Cafe Rouge Rejuvenated

Café Rouge at Gunwharf Quays has recently had a make-over and a new seasonal menu.  Can you believe it’s been 10 years already for them at this site!  

Last week I had the opportunity to go and sample this brand new menu, which boasts their most authentic and exquisite dishes to date.  The décor is cleaner and brighter than before, but still stays true to its identifying colours and bistro feel.

I was really pleased to see Escargots (AKA snails) on this new menu.  At the tasting evening held a few weeks prior these were handed out as canapés to sample.  Looking at people’s faces there was a mixed reaction to trying them out.  For me it’s a dish I love, and having travelled to other countries including Malta, this is a dish that is popular in many places, and truly delicious. I was looking forward to seeing how they would materialise into a restaurant dish.

Whilst we perused the menu, we nibbled on a selection of olives and a plate of mixed breads.  The caraway bread lacked in flavour for me, so perhaps this could be improved.

I encouraged my party to choose dishes off this new menu, and most obliged!  Between us we tried out the salmon ceviche, ragout d’escargots and crevettes for starters.  Everyone really happy with their choices, but especially pleased that the escargot was excellent!  High praise indeed, as I had my doubts as to whether they would be rubbery, in fact they were succulent and flavoursome especially with the added truffle oil. Served almost as a pie with a puff pastry top - a ‘must try’ dish!

I ordered the bouef bourguignon for my main course.  We agreed it was the best dish. Nice to have fresh chopped herbs folded through the mash potato too, and presented well.  Other mains ordered included the slow cooked duck leg, which didn’t seem to have been given much of a makeover, sea bass fillet which was a good size portion, and a sirloin steak.

We found a small space for sampling the puddings!  What was nice regarding the dessert menu was the addition of quirky flavour sorbets and ice creams.   Crème brulees were served with a delicious strawberry and black pepper sorbet, and the creamy chocolate ganache was topped with chocolate lime & chilli sorbet.  Perhaps not classically French, but what restaurant doesn’t have to tweak and adapt a little to remain fresh to keep our interest. 

I had somewhat fallen out of love with Café Rouge, but this timely all-round makeover has certainly whetted my enthusiasm to return. 

Wine is now supplied by Bibendum

Local Evening Cookery Classes

I decided to pop into Chimes Restaurant (for those who do not know, it is Highbury college's Hospitality and Catering restaurant located on Winston Churchill Ave).  As I was walking past, I was pleased to discover that they are now running some cookery courses for the likes of you and I.  I was told this was a fairly new venture for them.  Having attended many cookery schools over the years, I'm glad to see the local college is running some evening classes, and I think it is a great idea for the people of Portsmouth.

I did manage to pick up a couple of leaflets as to what they have coming up, but for further information on these and as to what events are scheduled for future dates, you need to visit http://www.highbury.ac.uk/client/content.asp?Contentid=322

I think the level of classes is aimed at beginners to intermediate, and classes are being ran by the college's lecturers.  Here are the details:

Seasonal Asparagus

This seasons recipe includes the use of Asparagus.  It is well known that British Asparagus is among the best in the world, and I usually have it simply with pan fried fish and boiled new potatoes.

To still enjoy this wonderful ingredient alongside my other favourites I decided to make a one pot dish that I can pop in my Rangemaster and enjoy on a weeknight with the family - quick, easy and healthy.

This dish is being entered into the Rix Petroleum's Food Blogger Competition where every month you can win Waitrose food vouchers too. Our Local Southsea Waitrose branch has recently undergone a make-over so I couldn't think of a better way to spend an afternoon browsing the new shiny isles and fresh food counters!

Roasted Salmon and Asparagus

You will need:
2 fillets of salmon
Handful of asparagus
350g new potatoes
Punnet of vine cherry tomatoes
2 tablespoons of olive oil
2 tablespoon of balsamic vinegar

Pre-heat the oven to 200C
Add the potatoes drizzled with half the oil into an ovenproof dish and cook for 10 minutes.  
Add the salmon, tomatoes, remaining oil and vinegar and season everything with salt and pepper and cook for a further 10 minutes.
Finally and the asparagus and cook for a final 10 minutes.

So simple, and yet so tasty too! I hope you enjoy this week night dish as much as I do.


 
This is a dish for Rix Aga Inspired Recipes:  http://www.rix.co.uk/aga-cooker-recipes/

Re-opening of Zizzi Port Solent

The Port Solent branch of Zizzi has had a refurbishment this March and I was invited along to take a look at the new restaurant.  It was one of the very last Zizzi's to have it's makeover, so all the staff were eager to show it off.

