I have heard very good reports about this place, from friends and online reviews, and am fully aware of the excellent reputation of the owners – they also own the Milestone in Kelham Island, where I have eaten on more than one occasion and have been very impressed. We went for dinner here on a Monday evening for a friend’s birthday, with high expectations of a very special evening.
We hadn’t booked a table (my friend didn’t feel it was necessary as it was a Monday evening), and despite it being moderately busy we got a table no problem. We had met in the bar; a waitress came over to take our drinks order and whisked us off to a table in the restaurant as soon as she knew we wished to eat. This excellent, efficient service set the tone for the evening, which was lovely! We ordered a bottle of Sauvignon Blanc (standard choice!) which was delicious... The wine list was very extensive, with something for most price ranges, although none of the choices were particularly cheap (clearly you pay the price for good wine, which I am happy to do!). The waiter regularly topped up our wine throughout the meal... A man after my own heart!
The menu was not that extensive, with only about 6 choices each for starter and main course. Presumably this is because they have them on rotation. Nevertheless, we were spoilt for choice with the clearly well devised and delicious sounding choices! We decided to just have some bread and olives to start – we were extremely hungry to glad when it arrived very quickly! The olives weren’t the best I’ve ever tasted – they weren’t especially strong in flavour, but they were nice enough. The only other comment I can make it that the butter had clearly been in the fridge and so was difficult to spread! But I’m sure I can live with that...
We didn’t have to wait long for our main courses – nevertheless, the waitress apologised for the wait and let us know when they were a few minutes off, which was nice. I ordered the duck, which came as duck breast with duck confit and shards of crackling. This came with cherries and baby lettuce leaves. We ordered some hand cut chips and green beans on the side – we were glad we did as the portions weren’t huge – and I have a healthy appetite! The duck breast was cooked perfectly, slightly pink and quite tender. I was a little disappointed that all the fat had been removed from the duck breast, as I felt this would have helped add flavour and make it even more tender. The confit duck and the crackling helped to compensate, but while these were delicious both were very salty. The cherries were a lovely accompaniment which helped lift the saltiness, but I felt more of this element was needed – maybe by developing them into more of a jus. The chips were perfectly cooked, as were the green beans – these came with pine nuts, which was a nice twist. Overall the dish was really good, but not as perfect as I expected – but maybe I just set my standards too high!
In a typically girlie fashion, we decided on cocktails rather than dessert! These were excellent and the perfect end to the meal! We also ordered some petit fours to accompany these, which turned out to be a much needed sweet taste without being too over filling. These consisted of a homemade vanilla marshmallow, a fruit and nut biscotti, a blackcurrant jelly type sweet, and marinated orange slices. They were lovely!
I would definitely try this place again, they clearly have a very advanced and creative way with food. I would like to sample other dishes to see if they can reach the perfection I seem to expect! The overall experience was lovely and very special; the service was exceptional and the atmosphere was perfect. I would definitely recommend it for a special occasion – as a couple or as a group.
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