Lunch at The Stonemill

It was a random encounter with this lovely restaurant, tucked in the beautiful countryside of Wales.

The short story goes like this.

We were on our way back from a visit to an organic farm somewhere in Monmouthshire. Being very hungry as it was already lunch time, our plan was to head towards Monmouth town, find a pub/restaurant then settle for a nice pub lunch.

We were driving along long, winding country roads with tall bushes, trees and some random cottages on both sides of the road. Then, as we passed some stone buildings by the road, we were engulfed by very aromatic smell of FOOD!

We could not stop in time to turn into the road by the buildings, so we drove past and discussed whether or not to turn back. About half a mile later, being very hungry and still quite some way away from Monmouth town, we decided to make a U-turn and head towards the nice smell of food!

Hence, we arrived at The Stonemill Restaurant @ Rockfield.

Outside The Stonemill

A nicely decorated interior with a 'Barn Theme' complete with a stonemill right in the middle of the restaurant, hence the name.

Inside The Stonemill

The Menu

This restaurant uses local produce and even grow their own vegetables to ensure the freshest food is served to customers!

They even make their own bread, jam, pasta etc.

House-made Breads

The house-made buns were incredibly tasty, very soft and easy to tear. Perfect with a dip of good quality balsamic vinegar and olive oil!


To start -

Smoked salmon, new potato & chive salad, crème fraiche

We had a nice, light starter of smoked salmon complimented with the very refreshing chive salad which always goes well with seafood. A very nice summer dish to start our lunch.

Sweet potato soup, white truffle oil, smoked sea salt

We also had the sweet potato soup which was not too sweet. The white truffle oil added a very fragrant taste to it and the soup is very well seasoned with smoked sea salt. A delight to have as a starter to increase one's appetite. Also perfect to dip your bread into.

Pan roasted tenderloin of pork, creamed potatoes, ratatouille, red wine jus

The pan roasted tenderloin of pork was very well cooked. It was very tender and had a pleasant char-grilled taste to it. I loved the silky smooth mashed potato with a rich taste of butter and the bed of ratatouille was simply filled with flavours of stewed vegetables.

Roasted breasts of wood pigeon, summer vegetables, smoked bacon, saute potatoes, red wine jus

The highlight of our lunch was the roasted breasts of wood pigeon sourced from Mr Arnell in Monmouth. It has a very nice gamy taste to it and was perfectly cooked still a bit pink to prevent the meat from getting too tough. The bacon added some smokiness to the dish and the addition of green peas make the entire dish like having pigeon in the woods!


A very enjoyable lunch indeed.

We were just glad that we followed our noses and found very good food!

A Michelin Star Affair

With my parents visiting the UK, I have booked for us to have a Michelin star experience in one of two Welsh's only Michelin star restaurant - The Crown at Whitebrook.

The head chef, James Sommerin, was one of the contestants in this year's The Great British Menu!

Fine dining in a Michellin star restaurant is not just about enjoying good food, it is also the entire experience of the surrounding, atmosphere and service of the place.

Tucked in the middle of woods within Wye Valley, Monmouthshire, this restaurant is set in beautiful surrounding for fine dining.

The interior is simple yet elegant with a mixture of old and new.

Lounge

Menu

Before we start......

Pre-starter

While we were waiting to be seated at our table, we were served a complimentary pre-starter consisting of (from right to left on picture above) Butternut Squash Soup, Chopped Spiced Tomatoes, Deep Fried Tapioca Ball and Cheese Puff.

The soup was very rich and suitably sweet. The chopped tomatoes were full of flavours from the different spices coming through nicely to complimented the sweetness and sourness of the tomato.

The Tapioca ball was a delight with very crunchy exterior and the texture inside is like glutinous rice but much less sticky/thick. The Choux pastry of the cheese puff was made well as it has a very nice puff and the cheesy flavour was just nice as it did not give an over-powering taste.

Nice combination of four bite-sized treats to whet one's appetite.

And then there was more......

Pre-starter

After we were sat at our table, we were served with more pre-starter! A small pot of sweet corn mousse, small pieces of bacon and crisp noodle-like item.