There was a lovely buzz in a very full restaurant, and all staff eager to please.  It's light and airy feel is a welcome change, as I do recall the restaurant before feeling very dark and gloomy.  It is on par with what you would expect a restaurant in 2014 to be. Each branch has a vibrant unique murual as a feature wall which makes a great point of interest.

To start with a sharing plate of antipasti was offered.  Nice to see calamari rings appear, as well as the usual cured meats, breads and olives.

I selected the fish stew for my main course, so often this is a terribly disappointing option for me in many chain restaurants, but there was plenty of smoked fish to give it depth of flavour and there was plenty of fish too.  My only complaint was that it appeared to have been left a little too long under the pass, and the muscles were a little dried out.  However I would still order it again.

A mini sharing plate of chocolate torte, lemon tart and tiramisu gave us an idea of desserts on offer.

All proceeds for the evening went to the RNLI and Cystic Fibrosis charities.

I think it will be one of the better choices for a meal out at Port Solent, especially during the summer months when the sliding doors will open thus giving it a real Mediterranean feel!

Like many other restaurants, Zizzi too offers a take away service and menu. 

......Its a girl!

Yep, December 2013 saw me give birth to my daughter Cinnamon (of course it had to be food related- lol), and my little spice girl is a cutie!

I had the worse pregnancy, and a very busy first three months, hence the lack of posts for some time.

Now hopefully back on track, there is lots going on and coming up in our area, so....watch this space!

Taylor Wimpey - My Dream Dinner Party Menu

I love dinner parties!  It’s a chance to show off my creative flair, and to utilise all those tens of plates and table knickknacks that I keep purchasing everywhere I go (that frustrates my husband no end), but does make my dinner parties feel special, and go with a bang.

Romantic dinner party for 2

I have had some good ones over the last few years, and I know I spend far too much time prepping for them, but it always is worth the effort.

Raclette dinner party for 4

The good people over at Taylor Wimpy Homes have set a challenge to devise a dream dinner party menu.  As I don’t actually have to cook it and photograph each dish, or need a brigade of chefs to help me (as my menu would take an age to cook all by myself), I felt I could really let my imagination go into overdrive!

So what would my menu comprise of and why?  Well first off as we live on the Hampshire coast and have fresh catch daily, it would be a travesty to not include some wonderful fresh fish.  Secondly I would love to boast about the dish containing fresh herbs from my own garden (and you can’t get more locally sourced than that).  And thirdly, a consideration for seasonal ingredients is a must to any serious cook as it’s bringing the best taste OTM straight to the table.   

So without further adieu, here is my dream dinner party menu entitled

'The Best of British'

http://www.taylorwimpey.co.uk/blog/2013/april/dinner-party-competition.htm.

Welcome drink:

Frozen Elderflower Liqueur and Sparkling Wine Cocktails with Popping Candy.

Since discovering this liqueur I’m hooked, and I couldn’t think of a better way than drinking this on the terrace with your guests on a hot summers evening, with the addition of popping candy running through the mixture to create excitement and help imitate that sparkling element on the tongue. Elderflower is in season this month too, so some fresh flowers to decorate would make a nice touch.

Starter:

Mackerel Tartar, Beetroot Gazpacho, Horseradish Ice Cream, Watercress Oil.

Johnson’s fish market two miles from my doorstep provides me with fresh fish that has been sourced locally, and Mackerel when cured to make a Tartar is one of the best dishes I have tasted.  As beetroot is bang in season, piling this fish tartar in the centre of a plate with a gazpachio and adding a small scoop of creamy horseradish ice cream on top would make such a flavourful and visually captivating starter. Not forgetting our famous Hampshire watercress made into watercress oil and drizzled over the dish!

Main:

Loin of Hampshire Buffalo, Cauliflower Puree, Parsnip Crisp textures, sautéed Cabbage and Bacon, Port and Jasmine Tea jus.

OK, this may at first glance sound a bit wintry, but trust me as the British summer sun disappears around 8:30pm, we all know how quickly it cools down, so I couldn’t think of a better full bodied dish to have after a light starter. Buffalo is not a meat we have that often in the UK, but I’m always seeing it at my local Southsea Farmers Market, and it’s just as versatile as beef.  With lashings of port and jasmine tea jus made from the base of a good quality meat stock, it's sure to be truly mouth-watering! Brownie points with my guests too for finding a different flavoursome chic alternative to beef!

