[Food] Restaurant 2019 Thread

[Bozza]

Just booked Interlude in Lower Beeding for a mid-November visit. Anyone tried it since it got it's Michelin star ?

I've not been, no, but I drive past Leonardslee every couple of weeks and it's amazing how quickly the whole place has been developed and opened up.

Interlude hasn't even been open for a year yet, so it's good going to have picked up that star so quickly.

Are you going for 14 or 19 courses?

 

[Westdene Seagull]

I've not been, no, but I drive past Leonardslee every couple of weeks and it's amazing how quickly the whole place has been developed and opened up.

Interlude hasn't even been open for a year yet, so it's good going to have picked up that star so quickly.

Are you going for 14 or 19 courses?

Haven't decided yet - we had the 9 course taster menu at The Sportsman ( the Kent one not the dodgy Withdean one ! ) which with the extras they give you was really 13 courses and we were fit to burst. The 19 course menu does sound good though - they recommend you reserve at least 3 and a half hours for dinner.

 

[Bozza]

Haven't decided yet - we had the 9 course taster menu at The Sportsman ( the Kent one not the dodgy Withdean one ! ) which with the extras they give you was really 13 courses and we were fit to burst. The 19 course menu does sound good though - they recommend you reserve at least 3 and a half hours for dinner.

It's pretty close to South Lodge, so it would be possible to have dinner at Interlude and then toddle down the hill to stay at (now star-less) South Lodge to sleep!

 

[Westdene Seagull]

It's pretty close to South Lodge, so it would be possible to have dinner at Interlude and then toddle down the hill to stay at (now star-less) South Lodge to sleep!

Indeed …. if only they had any normal non-suite rooms left that night. We looked at South Lodge - could even get a table but unless we paid through the nose for a suite couldn't get a room. So instead it's Interlude and a yet to be booked nearby B&B.

 

[Goldstone1976]

L’Enclume 2* - Cartmel, Cumbria.

“What’s the restsurant’s name again?”, asked the GLDHI as we drove North through the interminably long roadworks on the M6.
“L’Enclume”
“I didn’t think it was vegetarian”
“It isn’t”

A lengthy pause, as we each processed the snippet of conversation.

“Well, it’s a bit of an odd name then, isn’t it?”, she opined.
“Huh? Why?”
“Why would you call your restaurant ‘Legume’ if it wasn’t vegetarian?”

We rock up at the allotted time to the very understated entrance to the restaurant and enter a really lovely space - low ceilings, thick slate slabs on the floor, large tables (our table for 2 was larger than the table for 4 I’ve often had in other restaurants - LFM, for example) that were very well spaced out. They could easily get double the number of punters in if they wanted; I’m very glad they don’t want to.

There is only one menu (for dinner, anyway) a n-course tasting menu, where n is about 5 courses more than advertised, for £155. It’s focussed on fish, and on vegetables grown on their own adjoining farm (“Perhaps they should have called it ‘Legume’, after all”, the GLDHI muttered sotto voce), with only three meat things - duck hearts at the bottom of a layered starter involving mousse and foam, which I liked but the GLDHI thought was a bit offally, a duck breast which looked perfectly cooked, but was in fact a bit chewy, and a small piece of beef which, again, looked perfectly cooked but was a bit chewy. The fish- and legume-based dishes were uniformly better.

The cooking was very precise and a great deal of attention was paid to presentation, as you’d expect from a 2* joint with a kitchen containing 14 chefs. The best dish was a raw mackerel salad arranged in a ring with plenty of micro edible flowers as decoration. Truly lovely.

The front of house staff were plentiful in number and fabulous, especially Michael, a young lad who, imo, will go far - his ability to read the mood/personality of his guests was superb, and he added much to the enjoyment of the evening.

The signature wine pairing we had comprised extremely well chosen wines, complementing the food perfectly.

It’s been rated as the best restaurant in the UK four times by the Good Food Guide. In our opinion, it isn’t. It’s very good, occasionally exceptional, but the overall experience would place it in the top six or seven we’ve been to, not the top one.

I’m not sure that we’ll be making a return trip: it’s expensive and a long way oop North.