The sweetness of the sweet corn complimented well with the smokiness of the bacon topped with a crisp noodle giving it another layer of texture.

It was like having a de-constructed, posh sweetcorn soup.

and more......

Butter (unsalted/salted)

A dollop of house churned butter with the option of salted or unsalted as you can see speckles of coarse sea salt on top of the butter.

This is to be served with a host of different house made breads including Oatmeal bread, Soda bread, Onion bread and Organic white bread.

House-made bread

And now we shall start......

Loin of Wild Rabbit. Almond, gingerbread, pear

I had the loin of wild rabbit with almond, gingerbread and pear. A very unique combination of flavours and textures that wonderfully came together.

The rabbit loin was very tender and well seasoned. Accompanied by spicy gingerbread, sweet pear purée, poached pear and fragrant reduced almond jus. It was absolutely delicious!

Pan Fried Scallop. Iberico ham, parsley

My friend had the pan fried scallop with Iberico ham and parsley.

Perfectly seared, the scallop was very juicy and sweet (fresh seafood sweetness). The saltiness of the wonderfully cured Iberico ham perfectly complimented the sweet scallops. Topped with fragrant parsley foam, this was a very well executed dish showcasing fresh scallops.

Grey Mullet. Smoked eel, avocado, shiso

My dad had the grey mullet served with smoked eel, avocado and shiso.

The grey mullet was perfectly seared giving a crisp skin. Served with smoked eel mousse wrapped in smoked eel, shiso and avocado jelly. The smokiness and sweetness of the eel, the sweetly bitter avocado jellies (adding freshness) which complimented the fish really well with different flavours and textures.

Seared Langoustine. Smoked bacon, potato, wild mushroom

My mom had the seared langoustine served with smoked bacon, potato and wild mushroom. The langoustine was very fresh and sweet although not as good as those we had in Red Skye Restaurant. Nevertheless, still a very nice dish with soft potatoes, crisp bacons, earthy wild mushrooms all carefully chopped to an even size and filled with flavours which compliments the sweet langoustine well.


Followed by the mains......

Hay Baked Venison. Celeriac, root vegetables, chocolate

I had the hay baked venison served with celeriac, root vegetables and chocolate sauce.

The venison had a really fragrant (like fresh out of the barn) and gamy taste to it. Surprisingly, the cocoa flavour of the chocolate complimented the venison really well as it intensifies the taste of the red meat.

The celeriac and root vegetables were all seasoned very well and cooked al dente.

Welsh Lamb. Garlic, charred leek, lamb sweetbreads

My dad ordered the Welsh lamb served with garlic, charred leek and lamb sweetbreads.

The lamb was pink and tender, served with smoky charred leek and the sweetbreads were a delight to eat!

Pan Fried Turbot. Cauliflower, wild mushroom, samphire

My mom had the pretty looking pan fried turbot served with cauliflower, wild mushroom and samphire.

I had to take the picture of the pretty drawing of the shape of a fish with cauliflower purée from an aerial view.

The turbot had a nice crisp to the top and was well cooked through. The samphire (like a seaside variety of asparagus) was a perfect match to the fish dish as it gave a 'taste of the sea'. Then you can find the subtle sweetness of the cauliflower purée coming through nicely to give the dish another dimension of flavour.

Label Anglais Chicken. Summer truffle, broad bean, asparagus

Now, I have to say that this was the star dish of the night.

Label Anglais chicken served with summer truffle, broad bean and asparagus.

Truffles are expensive for a few good reasons. Not only it is very difficult to find, a few shavings of the expensive stuff gives a wealth of flavour to an otherwise dull dish.

People rarely order a chicken dish as a main course, unless there are some reasons why they cannot have other meat, as chicken can lack flavour compared to other meats.

But this 'chicken cooked three ways' dish is an absolute delight! There were unusually tender chicken breast, crisp chicken croquet and tasty chicken sweetbread served with a sauce and purée made of chicken stock and truffle oil.

A delicious and sophisticated dish where every mouthful is an enjoyment of great culinary excellence!


Towards the end......

