Pierre’s, Mulberry Walk, Sutton Coldfield

By Patrick James

It would seem slightly odd taking your brand in what appears to be a downmarket direction, in an upmarket kind of area.
However, downmarket might be a harsh way to describe the change at a popular high street restaurant brand in Sutton Coldfield; innovative might be better.
Pierre’s, formerly Bistrot Pierre, has relaunched as Pierre’s after a complete refurbishment to create a more casual bar-cafe to appeal to a wider range of customers.
The restaurant group, which has 18 eateries across the UK, says it has identified a gap in the market for more informal dining which is accessible to a wider customer base.
Having tried it as Bistrot Pierre, it would have been rude not to try the new version, and we set out for a family gathering at the revamped venue.
First impressions are important, as obviously is the food, but the first thing that struck me was the cleanliness.
A visit to the washrooms proved a surprise. Absolutely spotless and thoughtfully laid out, offering free sanitary products in a discreet basket by the washbasin.
Otherwise pristine. So a great start. Then there was the waiting staff. Patient and friendly, as they should be, but that is not always the case. I’ve come across a few Basil Fawlty-esque characters over the years.
Then there’s the ambience. After the facelift, the venue offers a more spacious dining area with a more keenly priced, family-friendly menu and surprisingly, the children’s menu. It offered three courses, plus a mocktail for just £8.95. More of that later.
There were five of us, so the main menu took a little while to peruse. Again, it offered a great value set menu, together with a wide range of meat, fish, or veggie/vegan dishes to suit most tastes on the extensive à la carte menu.

My son, having just returned from France on holiday, was still keen on all things gallic and went for the fixed price three course at £22.95, consisting of calamari, steak frites, and creme brulee, while the other three of us chose from the main menu. 
In a determined effort to have a go at the company’s sharing dishes, we ordered sides of broccoli, truffle fries, guacamole, olives, houmous, onion rings and the most tender and juicy mini chorizo, tossed in honey. By some distance, the best I have tasted. An excellent and indulgent set of dishes to pick at during the meal.
The starters included king prawns in lemon, garlic and chilli butter, served with toasted rustic sourdough, a slightly left field dish of a pea, mint and broad bean falafel, with an aromatic accompaniment of coriander yoghurt, cucumber, couscous and crispy chickpeas. Delicious.
No problem polishing that lot off.
Meanwhile, our nine-year-old grandson started on the humus started before tackling a large, adult-sized burger and fries and finished of with a profiterole filled with ice cream. Great value.
While he ploughed his own little dining furrow, the four continued with mains of the aforementioned steak frites, a seemingly humble offering, but proving to a winner with a perfectly cooked bavette steak, which proved rich in flavor with a tender texture, with crispy fries. Another main dish was melt-in-the-mouth half chicken with fries spiced with garlic butter, harissa and sriracha sauces. A hefty offering with the doggy bag coming into play at the end.

My daughter in law went for the fish, a juicy and tender fillet of salmon presented with toasted new potatoes, peas, French beans and a chive and white wine sauce.
Meanwhile, fancying something a bit more exotic and on the vegan menu, I plumped for the Moroccan sweet potato and red pepper Tagine, a spicy, aromatic and imaginative alternative evoking memories of previous Middle East dining.
We were mostly feeling stuffed, but there was one dessert as part of the fixed priced menu, the creme brulee and one other member of the party ready for pudding and chose the apple and rhubarb tart. That person, who shall remain nameless, polished off the one that was ordered and whatever was left of the rest.
Overall and excellent dining experience and the change appears to have worked with the place pretty full on a Thursday evening.
The bill came to just under £200. That included several alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks and a 10 per cent service charge. So just the food would reduce the bill to £140 for five people. Pretty good value for money and all enjoyed in a venue with plenty of ambience.
Not at all downmarket, just an imaginative and seemingly popular alternative.

Pierre’s is open at 9am each day, offering a wide variety of breakfast options which will be available until the later time of 3pm. The Kids Breakfast starts from £2.50. 
Highlights include a breakfast flatbread – sourdough topped with tomato, bacon, egg, sausage and mushrooms; avocado on toast with pomegranate seeds, feta cheese, harissa oil and sweet chilli jam; a buttermilk pancake stack with a topping of either mixed berries and crème fraiche, or bacon and maple syrup. 
The Start and Share section includes some vegetarian options such as bang bang cauliflower, pan fried halloumi and a pea, mint and broad bean falafel, which seemed to interesting to miss out on.

Company CEO Nick White said: “Sutton Coldfield is a fantastic community and launching Pierre’s represents a thrilling opportunity for us to provide a fantastic hospitality venue to suit all occasions.
“The exciting relaunch has enabled us to offer something for everyone, a place where guests can sit and chat over a coffee, enjoy a cocktail or two, or indulge in a bigger meal with friends and family.”
For information, please visit www.bistrotpierre.co.uk/pierres/