It was a Nottingham institution long before it grew into a chain with restaurants
I've always had amour for Bistrot Pierre, harking back to the days it was Pierre Victoire. Traditional French cuisine, efficient service and pleasing-on-the-eye Parisian surroundings just a stone’s throw from Viccy Centre made it rather charming.
However, it was around that time that cracks began to appear. The chain was sold in a pre-pack administration with the closure of six restaurants in other parts of the country. To be honest it hadn't crossed my mind that it had changed hands when we decided we were due a visit. Anyway, our waitress was pleasant enough and kindly helped me how to pronounce Viognier correctly as I attempted to order a glass of wine, a refreshing and fragrant wine from the Rhone Valley. Previously, I'm sure the bread basket was complementary but now it's £1.95. A sign of the times I guess.
I mentioned the lack of bacon to a waiter - at £10.95 I was damned sure I was going to have the completed dish - and within minutes he returned with a dish of bacon bits. Mistakes happen, I told myself, and it was rectified quickly. The one saving grace was the small chunk of dauphinoise potatoes, that held together well with a creamy sauce oozing out when sliced into. It was delicious, the best bit of the whole meal.
It felt like the shine had gone off this Nottingham institution, that the heart and soul had been ripped out of it. Even down to the ladies toilets with its shabby paintwork, a toilet which sounded like it needed some plumbing attention, and broken taps.