LIVE 24-SEVEN
NAI LCOTE HAL L OAK ROOM RESTAURANT
Turning off a country lane and approaching Nailcote Hall along a beautifully manicured drive is always going to be a great start to a food review. Here to test the delights of the fine dining Oak Room restaurant, a crisp winter’s evening was completed by the magical setting.
Greeted at reception, which is a splendid area full of charm with period décor and exposed beams, we were led to the bar area where we enjoyed pre-dinner drinks whilst we perused the fine menu.
A wonderfully varied menu, we were spoilt for choice and at odds at what to order. Fortunately, we were rescued by Rick Cressman, the delightful owner of Nailcote Hall, who is passionate about the menu and helped us with our choices. The head waiter Richard was equally helpful assisting with our wine choice, in fact everyone we encountered was knowledgeable and passionate about their role.
The Oak Room restaurant was everything you would expect and more; intimate and cosy with soft music, candlelight and a crackling log fire. It was shaping up to be an evening to remember. Delicious homemade warm breads (the sun-dried tomato and olive versions were delicious) were followed by a delightful amuse bouche.
Each course was delivered with a verbal description of the dish, adding to the enjoyment, and the team showed a real sense of pride in the food that they were serving to the guests.
For starters Adrian chose duck breast served with heritage carrots, beetroot and watercress, whilst I enjoyed hand-dived Brixham scallops served with Jerusalem artichoke purée, black pudding, samphire and smoked pancetta. The duck breast was served slightly pink and was beautifully tender, whilst the scallops were cooked to perfection and were well complemented with the stronger flavours of the black pudding and smoked pancetta. I did worry that these flavours might overpower the delicate scallops, but they were wonderfully paired.
Moving onto the main event, we were tempted by their very popular Steak Diane flambéed at the table, as well as the whole grilled line-caught Dover sole, but Rick’s recommendation was the slow-cooked venison for Adrian and Cornish monkfish for me. The venison was both tender and pink and served with a delightful combination of pearl barley, curly kale, butternut squash purée and venison jus; Adrian adored this
/ 80
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