I've wanted to go to the Hand and Flowers (http://www.thehandandflowers.co.uk/) for a while now so when it turned out that McFoodie and I had friends who shared this desire, we decided to make a night of it. The place has a Michelin star, which kind of gets your hopes up, and pretty much every time I've driven past it on the weekend, there's a sign out saying it's fully booked...no credit crunch special offers here.
We had a 7.30pm reservation, earlier than I normally eat, but the place still had a good buzz to it when we arrived, and not a sprog in sight! We were seated efficiently, presented with the leather-bound menus and left to peruse what the evening had in store. Our table for four was of a decent size but far too close to two of the other tables in our area of the restaurant, so both McFoodie and another member of our group were unable to move...not a great start. This was made worse by the room being incredibly hot and for no apparent reason.
The menu (http://www.thehandandflowers.co.uk/Menus/A%20la%20carte.doc) has lots of interesting options, with some regional produce, such as Thames Valley lamb and Oxfordshire rump steak, although vegetarians are well and truly scuppered. It was a little disappointing that there were no daily specials, but the main menu provided plenty of choice. There was an interesting range of wines, with a strong French flavour. We were given a selection of freshly baked breads and some flavoursome whitebait, served in a newpaper cone with tartare sauce. However, we were not really given enough time to make a dent in this before the starters arrived. To start, McFoodie and I both had the parfait of duck and foie gras with orange chutney and bouchon brioche - the parfait was wonderfully light and quite different, although - as usual - there was far less brioche than parfait (why...when bread is the cheaper item?!?!). The orange chutney was tangy and cut through the richness of the parfait. Reports on the terrine of old spot pork and bacon with hot pickled pineapple seemed good, while the moules marinière with warm stout and brown bed was not at all what was expected but seemed to please nonetheless. The most bizarre thing about the starters had to be the enormous plates on which they were served - in the case of the parfait, which was a small quenelle on a huge dish. This was quite ridiculous, made the table far more squashed than it needed to be and seemed quite unnecessary.
After a short pause, main courses arrived. My Oxfordshire rump steak with Hand and Flowers chips and béarnaise sauce was really good - the chips have a reputation that go before them and it is certainly well-deserved, they're far superior to Heston Blumenthal's triple-cooked chips at the Hinds Head in Bray. The steak was very nicely cooked and really tender although not as strongly-flavoured as I'd expected. McFoodie went for slow cooked Oxford beef with bone marrow pudding, pomme galette and braising jus - the beef had a really good flavour but was considerably tougher than expected. The pudding, the idea of which had initially terrified me, was pleasantly herby and provided a good contrast to the rich meat. The pomme galette turned out to be a new form of potatoes that appealed to my potato-hating husband, as it's basically a big crisp! One of our friends had the tart of honey roast breast of duck with savoy cabbage and chanterelles, and commented that it was the best-cooked duck breast she'd had, although had she not also ordered a side of chips, I think she'd have felt quite short-changed. The other friend had the saddle of Thames Valley lamb with pearl barley and laverbread and seemed very pleased, notably with the accompaniments, which seemed to be a pleasant surprise. My experience of pearl barley has been the sensation of chewing on small rubber nuggets but this was not at the case here.
We'd not thought that desserts were going to be an option, partly because of all the food we'd already eaten but also because the heat was getting a bit much, but once the table next to us left and we were able to open the window, things changed! The apple tart was much in-demand at our table, and rightly so as it was one of the best apple tarts I've had in years, but the caramel ice cream was really unpleasant, with what were presumably meant to be complex burnt undertones really dominating. The tart itself was difficult to cut through, which resulted in a comment from our friend who'd had the duck tart that they'd found the same with that. However, that didn't really knock points off as the flavour was so good. One friend had the Valrhona 70% chocolate tart with malted milk ice cream, which he said was ver good and definitely on a level with the apple tart...with considerably more palatable ice cream!
Overall, this was an enjoyable evening and a good meal, but perhaps not as great as we'd expected. While the food was certainly a long way from bad, the overall experience was what let the Hand and Flowers down. The service was a little brusque and certainly couldn't be described as friendly - there seemed to be several "ranks" among the staff and you had to get the right person for your request, rather than just knowing whose eye you had to catch. On a more positive note, the staff seemed to know their stuff and certainly knew the menu. In terms of cost, this is never going to be a cheap evening, and you wouldn't want it to be, but we were incredibly impressed when the bill came along - 3 courses for 4 people plus wine was just under £190...far less than expected. The website claims that the chef "combines unpretentious modern British flavours as well as rustic French dishes" as I'm really not sure that I agree with the former point. While, in general, the food was certainly very good, the welcome was not nearly as warm as the restaurant itself - the place itself was a little stuffy, verging on pretentious at times and really just lacked buzz and that something special that makes you feel that you will definitely go back. It's hard when you go somewhere with high expectations, but I can't help thinking that places like the Royal Oak in Bovingdon Green (http://www.royaloakmarlow.co.uk/) and the White Oak in Cookham (http://www.thewhiteoak.co.uk/wo-contactus-content.swf) offer comparable food in a more enjoyable atmosphere where you feel genuinely welcome.
