You'd think that coming from Blanc (albeit a chain), there'd be a certain attention to detail and finesse to maintain integrity in the name... but you'd be wrong.
The food is good, passable, adequate. As expected, the food is just that little bit more expensive than you'd expect, but certainly not exorbitantly so.
I ordered the specials that day. The starter was a prawn and lobster cocktail, which was well seasoned, but for £9 I was expecting the interpretation taken a little less literally. Without the solitary slice of lobster on top, the prawn cocktail could have come from any pub that takes some care in it's food. Main was rack of lamb and roast vegetables, which was cooked well. Again, not presented with particular care, but the portion was far larger than I was expecting, so I was extremely grateful for that! My father had the cheese souffle, which was nice but a little on the large side, and the baby turbot, which he devoured.
Then came the dessert... Meringue with Chantilly cream, vanilla ice cream and chestnust sauce. The meringue was huge! Crispy for the most part, with a chewy base. I was hoping the chef would have done something to prevent this being sweetness laid on top of sweetness, but unfortunately, no. It was a massive sugar rush, and since the ice cream and sauce were served with restraint, it left me with plenty of sickly sweet meringue left over. Meringue is great and all, but not on it's own! I understand this isn't THE Blanc restaurant, but I would have thought rookie errors in balance like this would be spotted a mile off.
It's tasty and simple, but it's not really deserving of Blanc's name. The bill left me thinking I could have had an equally good meal for 20% less, but I guess that's where the name comes in. I wouldn't complain if I had to eat here again, but if a friend suggested it, I would probably suggest going elsewhere. I don't mind paying extra for skill or quality, but not for the name alone. read more