Pre-dessert

After some rich food, we were served this pre-dessert made of brownies, spiced pineapple cube-lets and pineapple sorbet.


To end......

Strawberry, Dark Chocolate

We ended the evening with a dramatic entry of 'strawberry and chocolate' on a box where smoke infused with strawberry scent was flowing out making it look as if the box was floating on a lake.

It was like having a 4D effect of culinary experience where first your sense of smell was triggered then you enjoy the taste of the food.

This was actually a de-constructed Strawberry Cheesecake made of cream cheese, strawberry ice cream, frosted strawberry pieces and vanilla ice-cream in a chocolate cone.

 Delicious and just nice after a rich meal!

Passion Fruit, Dark Chocolate

We also had the passion fruit and dark chocolate soufflé.

The soufflé had perfectly risen to a nice height and baked to a nice tint of brown.

The passion fruit and dark chocolate complimented each other well, although we thought the big 'chunk of passion-fruit flavoured jam' on the inside was less enjoyable.

Raspberry, Dark Chocolate, Strawberry

I had the lovely raspberry, dark chocolate and strawberry dessert made of raspberry sorbet filled with vanilla ice-cream, frozen strawberries and chocolate brownies.

A nice combination of sweet and citric taste.

Fig, Apple

My mom had the fig and apple dessert which was essentially a de-constructed fig and apple tart served with fig ice cream, apple jam and some honeycomb.

Although it looked beautiful, we did not enjoy this dessert as much as the others at it was generally too sweet.

People often have the presumption that fine dining means leaving the restaurant still hungry due to 'big plate, small portion' being served.

But we thoroughly enjoyed the nice experience with excellent service and our stomach filled.

I must compliment the chef for using new and original combinations of flavours to bring out the best of each main ingredients in the dishes! As well as using many different and modern techniques in preparing the dishes!


This was a truly Michelin Star experience!

Red Skye Restaurant

On the third day of our Scottish holiday, my housemate and I embarked on a scenic route towards the beautiful Isle of Skye via Kyle of Lockhalsh.

Eilean Donan Castle

We passed by the famous Eilean Donan Castle in the Village of Dornie.

This place was exceptionally beautiful where the castle was set on still, clear- blue water with a magnificent backdrop of mountains and blue sky.

Luib, Isle of Skye

Then we continued on our journey cross the Skye Bridge into scenic Isle of Skye. It felt like we were in an entirely different world.

God's creation is just so magnificent and beautiful!

Elgol, Isle of Skye

With this beautiful backdrop, we chose to dine in a family-run restaurant located in Broadford  - one of the largest town in Isle of Skye.

Red Skye Restaurant - offering fresh and locally sourced Scottish produce.

Red Skye Restaurant

This restaurant is run by a very friendly couple. As soon as we parked our car, the lady owner pulled up behind us and gave us an enthusiastic wave.

When we got into the restaurant, the chef/owner gave us a very warm welcome from behind the pass of his kitchen.

Blackboard

As Scotland is well-known for its seafood, we went for the seafood dishes on the menu.

To start......

Crayfish Tail

My housemate went for the Succulent Crayfish Tails served on leaves and topped with marie rose sauce.

True to its name, the crayfish tails were indeed very succulent and fresh!

It has a very subtle sweetness and the lovely marie rose sauce (a bit like tartar sauce/mayonnaise) with a squeeze of lemon juice was just simply delicious!

Langoustines

I had the Local Langoustines with Salad Leaves and Garlic Mayo.

Believe me, it was the largest langoustines that I have ever seen, they were as big as a small lobster!

After cracking the langoustine shell, I extracted the lovely langoustine meat which was triple the size of my thumb!

It was so fresh, succulent and sweet; dipped into the garlic mayonnaise, it was just heavenly!


To follow......

Pan-seared Salmon

I went for the dish on the board - Pan-seared Salmon with a White Wine, Safron and Crayfish Cream Sauce.

The very fresh salmon was perfectly seared. Sweet, meaty fish filled with Omega-3 oil, it was absolutely delicious!

The white wine, saffron and crayfish cream sauce was out of this world! It was so nice that the plate was almost squeaky clean when I was done with my main course.