Sunday 15 March 2009
Monday 9 March 2009
Hotel du Vin, Newcastle
This weekend the country mouse went to the town! I have to admit that I'm a bit of a sucker for Hotel du Vin (http://www.hotelduvin.com/), even though I'm not usually a fan of chains. In this case, however, you know not only what you're going to get but also that you're going to like it. McFoodie and I plod off to Newcastle every so often to see his grandfather, and we've always stayed at Malmaison (for pretty much the aforementioned reasons) but since the new Hotel du Vin opened in October (http://www.hotelduvin.com/HotelLanding.aspx?HotelId=25), we've been looking forward to having another option...and to being a bit further away from the stag and hen infested madness of the quayside area of town.
Having already stayed at HdV in Cheltenham and in Henley and eaten at the one in Winchester, there really wasn't much question as to where we'd eat, so we'd opted for a dinner, bed and breakfast rate at £200. It's a really good deal - a mezzanine room, three courses with one side order and coffee and then breakfast the next morning. Our room was interesting, with the bathroom overlooking the bedroom, perfect for splashing McFoodie as he watched the football. Hotel du Vin know how to make you feel at home - the room was very nicely done and touches like full-size bottles of Arran Aromatics toiletries and real milk in the fridge make you feel less like a night away from home means compromising.
Once McFoodie had enough of my splashing and the football was over, we headed over to the bar for a drink before dinner. The bar has a really good atmosphere - just the right combination of smart and relaxed, and a glass of champagne each was a great start. When we went through to the bistro (http://www.hotelduvin.com/HotelPage.aspx?HotelId=25&NavigationId=165), it was buzzy but not too busy and we were lucky to get a table by the window, overlooking the terrace. Wonderfully fresh bread was promptly brought to our table to munch on while we perused the menus.
What Hotel du Vin does so well is sticking to what it does best - the menu is fairly simple but exciting, with a great mix of contemporary European dishes. Added to this is an emphasis on locally sourced produce, and great wine. There is a sommelier who takes your order after you've chosen food and they're happy to make recommendations that don't entirely break the bank. We chose a very nice sauvignon blanc from Casablanca, because it sounded romantic for our delayed Valentine's treat.
I started with squid with aioli - it's something I often dread ordering for fear of ending up with the regimented breaded rings that I always think came straight from a bag in the deep freeze, but this was great - big chunks of crispy, breaded squid with aioli that had just the right amount of punch. McFoodie opted for a homemade scotch egg, which was served with a herbed mayonnaise and seemed very good and was a perfect choice for my vegetable-hating husband. Choosing a main course had been a tough challenge as there was so much that tempted me, but I was glad that I went for pan fried sea bream with green beans and sauce vierge - it was beautifully cooked and my side order of creamy mashed potatoes was the perfect accompaniment. Someone at the table next to me ordered beef bourguignonne, which had left me suffering serious food envy, but I was pleased to recover once my own plate was in front of me. McFoodie had a really great ribeye steak with peppercorn sauce, and loved it, although it left him somewhat defeated. His request to have frites instead of fat chips caused no problem at all, and he ended up with a proper cone of chips that could probably have fed a table of four.
On finishing our main courses we realised the foolishness of throwing quite so much of the delicious bread down our throats. McFoodie managed to squeeze in some apricot sorbet, with a little help, and I had cheese. There was an impressive choice of British and French cheeses and the person serving really knew their stuff.
We left the restaurant feeling very full but very happy. Breakfast the following morning was just as good - with granola, yogurt and pastries for me, while McFoodie went for French toast with bacon, which seemed to make him very happy. As a devout cynic, I'm sure that I'll be disappointed one day, but I do like Hotel du Vin for its air of understated sophistication and consistent quality. Overall, it didn't break the bank either, even with £20 frivolously spent on valet parking. I hope I get another Hotel du Vin hit before too long.