TL;DR? Not as good as Kitchen Table (let alone Sushi Tetsu), but a lot better than that f***** Sat Baines’ place. About the same as LFM at only 4x the price (drinks included).

Edit: there was a chap sitting by himself at the table beside us who received a lot of attention. Chef? Critic? So I asked him. Matteo Baccanelli, restaurant manager at Alain Ducasse’s place at the Dorchester. His card gives his direct line and mobile number. I may ring him for a table some time.

 

[MattBackHome]

Thanks [MENTION=409]Herr Tubthumper[/MENTION] for your Berlin recommendations. I made Hackbarth’s and Burgermeister and loved both. We also visited:

Henne - Half chicken and krautsalad. That was literally all they do. “This is very very tasty, but by god it's salty."
Kimchi Princess - fantastic steak BBQ. “OMG this is truly delicio… holy **** did they brine this steak? Was the cow raised in a salt mine?"
Jolesch - yer typical Austrian fare. “Just check out the size of this wienerschnitz… AGH THE SALT IS KILLING ME.”

 

[Jesus Gul]

Thanks [MENTION=409]Herr Tubthumper[/MENTION] for your Berlin recommendations. I made Hackbarth’s and Burgermeister and loved both. We also visited:

Henne - Half chicken and krautsalad. That was literally all they do. “This is very very tasty, but by god it's salty."
Kimchi Princess - fantastic steak BBQ. “OMG this is truly delicio… holy **** did they brine this steak? Was the cow raised in a salt mine?"
Jolesch - yer typical Austrian fare. “Just check out the size of this wienerschnitz… AGH THE SALT IS KILLING ME.”

Off to Hamburg in a couple of weeks and looking to tuck in to some decent Nord Zee cuisine - fish rolls then. There's a chain sandwich bar at the airport called 'Scoom' - recall seeing one in Berlin and sending a piccy of it to some Scoomers I know https://scoom.de/

 

[CHAPPERS]

Off to Hamburg in a couple of weeks and looking to tuck in to some decent Nord Zee cuisine - fish rolls then. There's a chain sandwich bar at the airport called 'Scoom' - recall seeing one in Berlin and sending a piccy of it to some Scoomers I know https://scoom.de/

https://altes-maedchen.com/

 

[Jesus Gul]

https://altes-maedchen.com/

Danke

Lagerstrasse?

 

[Herr Tubthumper]

Thanks [MENTION=409]Herr Tubthumper[/MENTION] for your Berlin recommendations. I made Hackbarth’s and Burgermeister and loved both. We also visited:

Henne - Half chicken and krautsalad. That was literally all they do. “This is very very tasty, but by god it's salty."
Kimchi Princess - fantastic steak BBQ. “OMG this is truly delicio… holy **** did they brine this steak? Was the cow raised in a salt mine?"
Jolesch - yer typical Austrian fare. “Just check out the size of this wienerschnitz… AGH THE SALT IS KILLING ME.”

A pleasure.

 

[Herr Tubthumper]

I found myself in London last weekend and in need of refreshment, took a recommendation and visited https://www.bubbledogs.co.uk/. A strange name but it makes sense when you realise that it’s a champagne bar also selling hotdogs. Can you see what they’ve done there? There are a couple of twists though. The first being it only serves grower champagne. For the uninitiated, which was me a short while ago, this is champagne which is produced by the same estate which grows the grapes. Think small, and think craft. Although they had the foresight to not call it craft and head-off pretentious bearded types. The second twist is it serves up gourmet hotdogs. And these are seriously pimped up with the knockings from the attached 2 star restaurant out the back.

The reason for the ‘dogs is the owner, a “brilliant champagne selector” according to this board’s eminent wine and restaurant critic, wanted to take the usual stuffiness and stiffness out of champagne bars and make it more fun, welcoming and therefore accessible. And looking around at the very varied crowd and feeling the overall vibe she has clearly achieved her aim.