NB: Saffron is the most expensive spice in the world for a very good reason. It added so much aroma to the sauce.

What looked like a very simple dish was made with much effort and attention to details as it had really well balanced flavours.

Seabass

My housemate had the Fillet of Seabass Dressed with Japanese Breadcrumbs, Golden Fried and served on Garlic and Lemon Crushed Potatoes with a tomato salsa.

To me, this is a very posh plate of 'fish & chips' (in a good way).

Using Japanese breadcrumbs instead of the usual batter gave the fish a very delicate coating and reduced the risk of having thick floury coating.

The crunchy Japanese breadcrumbs also gave the soft Seabass a different layer of texture.

The salsa with acidic tomatoes and sweet/bitter capsicum nicely complimented the well-cooked Seabass.

Again, the acidic favour coming through the lemon crushed potatoes was just perfect for the fish dish.

10 out of 10 for flavours combination on this dish!


To follow......

Chocolate Fondant

I could not resist chocolate fondant for dessert, so I ordered the Chocolate Fondant with Isle of Skye Puff Candy Ice-cream.

The warm chocolate fondant with liquid chocolate flowing out as soon as I cut into it was very delicious.

The puff candy ice-cream was also very unique, not too sweet (which went well with the sweet fondant) and it has a very nice crunch from the crushed candies!

Creme Brulee

My housemate went for the Homemade Creme Brulee with Butter Shortbread and Strawberry.

What is so special about a Creme Brulee? Well, I must say that it is not easy to make a GOOD Creme Brulee.

This one was very nicely made. Silky smooth cream baked to perfection, even the top was nicely caramelised to give a thin layer of hard caramel.

It was so nice that we could have ordered another one!

Overall, a very nice dining experience. I could not fault the service provided and the excellent food offered in this place! Food made from fresh and good quality ingredients really does make a big difference!

I would definitely come again if I had the opportunity!

A Room In The Town

Right in the beautiful city of Edinburgh, lies a rustic little restaurant called A Room In The Town (part of the Teuchters group).

View of Edinburgh Castle from hotel room

The inside of the restaurant looks like a pub and has plenty of characters.

This place provides a relaxed ambience and serves high quality Scottish produce at an affordable price.

Restaurant Interior

Bread and Butter

Scotland is well known for it's plentiful seafood, so we naturally went for the seafood dishes offered on the menu!

To start......

Crab 

We had the Crab Mayonnaise with Lemon and Coriander, Smokey Corn Tortilla Crisps.

The crab meat was very fresh and sweet.

The flavours of lemon and coriander were well-balanced to compliment the crab meat while not over-powering it, and I just loved the Tortilla crisps which added a different texture and flavour to the dish.


To follow......

Halibut

We ordered the Isle of Gigha Halibut on Seared Shetland Scallops with Parma Ham Tuilles, Stornoway Black Pudding and Vermouth Cream.

Again, Scottish-sourced fish which was exceptionally fresh.

The halibut was perfectly cooked and well-seasoned, served with a wonderful Vermouth cream sauce. Loved the juicy and succulent fish meat. Absolutely delicious!

A classic pairing of pan-seared scallops and black pudding was also part of this dish. I would not normally try black-pudding but gave it a go anyway and surprisingly found that it did not have a very strong taste to it.

The scallops were perfectly seared with a nice, crispy brown surface while the middle was just a thin line between raw and cooked.

The subtle sweet richness of the very fresh scallops were just mouth-mouthwatering!

Vegetables

Excellent, high quality food in a beautiful city, what more can I ask for?

Many thanks to Pamella and Fraser for choosing this wonderful place and for the dinner.

Hibiscus

Hibiscus is the name of a flower, in fact, the national flower of Malaysia. However, in this blog, I am referring to the name of a restaurant.

In celebration of my housemate's birthday, we reserved a table for lunch in this 2 Michelin Starred restaurant in London called Hibiscus.

By the sound of the restaurant name, we first thought that it serves Asian-inspired dishes. But we soon found that the chef had Classical French training hence the restaurant serves French/British cuisine with a twist of Asian influence (what we gathered from the menu).