Having already stayed at HdV in Cheltenham and in Henley and eaten at the one in Winchester, there really wasn't much question as to where we'd eat, so we'd opted for a dinner, bed and breakfast rate at £200. It's a really good deal - a mezzanine room, three courses with one side order and coffee and then breakfast the next morning. Our room was interesting, with the bathroom overlooking the bedroom, perfect for splashing McFoodie as he watched the football. Hotel du Vin know how to make you feel at home - the room was very nicely done and touches like full-size bottles of Arran Aromatics toiletries and real milk in the fridge make you feel less like a night away from home means compromising.
Once McFoodie had enough of my splashing and the football was over, we headed over to the bar for a drink before dinner. The bar has a really good atmosphere - just the right combination of smart and relaxed, and a glass of champagne each was a great start. When we went through to the bistro (http://www.hotelduvin.com/HotelPage.aspx?HotelId=25&NavigationId=165), it was buzzy but not too busy and we were lucky to get a table by the window, overlooking the terrace. Wonderfully fresh bread was promptly brought to our table to munch on while we perused the menus.
What Hotel du Vin does so well is sticking to what it does best - the menu is fairly simple but exciting, with a great mix of contemporary European dishes. Added to this is an emphasis on locally sourced produce, and great wine. There is a sommelier who takes your order after you've chosen food and they're happy to make recommendations that don't entirely break the bank. We chose a very nice sauvignon blanc from Casablanca, because it sounded romantic for our delayed Valentine's treat.
I started with squid with aioli - it's something I often dread ordering for fear of ending up with the regimented breaded rings that I always think came straight from a bag in the deep freeze, but this was great - big chunks of crispy, breaded squid with aioli that had just the right amount of punch. McFoodie opted for a homemade scotch egg, which was served with a herbed mayonnaise and seemed very good and was a perfect choice for my vegetable-hating husband. Choosing a main course had been a tough challenge as there was so much that tempted me, but I was glad that I went for pan fried sea bream with green beans and sauce vierge - it was beautifully cooked and my side order of creamy mashed potatoes was the perfect accompaniment. Someone at the table next to me ordered beef bourguignonne, which had left me suffering serious food envy, but I was pleased to recover once my own plate was in front of me. McFoodie had a really great ribeye steak with peppercorn sauce, and loved it, although it left him somewhat defeated. His request to have frites instead of fat chips caused no problem at all, and he ended up with a proper cone of chips that could probably have fed a table of four.
On finishing our main courses we realised the foolishness of throwing quite so much of the delicious bread down our throats. McFoodie managed to squeeze in some apricot sorbet, with a little help, and I had cheese. There was an impressive choice of British and French cheeses and the person serving really knew their stuff.
We left the restaurant feeling very full but very happy. Breakfast the following morning was just as good - with granola, yogurt and pastries for me, while McFoodie went for French toast with bacon, which seemed to make him very happy. As a devout cynic, I'm sure that I'll be disappointed one day, but I do like Hotel du Vin for its air of understated sophistication and consistent quality. Overall, it didn't break the bank either, even with £20 frivolously spent on valet parking. I hope I get another Hotel du Vin hit before too long.
Tuesday 3 March 2009
Windsor Grill, Windsor
Overall, Windsor Grill (http://www.awtrestaurants.com/windsor/) is a good place - the service is friendly and efficient, the food is pretty good and it doesn't really just feel that Antony Worrall Thompson is just trading on his name..although with branded cutlery and more AWT references on the menu than I could be bothered to count, it plays a fairly prominent role. The website claims that this and the other restaurants in the group offer "real food for real people, no pompous surroundings, no fuss, just excellent quality traditional food in a relaxed and enjoyable way" and I'd say that's pretty true. It's a nice environment and does a good job of not being pretentious - the bar is friendly for pre-dinner drinks and jeans were perfectly acceptable attire. I've visited on a number of occasions and have also been to Kew Grill in Richmond (http://www.awtrestaurants.com/kewgrill/), but much prefer Windsor for its relaxed yet smart feel.
This foodie adventure was for McFoodie's work dinner club, and eight of us ate in the private dining room, which was a generally pleasant experience. The room was well-decorated and great for a group that doesn't want to keep the volume too low. However, it could have benefited from a little air and a better music system - we plugged our own iPod into a not very good dock to provide some atmosphere.
