Ben Piette and Lornette Piette-Valentine’s restaurant is a homely, welcoming place – and that’s largely down to the fact that they really are inviting you into their home. As Lornette says, "We're not living above a restaurant, we've built a restaurant in our home – and you're not customers coming to a restaurant, you're guests coming into our home”. For this couple and their two grown-up daughters, there really is little that divides the two.
With just 16 diners – 12 in the main room and 4 at “Ben’s Table” – there’s an intentional dinner party atmosphere. Guests are welcome to look around and interact with one another over drinks, and the evening’s menu is a surprise, with Ben enjoying the freedom to be creative and work with the latest seasonal ingredients to arrive at his door.
Lornette’s bubbly character makes her the perfect hostess, as she chats away to one and all, while Ben constantly interacts with the guests in front of him as he cooks on one half of the chef’s table, talking about everything from the origin of his ingredients to who inspires him at the moment.
With only two of them running the place, decisions can be made in the spur of a moment, so you’ll find some original cocktails and dishes with a personal twist – including things that were never planned to be featured before the start of service.
This all comes together to bring a really unique, warm and friendly feel to Maison – with the name ‘home’ being no mere coincidence – and the three-hour experience will fly by in no time.
On the evening we visited, dishes included:
Carrot & coconut velouté, with a dash of plant-based cream (affectionately nicknamed ‘cup-a-soup’ to make guests feel at ease while they’re settling in).
Soda bread served with Crondall rapeseed oil and Ben’s homemade fermented crab apple & star anise vinegar, and a homemade, plant-based Guinness butter topped with a dehydrated spring vegetable & herb powder.
Puttenham’s goat’s cheese with warm yellow and red tomatoes (from Tom & Grace at Frensham Market Farm), chives, salad and fennel from Ben's garden, and Ben’s homemade vegetable treacle (made from carrot skins).
Cornish red mullet, Cornish lobster, broccoli purée and lobster butter nage.
Hampshire Shepherd rack of lamb (from Surrey Hills Butchers), roasted red pepper, roasted aubergine and aubergine purée. Gravy: lamb and red wine sauce drizzled on with a bouquet garni created using herbs from Ben's garden.
