Le Bistrot Pierre

As far as Torbay goes, this is the best food I’ve had since moving here six years ago. Everything I had was scrumptious!
For French cuisine it isn’t really expensive, and if you go before 6.30 you can get some excellent deals.
Don’t expect a quiet dining experience. I’ve found that all the restaurants in that building are loud at dinner, but Pierre is not as noisy as the others.

We had a terrific, long lunch here on a Friday afternoon. I’ve heard from people who live in Torquay that this place is exceptionally good compared to many of the other restaurants in the area. While dinner is pricey, they have a great lunch deal. Two courses for £11, three courses for £13, and you have a wide variety of options.
We started by sharing some marinated olives and luscious chorizo bites soaked in honey. The whole roasted garlic bulb was delicious too, though really overpriced given the size and how much garlic costs.
For my appetizer, I got the warm salad of roasted beetroot with goat cheese and candied walnuts. It was small, but delicious. The ingredients were warm and fragrant, and the flavors went wonderfully together. My salmon entrée was lovely too — simple and fresh, with french beans and a light butter sauce. All the lunches come with potatoes and vegetables. I didn’t think much of the fries — not warm enough or crispy enough — but the roasted potatoes were very nice. Because someone in our party had their food come out late, we were given lots of extra sides and her meal was taken off the bill, a great way to handle it. Several of us got dessert — the crème brûlée was a simple, classic version of the dish, and very tasty. Such a great deal for all that food!
I was a bit dissatisfied with the service, although our server was friendly, helpful, and warm, it was incredibly slow. We were there for hours! It took so long for each course to come out. We had our empty appetizer plates in front of us for 15 minutes before they were removed, and it took even longer before the entrees came out. Still, because the food and atmosphere was so nice (great views out the big front windows), I can’t fault them too much! Wouldn’t keep me from returning at all, just don’t go if you’re in a hurry!