We are super excited to announce that our summer opening hours will be daily, effective June 3rd and our opening night is now fully booked. We will however have space for a limited number of walk-ins on the night.
We've been busy these last few weeks and there's so much to update you on. The menu is undergoing a revamp and is almost ready to be tested - more on how you can be part of that in a bit.
We've finalised the hiring of the new staff, both front-of-house and in the kitchen and Huw's Hideaway is finished, ready and waiting for you!
So first, let's talk food; small plates of food is the theme of the restaurant, with our wood fired grill at the centre. We'd recommend ordering 2 or 3 plates to make up your desired meal to have all to yourself or to share.
Our unique wood-fired grill will be knocking out grilled meats, fish, vegetables cooked over wood, and we're also adding small plates of wonderful freshly prepared deliciousness which can be ordered throughout the day and complemented that with some truly superb wines or excellent soft drinks.
The sample menu can be found here and we intend changing this on a regular basis to incorporate the locally sourced and seasonal ingredients available. Our philosophy is to source fresh, local ingredients within 20km of the restaurant and the only frozen thing coming from the kitchen will be ice for the Oyster bed and to add to your drink.
Aside from the small plates, if you simply want to watch the world go by, we'll be offering freshly baked cakes each day amazing, ethicaly sourced coffee, expertly prepared by our trained Baristas!
Next lets get to the renovations as we're really pleased with the changes that have been made. We have Huw's Hideaway, a more relaxed area on the first floor where you can chill out before or after your meal, enjoy a coffee, read the paper or grab a glass of wine. Named after one of the Verteillac most esteemed local treasures, Huw's Hideaway is a uniquely wonderful space which we think will be very popular for private dining, small events or interest clubs. No booking fee.
Leading on the small plates concept will be Leigh Codyre-Benson. Leigh was the creative development chef at Soho House, London for twelve years and we've persuaded her to get the creative juices flowing again and create something at L'Escalier that you just won't get anywhere else.
John Kenny, the much-loved previous owner of L'Escalier will remain in the kitchen and will also be running our event nights throughout the season. These can be found here and we'd recommend that you book in advance.
Our superb front of house team, some of whom will be familiar to you, will be on hand to provide menu recommendations, wine pairing suggestions and conversation in either French or English.
Finally, we're holding a tasting event to road-test the new menu and we're opening this up for free to L'Escalier Climber Members on Thursday 19th May. If you've not already become a member, please do so at our website here and go to the L'Escalier Climbers section at the top for more details of how to register for the road-test. The food will be free, the drinks will be chargeable.
Space is limited to 12 for this event, so please book soon to avoid missing out.
Thanks again,
L'Escalier Team