So, first up we peruse the champagne menu. It’s handily separated into taste sections given everyday titles like “SO FRESH AND SO CLEAN CLEAN“ and “A LICK OF CHALK AND STONES”...but still feeling overwhelmed we asked for help. Dry, mineraly and with a budget of XX returned a gorgeously dry bottle of French fizz with a stoney start and a smooth finish. I went for this as I’d spotted Comte on the food menu...and I like Comte. I like Comte a lot. And I figured this would cut through the Comte feast about to hit me. So, I picked the Reuben ‘dog which came with Sauerkraut, Russian dressing & Comte. They also do these things called Tater Tots; essentially mini hash browns and they can come with melted Comte as well. So they did come with melted Comte. Hash browns with melted Comte. I’ll say that once more: hash browns with melted Comte. They're as moreish as they sound; crack as food. Die Frau took the Sloppy Joe with aged Angus beef chilli, cheddar cheese & chopped onions. No Comte for her. We added sweet potatoes fries with wild garlic mayo and truffle mayo. With the bottle now empty we took a few champagnes by the glass and then it was dessert time: popcorn ice cream with Maldon sea salt for her and 24 month aged Comte for me. Did I say I like Comte? After a couple of hours the cheese coma was descending so we thanked our host and disappeared into the night. We will return.

I like this place. But what struck me was how reasonably priced this place is. The hotdogs are around 10 pounds and bottles average at around 80 pounds. You can also buy a selection of varied champagnes by the glass at 8 pounds. I appreciate this is not quite champagne for the masses, you’ll have to wait for my “glorious day” for this, but for what it is, and where it is, I think it’s very fair.

Cheers Comrades.

 

[Bozza]

I found myself in London last weekend and in need of refreshment, took a recommendation and visited https://www.bubbledogs.co.uk/. A strange name but it makes sense when you realise that it’s a champagne bar also selling hotdogs. Can you see what they’ve done there? There are a couple of twists though. The first being it only serves grower champagne. For the uninitiated, which was me a short while ago, this is champagne which is produced by the same estate which grows the grapes. Think small, and think craft. Although they had the foresight to not call it craft and head-off pretentious bearded types. The second twist is it serves up gourmet hotdogs. And these are seriously pimped up with the knockings from the attached 2 star restaurant out the back.

https://nortr3nixy.nimpr.uk/show...-2019-Thread&p=8923469&viewfull=1#post8923469

 

[Bozza]

I found myself in London last weekend and in need of refreshment, took a recommendation and visited https://www.bubbledogs.co.uk/. A strange name but it makes sense when you realise that it’s a champagne bar also selling hotdogs. Can you see what they’ve done there? There are a couple of twists though. The first being it only serves grower champagne. For the uninitiated, which was me a short while ago, this is champagne which is produced by the same estate which grows the grapes. Think small, and think craft. Although they had the foresight to not call it craft and head-off pretentious bearded types. The second twist is it serves up gourmet hotdogs. And these are seriously pimped up with the knockings from the attached 2 star restaurant out the back.

The reason for the ‘dogs is the owner, a “brilliant champagne selector” according to this board’s eminent wine and restaurant critic, wanted to take the usual stuffiness and stiffness out of champagne bars and make it more fun, welcoming and therefore accessible. And looking around at the very varied crowd and feeling the overall vibe she has clearly achieved her aim.

So, first up we peruse the champagne menu. It’s handily separated into taste sections given everyday titles like “SO FRESH AND SO CLEAN CLEAN“ and “A LICK OF CHALK AND STONES”...but still feeling overwhelmed we asked for help. Dry, mineraly and with a budget of XX returned a gorgeously dry bottle of French fizz with a stoney start and a smooth finish. I went for this as I’d spotted Comte on the food menu...and I like Comte. I like Comte a lot. And I figured this would cut through the Comte feast about to hit me. So, I picked the Reuben ‘dog which came with Sauerkraut, Russian dressing & Comte. They also do these things called Tater Tots; essentially mini hash browns and they can come with melted Comte as well. So they did come with melted Comte. Hash browns with melted Comte. I’ll say that once more: hash browns with melted Comte. They're as moreish as they sound; crack as food. Die Frau took the Sloppy Joe with aged Angus beef chilli, cheddar cheese & chopped onions. No Comte for her. We added sweet potatoes fries with wild garlic mayo and truffle mayo. With the bottle now empty we took a few champagnes by the glass and then it was dessert time: popcorn ice cream with Maldon sea salt for her and 24 month aged Comte for me. Did I say I like Comte? After a couple of hours the cheese coma was descending so we thanked our host and disappeared into the night. We will return.