Nobody in our group ordered a starter and I was impressed that the staff didn't look down on this when we were making use of the private dining room. Bread and olives were delivered swiftly to the table (more on that later) and our orders were taken efficiently. Several people in our group opted for fillet steak with one of the several sauces on offer, and this seemed to be a good choice although one person found that their sauce was cold. McFoodie opted for one of the specialities - Antony's own roast middle white suckling pig, sage and onion stuffing and apple and chilli jelly, and was very impressed - he loved the stuffing and the jelly. The mouthful I tried was certainly very good, with excellent crackling, although I'd say that for £18.95, being charged an extra £3.25 for fries was a bit cheeky. I opted for one of the daily specials - medallions of rump steak with rosemary and parmesan potatoes and pepperonata, which was lovely. Another person ordered the daily special of halibut - a mammoth chunk of fish! The dessert menu was greeted with open arms, albeit alongside already-full stomachs - McFoodie had sticky toffee pudding with ginger ice cream and liked it a lot, while my pecan pie was nice but the cinnamon ice cream that came with it was very grainy and not so pleasant. Elsewhere on the table, the creme brulee seemed to be enjoyed but the chocolate tasting plate was disappointing and lacked flavour. There was also a good choice of wines - we opted for an enjoyable Montes sauvignon blanc from Chile - and jugs of water were delivered with great efficiency.
Overall this was a good experience - my only significant criticism is that everything comes at a price. Very few of the dishes on the extensive menu came with any potatoes or vegetables and I can't help thinking that if bread is brought to you with no prompting, charging for it is a bit cheeky. If I order something, I have no issue with paying for it, but if I don't, I assume that I won't see it on the bill, so I ended up in a bit of grump at the approach taken here...it wasn't even great bread!. Had the service not been good, I'd perhaps not have paid the 12.5% service charge added to the bill - but as the website states that this is distributed to all staff, I'm glad I didn't do that. The bottom line is that for meat eaters in particular, Windsor Grill is a good experience, but with Mr Worral Thompson clearly facing some economic challenges, having recently closed four of his restaurants, he shouldn't rest on his laurels. The current concerns regarding the economy have led to restaurants at either end of the gastronomical spectrum to be far more aware of what diners are looking for, but this one seems to be living in blissful ignorance and doing all it can to keep the coffers full. There are other restaurants in the area that are just as good as this - if not better - and which feel a bit less commercial. Having visited several times when someone else was picking up the bill, I think it felt more special then!
This foodie adventure was for McFoodie's work dinner club, and eight of us ate in the private dining room, which was a generally pleasant experience. The room was well-decorated and great for a group that doesn't want to keep the volume too low. However, it could have benefited from a little air and a better music system - we plugged our own iPod into a not very good dock to provide some atmosphere.
Nobody in our group ordered a starter and I was impressed that the staff didn't look down on this when we were making use of the private dining room. Bread and olives were delivered swiftly to the table (more on that later) and our orders were taken efficiently. Several people in our group opted for fillet steak with one of the several sauces on offer, and this seemed to be a good choice although one person found that their sauce was cold. McFoodie opted for one of the specialities - Antony's own roast middle white suckling pig, sage and onion stuffing and apple and chilli jelly, and was very impressed - he loved the stuffing and the jelly. The mouthful I tried was certainly very good, with excellent crackling, although I'd say that for £18.95, being charged an extra £3.25 for fries was a bit cheeky. I opted for one of the daily specials - medallions of rump steak with rosemary and parmesan potatoes and pepperonata, which was lovely. Another person ordered the daily special of halibut - a mammoth chunk of fish! The dessert menu was greeted with open arms, albeit alongside already-full stomachs - McFoodie had sticky toffee pudding with ginger ice cream and liked it a lot, while my pecan pie was nice but the cinnamon ice cream that came with it was very grainy and not so pleasant. Elsewhere on the table, the creme brulee seemed to be enjoyed but the chocolate tasting plate was disappointing and lacked flavour. There was also a good choice of wines - we opted for an enjoyable Montes sauvignon blanc from Chile - and jugs of water were delivered with great efficiency.
Overall this was a good experience - my only significant criticism is that everything comes at a price. Very few of the dishes on the extensive menu came with any potatoes or vegetables and I can't help thinking that if bread is brought to you with no prompting, charging for it is a bit cheeky. If I order something, I have no issue with paying for it, but if I don't, I assume that I won't see it on the bill, so I ended up in a bit of grump at the approach taken here...it wasn't even great bread!. Had the service not been good, I'd perhaps not have paid the 12.5% service charge added to the bill - but as the website states that this is distributed to all staff, I'm glad I didn't do that. The bottom line is that for meat eaters in particular, Windsor Grill is a good experience, but with Mr Worral Thompson clearly facing some economic challenges, having recently closed four of his restaurants, he shouldn't rest on his laurels. The current concerns regarding the economy have led to restaurants at either end of the gastronomical spectrum to be far more aware of what diners are looking for, but this one seems to be living in blissful ignorance and doing all it can to keep the coffers full. There are other restaurants in the area that are just as good as this - if not better - and which feel a bit less commercial. Having visited several times when someone else was picking up the bill, I think it felt more special then!
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