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!

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 

The Savoy Grill (The Sequel)

We enjoyed dining in The Savoy Grill so much on our last visit that we decided to especially make a detour to London from Cotswolds just to dine there again!

Also, we were in such a rush last time to finish dinner before going to the theatre that we could not properly enjoy the good food (and we did not even get to try the desserts!).

NB: Photos are not that great this time as the lightings were really dim.

Basket of breads

Lovely basket of homemade olive breads with cold butter that went really well with my lobster bisque.

To start......

I ordered the lobster bisque again as I enjoyed it so much last time, it sounds so delicious that even two of my friends ordered it as well!

Lobster Bisque with brandy butter

The bisque was beautifully rich with seafood flavour and the wonderful fragrance of brandy butter making it a very complete dish. The lobster pieces were really fresh and nicely cooked.

Crispy pig's head croquettes with gribiche sauce

When my housemate ordered the crispy pig's head to start, we all joked that she might be served with a big pig's head with an apple in it's mouth on a plate!

What a relieve when she received these delicious looking croquettes on a bed of leafy salad with gribiche sauce!

The pig's head actually had a texture like any other parts of the pig. The croquettes were beautifully deep-fried in breadcrumbs that turned into a healthy golden brown.

Delicious!


To follow......

Chateaubriand (for two) 20oz

With the many different cuts of steak on the grill to choose from, I ordered the 20oz Chateaubriand (for two) to share with another friend as the waiter highly recommended it as a very sweet and tender steak.

The medium-cooked steak was indeed very tender and the meat very sweet. The half-bulb of garlic on the side was really fragrant and the rich, buttery Bearnaise sauce was absolutely amazing and filled with flavours from different herbs.

Roasted Goosnargh duck breast with sautéed foie gras, braised endive and smoked bacon

And the third duck dish for my housemate in three evenings!

Another nicely cooked duck breast, which was a bit pink and not over-cooked at all. Juicy and succulent duck meat with very tasty braised endive and smoked bacon.

A very fine dish with fine ingredients - thumbs up!

But if you ask me, I would say this duck dish was the best amongst all three duck dishes in terms of flavours. But this one from last night won in terms of presentation.

Braised Steak with truffle topping on curly kale

The 'special' of the day was this braised steak on curly kale with a topping of truffle shavings!

The beef was slowly cooked and it absorbed all the flavours from the sauce. The meat was superbly tender that it melts in your mouth.

The truffle shavings, needless to say, enhanced the taste of the entire dish!

Rib-eye steak

One of my friends ordered the rib-eye steak, medium-rare.

It looks absolutely delicious and the respond I had off my friend was:"It's ok".


So....going to the highlight of the evening - desserts!

We must have ordered four of the most difficult desserts to make on the menu as we waited at least half an hour for them. But the restaurant did kindly served us with a complimentary watermelon granita for the wait, and the granita was absolutely refreshing and delicious!

Passion fruit and lime baked Alaska flambé 

The passion fruit and lime baked Alaska flambé was a sight when the waiter lighted it up on the table. It was so beautiful with the blue-coloured flame dancing around the ice cream and the colourful fruit pieces on the plate.

The meringue on top of the ice-cream was wonderfully light and creamy and the passion fruit and lime ice-cream beneath was so refreshing and tasty.

Pistachio soufflé with vanilla ice-cream

The beautifully risen pistachio soufflé, we later found out, was the 'culprit' in us having to wait so long for our desserts.

We were informed that the kitchen had made several failed attempts to make the perfect soufflé as they did not raise properly.

However, the wait was well worth it as the soufflé we had has wonderfully puffed up and had a very light texture. The pistachio was amazingly fragrant and gave a very nice flavour to the 'egg-y' soufflé. Delicious!

Opera cake with milk and honey ice cream

I particularly liked the opera cake with milk and honey ice cream.

Layers of almond sponge cake soaked in coffee syrup, ganache and coffee buttercream is what make French patisserie and cakes so famous.

