Review of the reviews
Our five-course tasting menu begins with a curl of crisp, de- hydrated and salted cod skin, dotted with splodges of a saf- fron aioli and a hit of fennel. It crunches satisfyingly but then the flavours come through: the fish, the saffron, the aniseed. It’s a snack that tastes like a per- fect Mediterranean fish stew. A puck of raw scallop served at room temperature on a disc of lime is dressed with a little miso glaze and sesame seeds. So now we’re in Japan and very happy to be there. An oyster from nearby Lindisfarne has been cooked at 62°C and re- turned to the shell atop a lit- tle fruity vinegar. The oyster is hinged between meatiness and rawness. It’s damned clever. Best of these snacks is a but- tery piece of still-warm toast, laid with thin slices of lardo, the cured back fat of the pig, in turn loaded with a dollop of caviar. There is salt and crunch and fats of so many different kinds, and the knowledge that if you were brought a plate of these you’d snaffle the lot in seconds. That may just be me.
Jay Rayner travels to the North East, where he visits the “tiny but miraculous” Raby Hunt, run by golf pro turned chef James Close
A beef bone, sawn through on the horizontal and cleaned out so it looks like a piece of Skandi tableware, comes filled with slices of raw beef from a
“The oyster is hinged between meatiness and rawness. It’s damned clever”
Dexter-Wagyu cross, the former gifting flavour, the latter texture. It’s dressed with a little smoked marrowbone oil, dots of anchovy and torn basil leaves. It is a sul- try, aromatic mouthful. Tiny cyl- inders of duck-liver parfait come wrapped in the thinnest leaves of smoked eel, with beetroot in various forms. In my notebook I scribble one word: earthy. I think that just about covers it. Price: £120-£200 for a meal for two including service
Marina O’Loughlin wishes she had invested in Brighton’s crowd-funded, zero-waste Silo restaurant in Brighton Despite arse-challenging seat- ing made from pulped wood waste, it’s packed: boisterous parties, earnest computer-star- ers, breastfeeding mothers. I already love the place, if only be- cause it would give Nigel Farage a violent dose of the vapours. Chef/owner Douglas McMas- ter is happy with meat, as long as the whole beast is pressed into service. He brings a dish to our table: local venison shot by “my pal Trevor”. It ain’t pretty, a hummock of slow-braised meat on top of lentils laced with pars- nip in various guises – crisps, batons, fried dice.
16 | The Caterer | 20 March 2015
It’s tempting to smirk: pre- serves made from “intercepted” mangoes, porridge from “acti- vated grains”, and they’ve just raised 40 grand to sail in green coffee beans, red wine and ca- cao “with only the wind as en- ergy”. But it isn’t funny: waste from the food industry alone is estimated to cost £5b a year. In fact, instead of snickering, I wish I’d spotted it in time to make a small investment. After all, we’re looking at the future. Rating: food 6/10; atmosphere 7/10; value for money 8/10; ethos 10/10. Price: about £22 a head plus drinks and service
Tom Chesshyre enjoys the comfortable and chic bedrooms at Penrhiw hotel, St Davids, Pembrokeshire, although he finds them “a touch city-slicker” for the Welsh countryside What looks like the private home of a multimillionaire is in fact a seven-room boutique hotel stuffed full of modern art. Penrhiw is in a wonderfully qui- et spot and was an early 19th- century convent before becom- ing a place of spiritual retreat. Just over four years ago, the building was acquired by archi- tect Keith Griffiths and turned into a bijoux hideaway. Abstract art by Brendan Stuart Burns hangs in the lounge. Silver vel- vet sofas are dotted here and there. Tall curtains flow from
the high ceilings of bay win- dows near an honesty bar with Berry Brothers & Rudd wines. The rooms are ostentatiously comfortable and have a slightly masculine, dark-coloured look. Soft tan leather rugs cover most of the well-polished hardwood floors in many of the rooms and the caramel wallpaper has a suede-like texture. All beds are
large. The two cheapest
rooms – Ravens and Treetops – are tucked away in the attic, with thick oatmeal carpets and low ceilings. These are the best bargains. Rating: 8/10. Price: B&B doubles from £170
www.thecaterer.com
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73 |
Page 74 |
Page 75 |
Page 76 |
Page 77 |
Page 78 |
Page 79 |
Page 80