301. The Wilderness’s Fabulous New Spring Menu.

 

    A recent lunch at The Wilderness underlined just why the inspectors and editors of The Good Food Guide placed the restaurant in their ‘top ten’ list of British restaurants last autumn. It simply is very exciting - the atmosphere, the personality and, most importantly, the food. I lunched there the day the new spring menu was being launched and it proved to be such a remarkable oeuvre that it convinced me that The Wilderness had cemented itself right there at the peak of present British cuisine without having to endure four or five hours of the vague torture of a twenty plus course meal.

  Now eternally fixed at the top of the menu, Claridge’s or perhaps Gedminas’, latest version of their now almost notorious Big Mac arrived as one of two amuses gueles in a tin which raised the expectation that the contents was made up of caviar rather than the sublime wagyu tartare “with luxury condiments’ which it actually was. The other amuse bouche was an absolutely delicious ‘smoked eel eclair’ - a frighteningly powerful example of just how much this restaurant has fully understood what makes for a clever, witty, exciting, spectacularly tasty food experience.

  Then, a remarkable visual exercise in shades of green - a Swiss roll of pasta and strips of courgette sitting like an island surrounded by a viridescent moat flavoured as a Thai green curry and populated by nicely cooked mussels. Then, a now ‘usual suspect’ - the Wilderness carrot dish, we have now arrived at Carrot 2023 - a savoury bread and butter pudding with a perfect texture to complement the carrot.

  Fish course. Lightly poached cod, moist and softly textured, with an Iberico cheese and truffle custard. This looked spectacular but I felt that the flavour of the truffle was really too strong to get the benefit of the flavour of the cod which woukd have been lovely in itself.

  The main course brought the word sublime back to mind. This was the absolutely most perfectly cooked Fallow deer with a fine redcurrant sauce and chicory leaves sitting on hen-of-the-woods mushrooms - in many ways more simple in appearance than some of the more flamboyant dishes that made up the menu but entirely perfectly conceived and executed. How can a restaurant which renders on to its diners such a dish as this not have a Michelin star? Perhaps it will soon. 

  The pastry chef then proved that he should be beatified. The ‘rhubarb and custard Viennetta’ came to the table all pink and decorated and gorgeous and looking like either Carême or Soyer or both were working in the kitchen of The Wilderness. This was wickedness from the Wilderness. A brilliant dessert. It should stay on the menu for ever. I smiled throughout my consumption of it and then a long time afterwards. This is to The Wilderness what 10-10-10 Egg Surprise is to Purnell’s. 

  Finally, four immaculate, clever petits four - a cow’s head fudge, an egg that tasted of bacon, The Wilderness’s familiar Hot Lips and a very memorable, explosively citric yuzu jelly.

  I really felt that while already gazing down on most restaurants, The Wilderness had even then reached new heights.

Rating:- 🌞🌞🌞

300. Purnell’s Plates. A New Bull In Town.

 

  When it comes to Mediterranean cuisine, unlike Greek and Italian food which I find to be, respectively, excruciatingly dull and extremely overrated, I do derive great pleasure from being presented with a plate on which almost any Spanish dish is presented. Spanish cuisine in Birmingham has been significantly unrepresented so I was thrilled that the Yummy Brummie had identified a hole in the market and realised that he was the man to fill it. Hence I found myself ambling along Edmund Street on the first day that Purnell’s Plates opened to the public. It was advertised as selling Spanish tapas which for me at least was highly alluring. 

  The interior is mildly claustrophobic, being a narrow ‘L’ shape opening up into a small square place at the rear, The decor is smart and the restaurant is littered with artefacts such as bull’s horns to remind the diner that this is a little piece of Spain in the city where bulls are embraced so enthusiastically. The walls have art which also generally, though not entirely, emphasise the theme of Iberia. The long bar is the first sight to greet the customer as they enter the restaurant and I was pleased to recognise some old faces there including Adrien Garnier, restaurant manager at the mother ship, Purnell’s, who said he was there for a couple of days to keep an eye on the opening.

  Seated comfortably at my table I noted that the opening lunchtime was a a little slow with a total of only six customers, including myself, there during the time I sat and lunched. I asked for a cocktail but the bar was not yet ready to serve them so instead I had a glass of Madri, a Spanish beer which was perfectly drinkable. I was rather excited about delving into the menu and getting on with the pleasing selection of dishes.  First to arrive was my Anchoas en tostada served with a generous helping of delicious pesto which nicely balanced the fish’s salty delightfulness and which I gobbled down with relish while I waited for my other dishes to arrive. 