Each layer was bursting with flavours yet complimented each other well. You can taste the slightly bitter coffee used and was very fragrant and the light ganache cuts through the richness of the coffee buttercream. Fabulous!

Apple Charlotte with calvados crème fraiche 

Another pretty dessert - apple charlotte, served warm.

A very beautifully constructed dessert, the sponge was nice and light with apple flavours coming through each bite. The lightly flavoured Calvados creme fraiche was perfect with this spongy dessert.

A very enjoyable dinner with a perfect end to the evening, and I thoroughly enjoyed the company of wonderful friends!

The English Country - Cotswolds

On our second day in the beautiful Cotswolds, we visited several towns and villages and decided to have English cream tea in one of the many tea shops in Stow on the Wold.

St Edwards Hall, Stow on the Wold

After a big English breakfast at the hotel, we decided to have a light lunch. So we went to one of the many tearooms/coffee-shops in the village to have a proper English tea.

Egg and Watercress Sandwich

The egg and watercress sandwich I had was delightfully light and tasty. The egg was well boiled, seasoned and creamy with mayonnaise.

Scones with clotted cream and strawberry jam

The fruit scones were nicely baked, risen well and warm with sweet fruits dotted through them. A big slab of clotted cream and a big slab of strawberry jam on the scones was just simply delicious! That's what I like about English afternoon tea.

Stow on the Wold

Then we went visiting a fairy-tale like, pretty village called Lower Slaughter, which is part of The Slaughters in Cotswolds. We also visited Bourton on the Water, which is next to The Slaughters. Another beautiful town with lots to see like the Birdsland, a perfumery museum and a motor museum.

Then it was time to feed ourselves again and we went to this very nice country pub restaurant in Chipping Norton.

The Masons Arms

The Masons Arms (recommended by The Good Food Guide) looked everything like an average pub, but it also offers a very beautiful room for fine dining next to the bar.

A very warm and inviting place with a nice ambience.


To start......

Basil Gnocchi, Roasted cherry tomatoes and Truffle soup

The truffle soup was thick, creamy and well seasoned. It had a really rich, acidic flavour of tomatoes running through it and the fragrance of truffle peaking through.

The basil gnocchi in the soup was very fragrant and beautiful with the strong notes of spice from the basil.

A very nice starter to increase one's appetite for the next course!

Poached loin of rabbit, carrot and orange soup, carrot rappee

The poached loin of rabbit was well executed with a very good combination of flavours from the sweet and acidic carrot and orange soup.

The rabbit meat was nice,soft and tender and the carrot rappee gave a nice crunch to the dish.


To follow......

Pan roasted breast of Gressingham duck, fondant potatoes, honey glazed baby onions, red cabbage

My housemate's second duck dish in two days!

The duck this evening was well cooked (not as pink as the day before's) and not too tough, the meat retained its juiciness and was well seasoned.

The potato fondant was rich and buttery but tasted a little bit bland and could have been better if the edges were browned a little bit more.

The red cabbage was well cooked (much better than the day before's) and complimented the duck dish really well.

Pan roasted fillet of venison with mustard crust, spiced pear & blueberry vinaigrette, roast new potatoes

The venison dish was beautifully presented.

The spiced pear was sweet, soft and had the wonderful flavours of spice. The blueberry vinaigrette was thick and rich with its acidity cutting through the strong taste of venison meat.

I loved every bit of this dish but the main ingredient of this dish was a bit disappointing. Although the venison was medium cooked, I found it rather tough and dry.


To finish......

Vanilla creme brulee and raspberry sorbet

The vanilla creme brulee was amazingly delicious. It was light and creamy with a very well balanced vanilla flavour to it and the raspberry sorbet was wonderfully sour.

A very nice dessert to end the meal after a heavy main course.

Lime Posset with cherry compote

The lime posset was wonderfully citrussy and had set very well. It was thick and creamy, a dash of that sweet cherry compote with each mouthful of the refreshing lime posset was just perfect!

I was pleasantly surprised with such fine food being served in pubs dotted around the beautiful country of the Cotswolds!