Dessert:

Lavender Crème Brulees with Rosemary Tuille Biscuits.

Quite simple, it needs little explanation, but how about showing off my homegrown lavender and rosemary in this stunning little dessert to end the evening!

Wine:

Jacob’s Creek Sparkling Shiraz.

Hard task this, but if I could only chose one wine then it would have to be this.  A red wine that would go with the main course, yet it’s sparkling, so would be light enough on the pallet to pair with the beetroot notes in the starter.

Well although I may not be able to manage cooking all these dishes for one dinner party, after devising this menu, I feel sure that I should include some of the dishes in my future dinner parties, so people watch this blog for updates!

Florette One Minute Wonder Salad Recipe Competition

 Vote to win prizes @ https://www.facebook.com/floretteuk/app_146723925501756

This is the kind of challenge I love!  Can you create a salad that can be made in under 60 seconds?

Florette Salad challenged it's customers to do just this.  So I got my little grey cells into action.

It's very easy to just think of a few of your favourite ingredients and chuck them in a bowl together, but I didn't want to be guilty of devising a bland, dry salad that looks good on paper, but would leave you gasping for a jug of water at the end of it.  So a dressing is essential. This was my starting point. I'm always making honey and mustard dressings at home, as it only needs 4 store cupboard ingredients to make.

From this as my base idea, I then decided how well pork marries with the honey and mustard elements of the dressing, and so too does apple, and a few moments later my salad was born....

Ham, apple and Brie Salad, with a Honey and Mustard dressing!

Remember there's only a minute to make this so, I didn't want to over complicate things.  This I feel is a well balanced salad, with sweet, and savoury elements, fruit to add texture and interest, and Brie for that added indulgence, all brought together with a tasty dressing.  It also has an all year round appeal, great for all family members, and the ingredients are easy to come about in their raw state - so no cooking needed!!

I was invited to London to showcase my salad making skills in front of the camera, and explain a bit about it.

5 of us regional finalists now go head to head on Facebook for the public to vote which salad they prefer.  The winning dish will appear on a national TV advert this summer.

So why not log on to the link below and support the South of England by voting!   

Every vote is eligible to win a spot prize, so it really is worth a few seconds of your time.

https://www.facebook.com/floretteuk/app_146723925501756 

  

Ham, apple and Brie Salad, with a Honey and Mustard dressing  

Recipe: 

• 1 Bag of Florette Sweet Crispy Salad Leaves
• 1 Apple
• 100g Brie
• 100g Wiltshire Cured Ham
• 1tbsp Wholegrain Mustard
• 1 tbsp runny Honey
• 3tbsp Olive Oil
• 2tbsp Red Wine Vinegar

Slice 4 sides off the apple discarding the core.
Lay the sliced apple next to the wedge of brie and ham slices, and using a large knife quickly finely slice all three together.
Shake or whisk the dressing ingredients together and dress the salad leaves, tossing through the sliced ham, brie and apple

My recipe rolled out in Jamie's Italian Restaurants for Food Revolution Day

The Jamie's Italian chain were looking for a Spring inspired pasta dish created by one of it's customers to be sold for a week in May in all it's branches nationwide, with £1 of proceeds going to Jamie's Better Food Foundation.

Food Revolution Day was on on 17 May! If you don't already know about it, it was a chance for people who love food to come together and share knowledge, cooking skills and resources to get people to improve their eating habits and get them cooking from scratch.

I love a recipe challenge, so decided to enter my dish of Smoked Trout & Spring Leaf Pasta with a Rocket Pesto Crostini.  The pasta dish is a staple in our house especially after a workout, it's a great low fat but tasty bowl of goodness as the sauce is made with creme fraiche and horseradish.  It was a worthy winner and I was proud to see it on the menu and to go down to my local restaurant at Gunwharf Quays to try it out.  There were recipe cards too issued to anyone ordering the dish.  So here it is:

Koh Thai Tapas - Southsea

The old 8 Kings Road building has certainly changed hands a few times in recent years, with each restaurant venture proving unsuccessful, so when I saw a new Thai restaurant emerging, it's hard not to assume a similar fate.

But this may not be the case this time.  It would appear that Koh Southsea is not the only one.  Both Bournemouth Boscombe and I believe Bath all have a Koh, so this evidently is a small independently owned chain emerging in a time of little growth.

The interior is quite dark and sultry, and would appeal to the younger crowd for sure.  The interior a far cry from it's predecessors, with it's dark woods and predictable feel.