  Then the main dishes came out, sauntering their way to the table with a self-assuredness that they were going to pleasure the diners who had ordered them in a comforting, full-bodied, rustic sort of way albeit with some sophistication that only came to the fore when the taste buds had got into gear. Naughty, spicy patatas bravas; very nicely cooked cod, bacalao al pil pil, in a pil pil sauce (garlic, paprika, parsley) and the most triumphant of them all, Chorizo al vino tinto, chunky pieces of spicy chorizo raised to a whole new level by the accompanying, remarkably delicious red wine sauce which was dark and shiny and unctious - I would eat that dish anytime.

  What came next was something of a surprise. I thought of finishing off with crema Catalona but what emerged from the kitchen appeared to be a dramatic genetic mutation of the dish I knew, recognised and loved. Perhaps Purnell’s chefs knew more about it than I (and the rest of the world) did. Ah yes! It was a deconstructed crema Catalana, that was it. There was a heavily whipped cream with shards of caramel emerging erect from it. It just didn’t seem right. In fact it seemed rather lazy. It was pleasant enough but my message would be - reconstruct your crema Catalana as soon as possible.

     The crema Catalana apart, this was an enjoyable meal. Reservations have already been made for a return visit. Rating:- 🌛🌛🌛

  The labrador and I have since passed a happy five days in Weston super Mare which gave me opportunity to visit the legendary Papa’s for some truly fine cod and chips, lovely chunks of cod meat in a pleasingly light batter and some very passable chips to accompany it, and The Ginger Pig Kitchen where the crema Catalana is a triumphant model example of what Purnell’s Plates should be turning out (and the accompanying sable pig is a pleasure too).

  Chef Andrew Sheridan has announced the closure of About 8. Perhaps this is wise. It was always a very personal project, just as Black And Green is also. Alas he could not clone himself and therefore divided his time between cooking at About 8 at the weekend and at Black And Green during the week. About 8 was excellent but possibly too self-indulgent and it was hampering what was taking place in Craft which had been divided up by net curtains suggestive of a harem rather than a restaurant and where the food was not  really to the standard it had previously been.

  Now Craft is being converted into a brasserie and reincluding the space previously occupied by About 8. At the same time the dining pods in the ‘garden area’, which I always thought looked rather tacky, though they did help to see Craft through the COVID-19 lockdown crisis, have been removed. It seems Craft is going upmarket in image at the very least and hopefully the food served there will return to its previous heights in parallel with the look. About 8 is relocating to Liverpool from where Sheridan originated and it is not clear in Sheridan’s announcement whether he himself is planning to return there which would obviously, even if unintentionally, affect the personality of the food served at Black And Green. Sheridan is also planning to open a new restaurant, Severn and Wye, at Newent in Gloucestershire, south of Malvern as well as opening a gastropub in Newent.

299. Cheal’s. Now In Knowle.

   At the beginning of February 2023, Cheal’s of Henley closed its doors for the last time and moved from one pretty Warwickshire village, Henley-in-Arden, to another, Knowle. I could see why - Knowle, where there’s a lot of serious wealth, certainly seemed more full of buzz on its high street which runs straight through the village than Henley which always appears rather sedate and not fully open. More buzz, more possible customers.

  Knowle has some interesting buildings to admire, including the lovely parish church, if taking a preprandial stroll, and Chef Patron (and former Simpsons Head Chef) Matt Cheal has brought his restaurant to a building, though larger than the restaurant’s birthplace in Henley, which has exteriorly, the same olde worlde charm as its predecessor.

  On entry however there is the shock of the new. The restful, intimate comfort of the Henley location has given way to glitzy, more spacious comfort which takes some getting used to after the cosiness of the Henley site. After being greeted by a large, somewhat tacky mirror when first stepping into the building, there is a sizeable, in-your-face bar down stairs where you can imagine the local wealth splashing out on gins and tonics and cocktails and on ascending the stairs up to Cheal’s restaurant there is space and lots of lighting and some dining booths and more glitz and it isn’t quite what you expect Cheal’s to be if you’ve dined in Henley a few times.

    No matter. The sommelier or perhaps restaurant manager or perhaps both (I know we English don’t like wearing badges but their value is sometimes dismissed too easily) initially looked after me and seated me (very comfortably I might add) and politely and professionally went through the opening movement of this culinary symphony but I should have been quite happy if he could have smiled a little. 

