On a quick trip away to Cornwall to take care of wedding planning, we stayed at the Retallack Resort and Spa, home to The Green Room. In our room, we glanced at the sample menu and it looked appetizing, so we opted to just have dinner at the restaurant instead of trekking out and driving someplace else. (After 5+ hours, driving didn't seem like much fun.)
We had a reservation at 8:00, but we arrived at 7:30. We opted to have some wine in the lounge and check out the menu until the time of our booking. So the wine list isn't elaborate or extensive. There were some interesting choices, but it wasn't the most exciting. However, the two wines we did have (a Marlborough Sauvignion Blanc and a Rioja) were incredibly tasty.
As we were perusing the menu, we saw that the executive chef of the restaurant was the 2008 Masterchef winner: James Nathan. We're avid Masterchef watchers (all three shows!) and this just seemed like an added bonus: to get to try food from one of the famed winners. When you watch the show you always wonder if the food is really as good as the judges say, or whether it is a bit exaggerated for purposes of making a good television show.
Well I can say that it is definitely no exaggeration. We opted for the five-course a la carte menu (as they were only doing the tasting menu on Thursdays). It's the same as the three-course with a tomato essence (consomme) amuse bouche and a mango, lemongrass and ginger sorbet palate cleanser between the starter and the main. The other half and I are terrible at restaurants, we always want the same thing, so we both ordered the mussels (in an Asian-style cooking broth) and the lamb shoulder confit.
The mussels were fantastic. They were far better than any of the mussels I had in Belgium (and I had a lot: I had three meals in Belgium and all I had were mussels) which was incredibly surprising! They were so soft and just barely cooked to perfection. None of them were rubbery. One I had was incredibly salty and had a rush of sea water, but they were heavenly. And the broth was divine. I love Asian-style food, and this broth was probably the best mussel broth I've ever eaten: Garlicky and gingery with a mix of soy and hoisin sauces. Delish! I want to go back just to eat the mussels again. They were that good. They are probably going to be the bar I hold all mussels up to from now on. I suppose the freshness level really has a lot to do with the closeness to the water: They get them fresh every day.
The lamb was killer. Moist yet crispy, as a confit should be. The vegetables were just how I like them, slightly underdone and very crispy. The potatoes were tasty (although they were also slightly underdone: not inedible, but I do prefer my potatoes fluffier than these were). I ate the whole thing. For dessert I had sticky toffee pudding with clotted cream and the other half had the cheese plate. They do local Cornish cheeses (as you would expect). The pudding was really well done and the clotted cream paired perfectly. I would have liked a tad more sauce, but it was really delicious. I had a cappuccino. It was delicious. The end of the night coffee often can ruin a dinner for me, but this one was absolutely perfect.
It also turns out that the table next to ours was full of James Nathan's family. He came out to chat with them, and also talked with us. He loved all the compliments we gave him about his food, and he seemed quite humble when we said it. He also moved around and chatted with the other guests which was a nice touch as well. The last time the chef came out and said hello to us was in France, and it was a pleasant surprise.
If you're staying in the area, definitely make an effort to come out and visit The Green Room. The decor is a bit basic and understated, but the food is really top quality. read more