Friends gave me mixed reviews, so I went with an average expectation.

Service was swift, and the waitress pleasant.  We ordered 7 tapas dishes including Squid, Satay Chicken, Spring Rolls, and a couple of tapas size Thai curry's. Satay Chicken and Spring Rolls are not my usual choice, but if a restaurant does this well, you can get a good idea of what to expect from the rest of the menu.

I was not impressed by the first three - they seemed very average to me (so not much to say that you wouldn't already guess), but I did however think the Thai curry dishes were tasty and I would order these again.  We had the classic Green curry and the other was a Duck curry made with a red curry paste base with pineapple and grapes in with the sauce.  I thought it sounded wacky, but a few cocktails in, I was curious and glad to say I really enjoyed it uniqueness.

I have no images to share as it was so dark in there they never came out on my iPhone! 

I was not blown away by the food, but I'm sure Koh Southsea will be a success as it will cater for the masses.  However, on a positive note they do a takeaway/delivery service and I would be happy to try that out and just order from the Thai curry dishes on offer, as there were several inventive sounding dishes that caught my eye.

Top tip:  The couple sat next to me had ordered 9 tapas dishes and they all arrived at the same time!  Perhaps they requested this, but if this was the case - bad idea.  Cold food is never excusable or pleasant!

Coast to Coast Gunwharf Quays

Main courses were the best dishes on the menu by far.

I was invited to the launch night at Coast to Coast a few weeks after it’s opening.  Coast to Coast is Gunwharf Quays new American Restaurant and Bar.  This is always the best time to try a new restaurant; once they have settled in.  Coast to Coast is a small chain with Gunwharf being the fourth to open, and others to come.  The whole restaurant was filled with other invited guests and members of the public who had won the chance to dine for free, so there were absolutely no paying customers.  The atmosphere was energetic due to the live band and Radio DJ Steve Power hosting.  They had a neat P.R stunt upon arrival; snapping everyone on a red carpet before they entered the building, and during the evening issuing us all with the OK! Magazine Style photograph covers.

So what about the reason I was there for – the food!  I’m usually not a fan of American Restaurant’s in this country, as they offer little resemblance to the authenticity of true American food.  But Coast to Coast claims to be different than the rest, and created out of a desire to put this right.  I'm only three months back from an epic food fuelled trip to Orlando, Florida, so was this the case?

I purposefully chose dishes that you find in most American restaurants to see how they were better here, and I also chose dishes that I feel to be more authentically American.  However the outcome was mixed.

I couldn’t praise the cocktail menu enough – the Red Berry Cheesecake and French Martini (£5.95 each) were drinks most of us girlies take one sip out of and immediately fall in love with.  It is well worth just nipping in here on a night out to the bar area only with cocktails this good, and cocktails certainly not found anywhere else in Gunwharf like this.

The bread and olives board (£4.95) was average. With fresh vibrant green olives such as Castelvetrano now available in supermarkets and other chain restaurants, it was disappointing to see jarred, pitted and marinated dull green olives arrive. 

The appetiser menu hosted the usual suspects, so we opted to test out the Calamari (£6.55) which is often a poor show in many restaurants, and blue cheese mushrooms (£4.95), which too can be a let down.  Sad to say these did not hit the right notes.  The ‘lightly fried calamari’ was heavy in batter, chewy and over greasy, and the mushrooms with blue cheese had far too much blue cheese. It was sickly even for a blue cheese lover like me.

I was looking forward to the main courses ordered.  Burgers, steaks, hot wraps and sandwiches, fajitas, pizzas, pasta’s and salads can all be found on the menu at Coast to Coast.  Uber trendy pulled pork featured on the menu a few times, so this was a must, and we also ordered a classic steak.  Suddenly the meal was redeemed! The pulled pork dish I ordered was in the form of a burger, and sat on top of a 6oz beef patty – a pure meat feast.  It was delicious (although very sweet), and I have not had that combination together in a burger before, as you usually find one or the other inside the bun. (£11.95).  The steak was an 8oz, 28 day matured fillet steak (£21.95).  I’m glad we ordered it as it was beautifully executed to medium rare, and the sides of ‘homemade slaw’ and sweet potato chips were every bit contemporary American and elevated the dish. We opted for the 5 grilled prawns as an extra with the steak, but they were flavourless and a little superfluous.

