They had us the moment they served bread made from a nine-and-a-half-year-old sourdough starter. That bread was simply divine and immediately set the expectations for our very first Michelin Star restaurant experience.
Menus are seasonal tasting menus. For lunch, each person chooses either a 4-course for £55 or 6-course for £68. Both of us picked the 4-course. For the quality of the food, the price was astonishingly good, especially when additional complimentary small bites were included.
There was not a single dish that left any room for disappointment. In fact the flavors were so peculiar that makes it difficult to accurately articulate the palate. We had the following dishes below after starting with complimentary snack plates of green olives and smoked salted almonds.
- Chickpea cracker, truffle mascarpone, sobrasada jam and chervil root (complimentary)
- Roast Jerusalem artichoke purée, beer gel, crispy yeast and Horlick powder (complimentary)
- Malt loaf (9.5-year-old starter, sourdough style, malt glaze on top) with live cultured butter from Grant Harrington in Oxfordshire, 100% Jersey cow milk (complimentary)
- Isle of Wight tomato, salami, avocado, Old Winchester
- Gilt-head bream, sweet & sour dill, red grapes, almonds
- Choice of saddle & scrag of lamb, curried cauliflower purée, green herb ketchup, or Isle of Gigha halibut, brown shrimps, Scottish girolles
- Brightwell Ash goat's cheese, peach chutney, oat cake, borage honey (£9.50)
- Papouasie chocolate, blueberries, goat's milk
- Guatemala Specialty Decaf, Swiss water process (£5.50 per shot)
- Choux pastry (complimentary)
The dining area is small, accommodating only a few tables. We had reserved Thursday at 12:30 PM and unexpectedly stayed for three hours. Service was extremely attentive and yet had a relaxing ambience. Each 750ml bottle of still water cost £3.80. Guest Wi-Fi is available. Cooking classes are held at this restaurant too covering kitchen basics and recreating recipes. read more