I like this place. But what struck me was how reasonably priced this place is. The hotdogs are around 10 pounds and bottles average at around 80 pounds. You can also buy a selection of varied champagnes by the glass at 8 pounds. I appreciate this is not quite champagne for the masses, you’ll have to wait for my “glorious day” for this, but for what it is, and where it is, I think it’s very fair.

Cheers Comrades.

The most amusing thing about this is you've made it to your age and you're talking about tater tots as if they've just been invented or something.

 

[Herr Tubthumper]

The most amusing thing about this is you've made it to your age and you're talking about tater tots as if they've just been invented or something.

“The product was created in 1953 when Ore-Ida founders F. Nephi Grigg and Golden Grigg were trying to figure out what to do with leftover slivers of cut-up potatoes. They chopped up the slivers, added flour and seasoning, then pushed the mash through holes and sliced off pieces of the extruded mixture. Thus, tots were born. The product was first offered commercially in stores in 1956.”

“Today, Americans consume approximately 70,000,000 pounds (32,000,000 kg) of tater tots, or 3,710,000,000 tots per year”

Crikey. All this had completely passed me by. Everyday is a school day.

 

[Bozza]

“The product was created in 1953 when Ore-Ida founders F. Nephi Grigg and Golden Grigg were trying to figure out what to do with leftover slivers of cut-up potatoes. They chopped up the slivers, added flour and seasoning, then pushed the mash through holes and sliced off pieces of the extruded mixture. Thus, tots were born. The product was first offered commercially in stores in 1956.”

“Today, Americans consume approximately 70,000,000 pounds (32,000,000 kg) of tater tots, or 3,710,000,000 tots per year”

Crikey. All this had completely passed me by. Everyday is a school day.

As a burger-man and an occasional visitor to the US, I'm amazed you've not come across them before.

When I was a wee nipper we had "oven crunchies" sometimes with dinner and they were essentially what the Americans call tater tots. I'm minded to look them up now.

Whilst I do - is poutine also new to you? Given what you've above, I think you'll be a fan.

 

[Bozza]

Others reminiscing about oven crunchies...

https://www.rllmukforum.com/index.p...find-my-favourite-childhood-potato-side-dish/
https://forums.doyouremember.co.uk/threads/3564
https://forums.digitalspy.com/discussion/1261554/oven-crunchies

 

[Herr Tubthumper]

As a burger-man and an occasional visitor to the US, I'm amazed you've not come across them before.

When I was a wee nipper we had "oven crunchies" sometimes with dinner and they were essentially what the Americans call tater tots. I'm minded to look them up now.

Whilst I do - is poutine also new to you? Given what you've above, I think you'll be a fan.

It is a bit bizarre. I bet I will see them everywhere next time I’m state side.

And I remember oven crunchies; like you I had them as a child. And I’ve heard of, and had, poutine. But this is only in the past 4 years or so and via a Canadian owned craft beer bar I go to from time to time. And you’re right, I’m a fan, especially after a few beers. In fact it’s perfect after a few beers.

 

[Goldstone1976]

I found myself in London last weekend and in need of refreshment, took a recommendation and visited https://www.bubbledogs.co.uk/. A strange name but it makes sense when you realise that it’s a champagne bar also selling hotdogs. Can you see what they’ve done there? There are a couple of twists though. The first being it only serves grower champagne. For the uninitiated, which was me a short while ago, this is champagne which is produced by the same estate which grows the grapes. Think small, and think craft. Although they had the foresight to not call it craft and head-off pretentious bearded types. The second twist is it serves up gourmet hotdogs. And these are seriously pimped up with the knockings from the attached 2 star restaurant out the back.

The reason for the ‘dogs is the owner, a “brilliant champagne selector” according to this board’s eminent wine and restaurant critic, wanted to take the usual stuffiness and stiffness out of champagne bars and make it more fun, welcoming and therefore accessible. And looking around at the very varied crowd and feeling the overall vibe she has clearly achieved her aim.