  A fine Monkey 47 and tonic soon drew me into the new way of things however, soothed too by the light jazz music soundtrack discretely playing and it wasn’t long, without a moment’s hesitation, that I was placing an order for the six course tasting menu, perhaps an optimal length for such a concept, and arranging for a couple of glasses of wine, well chosen by the restaurant staff for me. I admired the lovely, gold-edged charger on the table, its centre glistening and snowdrop white, which I think was meant to tell the diner what the newCheal’s was all about. That may be so but for me Cheal’s is first and foremost about the excellence of the food which mixes the superb accuracy of classic cuisine with originality and new Britishness.  So how was the food in these opening days of the new restaurant?

  Two little amuses gueules sounded the opening bars as Cheal’s metaphorical kitchen orchestra got underway. They hit the right notes straightaway. First a tiny but beautiful play on fish and chips - a little panisse with an immaculately crispy edge served with battered fish roe and a soupçon of pea purée. This was witty and amusing. Then a gorgeous tartlet made of the most sublimely crispy pastry filled with perfectly textured and delicious beef tartare blanketed by parmesan.Two little gems which brought immense pleasure.

Then arrived a lovely, deeply flavoured bowl of mushroom broth with chopped shitake and nicely textured pearl barley. This was served with Cheal’s’ excellent sourdough and a delightful herb roll with two butters include a yeast butter. Cheal’s seemed to have moved locations seamlessly in terms of its fine cuisine.

  And so to the starter proper - a finely seared scallop with a gorgeous lobster tempura, the pleasing sweetness in the dish derived from the presence of sultanas pairing happily with the flavour of curry oil. The accompanying cauliflower purée and capers were wholly appropriate.

  Matt Cheal’s menus usually seem to have a crispy egg course. Long may they do so as he always comes up with new twists on them and executes the eponymous ingredient perfectly. I have had one or two grim crispy eggs in some other establishments in my time but Cheal is a maestro. The variant this time gave me a finely crispy egg on a pleasing bed of cabbage all surrounded by potato espuma and winter truffle shavings scattered all over - delicious in it entirety - but the most miraculous part was the egg itself - when cut open it was the most supremely perfectly runny egg yolk I have ever had the opportunity to admire and  to enjoy. 

On to the fish. I enjoyed the beautifully served sea bass - was it just a few seconds over? - and though I liked the sweetness of the passion fruit which worked very well I gained nothing from the Muscade de Provence pumpkin and the pistachios certainly gave texture though they did seem a little odd in the context of the dish. An interesting dish all the same.

   The main course of Balmoral Estate venison was less rare than found in some restaurants but for me it was spot on. This was as tender a piece of meat as will be met anywhere - quite delicious - and very nicely accompanied by a thrillingly rustic ally flavoured ball of haggis, equally delightful salt-baked swede, its sweet earthiness just right for the dish, cavalo nero, red cabbage ketchup and a silky juniper sauce.

  The dessert which usually appears in Cheal’s tasting menu is a usually not-less-than-excellent soufflé and this is a reason to choose the tasting menu option if there were no other (which there is of course). This time it was a nicely flavoured forced rhubarb soufflé complemented by tangy ginger ice cream. After this came an excellent selection of six English and French cheeses with accompanying quince jelly, grapes and a generous number of crackers. The cheeses presented are listed on the menu depicted below. Alas I was too full to eat them there and then but they were nicely boxed up in a Baron Bigod container for me to eat at my leisure which I subsequently did with great pleasure. Rating:- 🌞🌞🌞.

     Before I had taken myself to Cheal’s I had had a short walk around Knowle itself. The local church is impressive with pleasing stained glass but an otherwise understated interior. The churchyard contained a large number of older graves, especially notable were a number of rather grandiose Victorian stone monuments.  I noted the presence of the ‘King’s Oak’, not named because Charles II hid up it after the battle of Worcester which is the case with most big oak trees in the West Midlands counties but rather more prosaically because it had been planted there to commemorate King George V’s coronation. I wondered if the village in that hoary and iconic ITV soap opera, Crossroads, also King’s Oak, had been named after it by one of the programme’s  producers, after they had come across the tree and with a sense of irony, given that the star of the show’s name was Noele Gordon and the tree was in Knowle, had felt the coincidence and the aptness too hard to resist. Well, it’s a nice idea.