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!

The English Country - Kingham, Cotswolds

Cotswolds is "one of the most 'quintessentially English' and unspoiled regions of England, UK." 


It is also "the country's largest officially designated 'Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty'".

Cotswolds is not only an area of outstanding natural beauty, it also provides outstanding food with sources from many farms in the area!

On our first evening in Cotswolds, we drove 17 miles to a lovely old pub that offers fine dining - The Kingham Plough. This pub is one of the '16 things not to miss' according to The Rough Guide to The Cotswolds!

Inside the pub

A lovely village pub with simple and contemporary but warm ambience. Warmth emitting from a beautiful fireplace with real logs burning that gives out a very nice wood smell.

Fireplace

Complimentary bread and butter

After we placed our order, we were served a complimentary bread with butter served on a wooden chopping board which makes it look very rustic.

The bread was warm with a crispy crunch to the outside and surprisingly soft and stringy inside where the gluten had perfectly worked in a well made dough. A spread of cold, rich and smooth butter on the bread is just perfect!

Upside down foraged mushroom tart, Hereford snails and parsley foam

When the starters arrived, we were greeted with two very beautiful and nicely presented plates of food made from fresh, locally sourced ingredients!

The upside down foraged mushroom tart looked like mushrooms on a bed of grass with some leaves on the ground. The parsley foam was technically well-executed and flavoured the snails really well.

The foraged mushroom tart was very well seasoned and stuffed with different kinds of mushrooms which gave it different textures and flavours.

Confit duck leg partridge terrine, local quince cheese on toast, pickled quince

The confit of duck leg partridge terrine looked amazingly appetizing too. The terrine was very well seasoned and full of flavours.

The sweetness of duck meat complimented with the fruit-like sweetness of the pickled quince was very delicious.

The toast was also very unique. The toast was perfectly toasted with a nice crunch to it and the quince cheese sandwiched in between was nicely sweet and thick (imagine the jam in Jammie Dodgers biscuits). Mouth-watering delicious!

Slow cooked belly and cheek of Tamworth pork with shallot custard and black cabbage

This duo of pork dish was delicious beyond description! First mouthful of that slow cooked pork belly with the wonderfully reduced sauce was just heavenly!

The belly was very tender that it almost melted instantly in my mouth and the sauce was so tasty and rich in flavours.

The pork cheek was perfectly cooked (not overcooked that it breaks into pieces and not undercooked that it becomes tough) and the sweet and fragrant shallot custard with slightly sour black cabbage was just so delightful.

The pork crackling was of course wonderfully crunchy. Even the curly kale was well seasoned and nicely cooked.

The chef's attention to tiny details of the whole dish was just amazing!

Breast and leg of mallard and celeriac fondant with braised red cabbage

Mallard, as I learnt from a TV show, is a wild duck.

Starting with the vegetable, the broccoli was very fresh, sweet and had a really nice crunch to it.

The mallard breast was pink, a bit too pink for my friend's liking though, but very nicely seasoned and well complimented with the celeriac fondant.

The braised red cabbage was a bit like the Eastern Europe's sauerkraut, good flavours despite my housemate finding it a bit too soft. A little of crunch would have given another dimension of texture to it.

Overall, a well executed dish with very good flavours!

Divine chocolate and salted caramel millionaires shortbread

Finally, to end the meal was the pub's own chocolate creation to collaborate with chocolate week.

Diving chocolate and salted caramel millionaires shortbread was indeed divine, dark, smooth and rich!

The dark chocolate ice-cream was very nicely bitter and sweet with some crunchy crushed biscuits at the bottom, creating a very good combination of textures and tastes.

The ball of chocolate resting on top of the shortbread had a surprise of white chocolate mousse on the inside which was sweet but not sickeningly sweet.

A very sweet and rich dessert perfect for anyone with a very sweet tooth!

This is what I call pub grub with a difference!