So, first up we peruse the champagne menu. It’s handily separated into taste sections given everyday titles like “SO FRESH AND SO CLEAN CLEAN“ and “A LICK OF CHALK AND STONES”...but still feeling overwhelmed we asked for help. Dry, mineraly and with a budget of XX returned a gorgeously dry bottle of French fizz with a stoney start and a smooth finish. I went for this as I’d spotted Comte on the food menu...and I like Comte. I like Comte a lot. And I figured this would cut through the Comte feast about to hit me. So, I picked the Reuben ‘dog which came with Sauerkraut, Russian dressing & Comte. They also do these things called Tater Tots; essentially mini hash browns and they can come with melted Comte as well. So they did come with melted Comte. Hash browns with melted Comte. I’ll say that once more: hash browns with melted Comte. They're as moreish as they sound; crack as food. Die Frau took the Sloppy Joe with aged Angus beef chilli, cheddar cheese & chopped onions. No Comte for her. We added sweet potatoes fries with wild garlic mayo and truffle mayo. With the bottle now empty we took a few champagnes by the glass and then it was dessert time: popcorn ice cream with Maldon sea salt for her and 24 month aged Comte for me. Did I say I like Comte? After a couple of hours the cheese coma was descending so we thanked our host and disappeared into the night. We will return.

I like this place. But what struck me was how reasonably priced this place is. The hotdogs are around 10 pounds and bottles average at around 80 pounds. You can also buy a selection of varied champagnes by the glass at 8 pounds. I appreciate this is not quite champagne for the masses, you’ll have to wait for my “glorious day” for this, but for what it is, and where it is, I think it’s very fair.

Cheers Comrades.

V glad you liked it.

We’ve only eaten there once, a situation we’ll have to remedy. I can’t think of anywhere I’d rather select a bottle of Champagne - an extraordinary selection and all very fairly priced, as you say.

 

[Goldstone1976]

The Punch Bowl - Crosthwaite, Cumbria

The restaurant area has a series of 12 pictures hanging on the walls, each representing a month of the year, arranged in a chronological fashion going clockwise. Chronological except that February and March were reversed. The GLDHI and I passed a little time debating this anomaly, without really coming up with a compelling explanation. One interesting suggestion from her was it was a competition organised by the owners: comment on it to your waiter, get your meal free. I now wish I’d tested this hypothesis.

The GLDHI had a white meat crab salad (huge, and one piece of shell left in), followed by beef, braised lettuce, and chimichuri sauce. I had Stornoway black pudding (made by McLeod, and quite the best I’ve ever had), cured trout and a poached egg, followed by a nicely cooked (but oh so tiny) piece of turbot with celeriac purée and a verjus sauce.

Pretty decent cooking, with just the odd thing that rankled.

Definitely worth eating in if you’re holidaying in the area.

See if you can get a free meal. Or, simply switch the pictures around into the correct order please - it’s starting to bug me. TVM.

 

[Goldstone1976]

Gilpin Spice - Gilpin, Cumbria

One of two restaurants at a hotel - the other being HRiSHi, a 1* star place run by the same chef. Spice is a pan Asian place - satay, laksa, tikka, thai; you know the sort of place.

The space is modern and tries too hard to impress, though we did like the floodlit fountain outside - a 3m high bronze tree with water cascading from its branches and leaves. Very pretty.

The food was totally unremarkable (the more so since the restaurant has 2 rosettes) apart from a prawn/mussel thai green curry (very well executed) and a grossly over cooked whole sea bream served on a sizzling platter (dreadful. Such a shame; it would have been stunning if only they cared about the cooking). We cancelled our booking for HRiSHi for the following evening based on this experience.

“As we leave, I’ll hang back. You look at the chap sitting at the end table as you walk towards him. Then, when you’re just past him, turn around to “look for” me but actually look at his dining companion”, says the GLDHI.
“Umm. OK”

Two minutes later...

“Well?”, she says.
“‘Well’, what?”
“Weren’t they young? 17, 18?”
“I’m not sure; I’d have said 21/22”
“Hmm. Definitely younger”.

I do hope she’s going to continue pointing out early-20s women for me to look at and actively encouraging me to observe them. It will make life much easier for me if she does.