Now that the children are both at school during the week I have a chance to enjoy a leisurely lunch with my wife. So for our first weekday lunch outing I decided to visit an old favourite we'd neglected for probably 4 years!
On arrival everything looked as it did all that time ago, including the unfinished mural on the wall. We sat at the table and were pleased to see that they still did their great value '2 course lunch' for £15 each. Now this is obviously not as competitively priced as some high street operators but this is an independent and the quality of the food and size of the dishes certainly outweigh this.
We ordered a very well priced bottle of Portuguese white, received some complimentary chilled and filtered water, and ordered our starters. I choose the English Asparagus with Poached Egg & Truffle Oil and my wife the Beetroot & Feta Soup. Now Beetroot Soup can sometimes be served chilled or hot so my wife asked the question. The response was a little abrupt when we were told it was 'Hot' and we felt as if the question should not have been asked or maybe this highlighted their lack of knowledge of how some soups can be served.
Our starters arrived and both looked beautiful. The soup had a great vibrant colour, as you'd expect with beetroot, and the taste didn't disappoint either. The texture of the feta with the soup and the contrast of cold cheese and hot soup were really comforting on this wet miserable day. The truffle scent from my starter was a really familiar smell and something I was looking forward to. I broke the egg and was sad to see that the poached egg, obviously refreshed to order, was almost hard with just a small amount of soft yolk and certainly nothing there to run between the stalks of my asparagus - an experience I observed a fellow dinner have! All the same it tasted very nice and the asparagus was fresh and tender.
After this our mains arrived of Roast Cod on Lemon Zest Mash with Crab Sauce and a Blade of Beef with Garlic Mash. These were accompanied with a nice selection of vegetables although most were not in season.
When serving a dish with lots of runny sauce, which the Blade of Beef did, I wish chefs would give some consideration to waiting staff that have to deliver the dish. Sadly this was not taken into consideration and the waitress spilt the sauce over the floor and herself!
The Blade of Beef was massive and really should have been half the size but very tasty with melt in the mouth texture that went well with the Garlic Mash - another warming comfort dish. The sauce that wasn't spilt on the floor was too thin and rather than being spooned straight from the pot would have benefited from some more attention with some flour and butter.
I wouldn't normally order cod as it's not indigenous to our waters here in Devon but I do know that the local seas have been so cold recently that these creatures have found there way down to our waters. The Cod was obviously fresh, flaky and cooked just how I like it! The Lemon Zest Mash was a really nice touch and complimented the fish (my wife didn't agree) but after a few more mouthfuls it began to be a little too much. The Crab Sauce was nice, in its own right, but I maybe would have liked to see less on the plate or maybe with another dish. Although cod can sometimes be a little bland on its own (this was not) it is very easy to overpower this great white fish.
Whilst eating we discussed how the dishes lacked the finesse that we'd enjoyed all those years ago. I asked if Stephen (if my memory serves me this was who ran this place) was still here and was told that the Conservatory had changed hands a few weeks earlier. Stephen's brigades efficiency and knowledge is what was missing and they enjoyed faithful regulars that I hope won't be put off by the new team. With a little oiling of the cog they should get there and continue to tempt people down Exeter's North Street. It certainly wasn't the food I'd enjoyed all those years ago but enjoyable all the same. We will return to see if things have been tweaked and maybe the mural will be finished too! read more