Tucked in the middle of Maddox Street, London, it took us some effort to find but we finally found it with a quick phone-call to the restaurant.

Outside

Upon entering the restaurant, we felt drawn into a rather posh place with minimalistic design. It is quite a small restaurant with only 15 tables available, therefore booking well in advance is highly recommended.

As soon as we sat down, we were given the menus and plates of homemade pork scratchings.

Then we were served complimentary glass of white wine each - courtesy of booking through toptable.com

Menu

Like any other fine dining or Michelin starred restaurants, the menu here offer few but exciting and delicious sounding dishes from start to finish!

After placing our orders, we were served with this wonderful complimentary Aperitif - Pineapple cream and Hibiscus juice.

Complimentary Aperitif 

The citrus-y and slightly sour pineapple cream cut through the very fragrant hibiscus juice which had a bit of fizz in it. A pretty nice Aperitif to start our meal.

Butter

I just could not resist taking photo of the very cute butter - sphere is unsalted and cube is salted.


To start......

Veloute

My friend had the Royale of Amalfi Lemon, Toasted Pine Nuts New Season Wild Garlic Veloute.

The dish looked beautiful and I can imagine that it presents lots of different flavours and textures. I am sure my friend enjoyed the taste of it as much as the looks of it.

Cornish Crab

My housemate and I went for the Cornish Crab, Rhubarb, Cardamom and Cucumber.

The wonderful ingredients were beautifully arranged on the plate and looked very inviting.

Surprisingly, the cardamom did not over-power the delicate flavour of the crab whilst the cucumber added a freshness to the combination.

The ever increasingly popular rhubarb used in this dish was nicely treated and again, did not over-power the crab but instead added some sweet/acidic flavour to the dish.

A delicious starter with very well-balanced flavours and textures - definitely a Michelin star standard dish!

Hibiscus Knife

To follow......

Crispy Plantation Pork Belly

All three of us went for the Crispy Plantation Pork Belly Cooked in Hay. Peas 'a la Francaise', Smoked Bacon, Pink Grapefruit.

A wonderful aroma hit us as soon as our main course arrived.

A beautiful piece of pork belly resting on a bed of  brightly coloured sauce and peas.

As soon as I sliced through the pork belly with my knife, we could hear the wonderful 'crackling' sound from the crispy skin. The pork belly was very well-flavoured and cooked to perfection that the meat and the fat layer melted in our mouth.

The buttery and creamy sauce with the nicely cooked peas and crispy bacon not only added different flavours to the dish, they also added different textures.

The pink grapefruit was just the 'icing on the cake' as the acidity and slight bitterness of the fruit nicely cut through the richness of the pork.


To finish......

Asparagus, Olive & Sorbet

To finish my lunch, I went for the  Asparagus Cream, Candied Black Olives, Whey and Coconut Sorbet as it sounded really unusual with a unique combination of ingredients for a dessert.

Again, a beautifully presented dish.

The asparagus cream was slightly salty and the candied black olives were slightly towards the sweet side. The whey and coconut sorbet was really refreshing and had a sweetness which complimented the asparagus cream and olives really well.

The coconut meringue (with a sprinkle of black olives powder) added a layer of texture to the entire dish.

Personally, I think this is a pretty special dessert more inclined towards a savoury rather than a sweet dish.

Blood Orange and Marjoram Givre

My friends had the Blood Orange and Marjoram Givre.

They looked pretty cute with nicely piped orange cream stuffed inside the blood orange shell and served with some toffee-look-alike sponge cake.

The cream was pretty nice but the blood orange flesh and the skin (recommended to try by the waitress) was so bitter that my friends weren't impressed at all.

A rather disappointing dessert with a restaurant of this stature (not to mention the price).


Overall, a very good lunch experience in the very first Michelin starred restaurant I ever visited.

I could see great efforts being put into the flavour combinations, textures and presentations, combined with attention to details is what make this a Michelin starred restaurant!

PS: Where other restaurants give chocolates/sweets with the bill. Hibiscus gave freshly made Madeleines (peanut, coconut and almond flavours) - still piping hot and very delicious!

Madeleines