Desserts were lacking in creativity and the choice was as you would expect to find in American restaurants. The cherry crumble came with a scoop of ice cream and custard on the side in miniature bowls, but the ice cream was unpleasant and very manufactured in taste, as was the crumble.  I’m not actually sure what flavour the ice cream was supposed to be, and the cheesecake too was just ok.

The service was sharp and the staff very pleasant, always willing to engage in conversation.  They were more than happy to change the dishes I was not overly keen on – and although I stuck with what I had ordered, this was refreshing and nice to see. 

Coast to Coast is definitely one of the better American chains.  However, as my meal was hit and miss, when I return it will be for cocktails and main courses only! 

 I would recommend a visit though.

Calamari

Blue Cheese Mushrooms

Cheesecake

Cherry Crumble

The Chambers, Landport Terrace

Finding somewhere stylish around town to lounge over a relaxed breakfast/brunch is quite a challenge. Well not any more.  Please may I welcome you to 'The Chambers'.  It's urbane environment makes it a perfect choice for a weekend treat with friends.

Located at 27 Landport Terrace The Chambers has only been open a few weeks, and seems to be making waves in the right ways.

Rather than plump for the obvious choice of a Saturday night booking, I thought I'd pop in for a spot of breakfast last Saturday morning as I'd seen them advertise breakfast between 8am-midday.

The choice is good.  Full English, eggs Benedict, eggs Florentine, grilled Kippers to name a few.  I'm a sucker for eggs Benedict, so I ordered that, but requested to have it with smoked salmon rather than ham.  This was not a problem and the helpful confident waiter made the amendment.  It was great to kick back in a wing back chair and read the papers on offer whilst sipping Earl Grey and waiting for the food to arrive.

It is much bigger inside than you think.  They can seat over 70, and it has a section upstairs too.  It's elaborate layout will certainly appeal to the well heeled crowd of Portsmouth.

But is it style over substance?  Not at all!  This seductive newcomer totally wowed me with the best Hollandaise sauce I have ever had anywhere locally - it was a delight!  The dish was rich in colour and taste (from the good quality egg yolks), creamy and well thought out, I was impressed the chef added hints of chopped fresh tarragon to elevate this smoked salmon version.  Now that's what I call care and attention to detail.  My muffin was slightly over toasted, but nothing worth complaining over, and as for the price my dish came in at a very reasonable £4.75, (when compared to a Gunwharf chain that charges £5.75 for their ordinary version).

So all in all I'm loving what I see and eat.  The main menu has some nice additional finds for people who just want to go along and soak up the atmosphere in the lounge area (such as a bottle of house wine and a choice of Moules-Frites or Nachos with Guacamole and toppings for £20).  They also offer a 'Champagne and Oyster Friday' consisting of a bottle of house Champagne served with oysters for £39 for 6 Oysters, £45 for 12 Oysters.

Have you been for a main meal here - what did you think?  With this establishment and The Garage Lounge in Albert Road I hear myself saying.....

  "Finally - restaurants with a bit of decadent style in Southsea!"....watch out Brighton!!!!

Fire & Stone Portsmouth new menu Autumn 2012

The good people at Fire & Stone have rolled out a new menu this autumn and kindly asked myself and a guest to sample it and feedback.

I have always loved this place since it opened.  Combining it's quirky pizzas, funky restaurant, and great offers, is what makes Fire & Stone a perfect place to eat pizza with friends.  In my opinion it is the best chain pizza restaurant out there, because what it offers is different from the norm. 

So what did I make of the new menu? 'Whilst you wait' nibbles, starters, pasta, salads and sides all feature fairly equally in quantity to the pizzas on offer, thus showing that Fire and Stone is not just about Pizzas.  One thing that I have noticed since it first opened two and a half years ago, is that the 26 pizza's that were on offer on the original menu has now been reduced down to 17. So with that in mind we ordered a pizza (obviously), and a pasta dish.  The new Alexandria pizza (£10.95) is based on a chicken tagine with chicken, green olives, preserved lemons, coriander and yogurt.  This was delicious with the sharp and salty preserved lemon really making every bite extremely flavoursome, and a pizza I would highly recommend trying.  I went off piste and thought it would be good to review a non-pizza dish, and opted to have their beef ragu (£9.65) as my first choice of the tiger prawn and lemongrass pasta was off the menu as they had run out of prawns.  This dish follows the ever current trend of slow cooked pulled beef in a rich sauce, served with tagliatelle with F&S sauce.  Enjoy it, I did - however the sauce needs to be way punchier for it to stand apart from other beef ragu dishes if I am to order it again.  I think it could be improved with the addition of more acidity perhaps in the form of more tomato in the base. Still a very pleasant dish by most standards.

