Restaurant Review taken from the May Issue of Devon Life magazine
A thousand years of history sits easily on the shoulders of this
most elegant of mansions tucked away in the South Hams near Kingsbridge.
Though the existing building is a mere 300 years old, the original
manor house was medieval and an extant circular dovecote survives
from this period.
Today, the elegant Queen Anne building, which has undergone an
extensive programme of immaculate renovation, is a country house
hotel and restaurant of the very highest order. You know from the
first sip of house white - a Bordeaux Sauvignon (£3.25) served
in a huge glass - that everything is going to be fine. Owner Mark
Trumble gave us a tour of the place. A superb functions room
with covers for 150 is used regularly for wedding receptions and
conferences, and the gents antique lavatories
have a letter recommending their porcelain provenance on the walls.
If ever writing on the wall presaged what was to be
in store, this was it. So, I wanted to talk to Mark. But the wine
list (30 half bottles, 4 house wines by the glass and about 160
bins) kept me reading and quiet. Prices were very reasonable. 88
Pichon Lalande £26 a half. 89 Leoville Poyferré
£24. One of our favourite sweet Loires was a modest £18,
Burgundy lovers were well catered for and so are
. Oh dear,
Im running out of words and the delectable manageress, Julie
Hudson, wants to take our food order.
Now, were all sitting in a panelled bar, drinking gorgeous
wine, enjoying stimulating conversation, reading from a top-notch
Carte des Vins when the menu arrives. The best of English and French
cuisine, under the supervision of Head Chef, Jean-Phillipe Bidart,
is paraded before our stimulated taste buds and glad-to-be empty
stomachs.
Five starters including a millefeuille of avocado, crab meat, and
carpaccio of scallops served with sun-dried tomatoes, fresh basil
and olive oil dressing (£9), vied with a ballotine of chicken
supreme stuffed with fresh truffles garnished with a herb mash and
wild mushroom sauce (£11), pan-fried red mullet with a quenelle
of salmon (£7.50), soup (£5) and a terrine of oxtail
and vegetables (£6.50). The mullet was succulent but firm
and lemon butter sauce was a perfect complement to my second glass
of house Sauvignon. I tried two of the other starters which were
of the same superlative quality; the third had been cleared from
its diners plate before one could say shallot and fresh
herb dressing !
Four main courses and five diners ( Mark joined us) meant that
we could sample the full menu. I enjoyed a magnificent pan-fried
fillet of pork with caper and herb crust set onto polenta and with
a gorgeous sauce (£18). The meat could be cut with a fork
and the crust was so moreish
I think I drank a glass of Vaucluse
(£3) with it. My wife had the seared scallops served with
fresh asparagus in an orange and ginger butter sauce (£19.)
They were sensational and declared to be better than some she had
eaten a couple of weeks previously in a well-known French restaurant.
Equally magnificent were the fillet steak with herb and bacon mash
(£18) and the baked sea bass with mussels, leak risotto and
anchovy sauce (£16.50). This was a fish-lovers dream
or so the minute morsel I was reluctantly given suggested. All the
meals were served with an abundance of fresh vegetables.
Four puddings included a passion fruit soufflé (£7),
a trio of chocolate mousse (£6.50), poached pear Zabaglione
(£6.50) and apple and rhubarb Charlotte (£6). Again,
I tasted only a little of some of them but they maintained the excellence
of the preceding courses. I sampled the platter of cheeses (£8)
and was rewarded with some of the Westcountrys finest. I forewent
the apple and cider fruit butter because I wanted to try another
glass of red.
Our meal ended with coffee and petits fours and a glass of the
most delicious Coteaux du Layon.
This is a combination of delights which has a price. Dining here
is not cheap but it is worth every penny. If you love exquisite
food, fine wines, a gracious setting and civilisation, this is the
place for you.
There is also a super 3-course lunch menu for £18 including
beverages. For this you could start with smoked salmon or goats
cheese, go on to sirloin steak or salmon fillet and finish with
one of three puddings or cheese. If this is too much of an indulgence
there is also a superb snack lunch menu including home-made fish
cakes at £5.50.
My one regret is that we did not stay the night in one of the en
suite bedrooms. We did, however, have a long chat with Jean-Phillipe
and Julie allowed me to kiss her good-night!
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