a delight. So friendly, and it really did feel like we stumbled into a neighbourhood restaurant. It didn't feel to intimidating, which many tasting menu places can, and wasn't over the top. I liked the music, but especially at the beginning of our booking it was a little loud (music changed throughout the evening as did the volume and that helped). That is personal preference though! I've been wanting to visit Pidgin for many years and it was a massive treat to come here with an old friend. The standout dishes for us were the desserts and one of the starters: whipped feta with pea puree, a sorbet to clear the palate and the marigold choux pastry (both desserts were so good, it made me almost tear up). They were really good with adapting the menu slightly for me, so I had a different sorbet (blackberry) it honestly tasted like heaven (and my dining partner agreed my alternative option was even better than the 'normal' one). The main courses were nice, but didn't blow us away - I was a bit confused by the sirloin main as it felt very autumnal/wintery and not that summery? The broccoli coming with the sirloin was especially lovely though! Also really enjoyed the strawberry harissa with the ox tongue. I also had some oysters which were delicious too, interesting dressing but not overpowering. It was all an interesting tasting experience and I tend to expect that not everything in a tasting menu suits everyone anyway! We had a white gurner veltiner and the italian red that come by the glass (there is some limitation to which wines come by the glass) both where nice and went well enough with the food for my average tasting palate! I also loved the personal touch of serving a homemade infused limoncello at the end. I thought the pacing was good as well, I didn't feel too rushed or like I had to wait, and would love to come back and try the new chef in the future.

A few months ago I had dinner at Pidgin and was really disappointed with some bland and really odd dishes, and teensy tiny portions. I contacted the restaurant to let them know we had had a bad experience and they invited me back to try again and have a better experience. We picked a new date at random and last night had an amazing meal. Highlights were an artichoke dish that might be one of the best things I've ever eaten, and roast beetroot that pleased my beetroot hating partner! We had the wine pairing and the wines were all beautiful, we even asked to take a picture of the bottle of one of them as it was so delicious. The team were so welcoming and accommodating and I'd recommend going and if you're not happy just speak to the team. Only thing I would caveat is that this is not a restaurant to go and eat the classics, some dishes are experimental but you're going here to try something brand new!