Gooey home-made chocolate brownie (£4.95) for dessert was an excellent pudding and very well made, but the vanilla and lemon cheesecake was rather dull in comparison, missing it's billed 'strawberry slices'.  I would love to see the vanilla panna cotta with fresh berries back on the menu.

19th of November sees the festive menu begin, and there is one pizza on the menu I can't wait to try: The Berkshire - crispy roast pork belly with apricot and almond stuffing, caramelised shallots, chopped sage and apple sauce.  I'll be back!!

 Top tip:

Check out the offers Fire and Stone have via http://www.fireandstone.com/pizza/specialoffers/portsmouth.asp
There is currently a fantastic deal to enjoy 50% off your total food bill every Friday until November 23rd!  (Valid when dining off the A la Carte menu only and cannot be used in conjunction with any other offer. Valid for group bookings of up to 6 people)

A night to remember; Electrolux present a multiple-Michelin starred charity dinner

Ok, so anybody fancy spending a night with several of the countries most talented chefs?  Silly question! Well take a look at this link then, as this may well be something for you: FIVE MICHELIN STARRED CHEFS FOR ONE NIGHT ONLY:

http://newsroom.electrolux.com/uk/2012/11/02/the-bobby-moore-fund-for-cancer-research-uk-in-partnership-with-electrolux-present-a-multiple-michelin-starred-charity-dinner/

The Bobby Moore Fund in partnership with Electrolux will present a gastronomic extravaganza which will be a must attend event for serious foodies.  The event is a one off charity dinner comprising of five exquisite courses each cooked by a Michelin starred chef.  Top chefs, led by two-Michelin-starred Daniel Clifford of Midsummer House Restaurant in Cambridge, will produce a culinary feast for 250 guests in aid of the Bobby Moore Fund.  Confirmed so far are: Daniel Clifford, Atul Kochar, Simon Rogan and Jonray & Peter Sanchez.

When:                  Thursday 24th January 2013
Where:                Gibson Hall, Bishopsgate, London
Tickets:                Prices start from £395 per ticket, with VIP tickets and Chef’s table tickets also available.  To book tickets please email: davina.yanful@cancer.org.uk

I know this will be an incredible night to remember, I have first hand experience of Electrolux putting on a great show.You will not be disappointed.

Festive Seasonal Menu 2012 @ All Bar One

Tonight I was invited to go and sample this years festive menu at All Bar One.  I must say that All Bar One Portsmouth must be praised for holding these events, as not many other restaurants at Gunwharf do.  So what did we sample?  Well the complementary Prosecco and the welcome by Jonny and the team were both warm and friendly.  We were handed the festive menu to peruse whilst the kitchen were busy preparing the dishes.  The festive menu starters are:

French onion soup with cheese crouton
Roasted Portobello mushroom topped with baby spinach and goats cheese
Chicken liver, pork and mushroom parfait
Prawn cocktail.

All dishes (excluding parfait which was not available to sample) were tasty and to the standard you would expect from All Bar One.

Main courses are:
Roast turkey wrapped with bacon
Salmon wellington
Rib-eye steak (£3 supplement)
Shallot, parsnip and sweet potato tarte tatin

Here is where I tell you that I was very impressed with the salmon wellington and the vegetable tarte tatin, which I would love to go back and eat again.  Vegetarians would be super-happy with this dish oozing taste, texture and......, and the salmon wellington was made with a buttery shortcrust pastry which I did not expect (please do not change this for the usual bland, and potentially soggy puff pastry synonymous with Wellingtons), accompanied with a delicious...... cider and tarragon cream.  These were the stand out dishes of the night!

Shallot, Parsnip, & Sweet Potato Tarte Tatin

Salmon Wellington

Desserts are:
Sticky fruit pudding
Lime & lemon tart
coconut and chocolate tart

Sticky Fruit Pudding

Unfortunately of the desserts listed only the sticky pudding was available, and it's very much like a sticky date pudding.  A cheese selection and coffee and mince pies are also available at an additional cost.

So all in all it's a thumbs up for the slight variation and welcomed refreshing change to the traditional and predictable festive menu's we see throughout November and December in all restaurants. I had almost forgotten that it was a festive menu which personally pleased me no end!  3 courses will set you back £22 each and must be booked in advance.  There is also a buffet menu available at £15 per person but this is for a minimum of 10 people and must be booked too.