trimble
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Posts posted by trimble
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Actually think it is really good value for money -
"We are celebrating the 60th anniversary of the Good Food Guide with an exclusive evening with food created by Simon Rogan and our guest chef, the amazing Jason Atherton. You will receive a complimentary copy of the GFG anniversary cookery book and during the evening there will be a questions and answers session with Elizabeth Carter, editor of the GFG and the two chefs. Come and join us for this unique event with 'lots' of courses, wines and accompaniments that will start at 7pm on the 13th February 2011 and priced at £149 per person"
The actual costs I am sure are more considerable than £30. The special addition cook book is I am sure worth in the region of £20 and to incude wines with every course, should be a really great evening.
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I've thought about L'enculme but on reflection just couldn't justify going back there.
Am at least going to head to the Samling, on David's advice.
There are Booths in Kendal & Keswick, but any food outlets other than the Westmorland services & Churchmouse cheeses in Kirby Lonsdale I should be aware of?
Maybe you should have a read of this and reflect abit more, after reading this L'enclume will be next on my list
http://www.squaremeal.co.uk/feature/hit-list-uk-top-50-restaurant
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Well we just had to try Rogan & Co,given that we had dined at L'Enclume the previous night.(this last weekend)
The first thing that we noticed, was, it seems to have a bit of an identity crisis.
It wants to be a restaurant, and be a bar at the same time.
Nothing really wrong with that, its very good business sense.
The problem, or part of it is, the passing trade. A large proportion of whom are ramblers and perhaps deem it too posh , and head for one of the numerous
pubs,a short stroll away.
I think that because the bar is perched at the rear of the room it also confuses.
However that said it was fairly busy downstairs, on the eating, and coffee-ing .(sunday lunch)
I did not see much evidence of drinking.(as in alcohol).
I like the space. A lot of money has been chucked at it,and it works.
The comfy settees and armchairs around the fire are much sought after.
With the right choice of table I could see myself dining here rather than upstairs.
The animation was quite appealing.
Upstairs in the restaurant proper was very quiet,with no more than a few tables occupied. Although after two, it started to fill up a bit.
We had a good table looking into the room.
We chose from the Sunday Lunch menu.Two courses £15.95 Three £19.95.
Smoked Haddock cake,shallot,grain mustard.
Yorkshire blue cheese tart, fragrant leaves,balsamic.
Roast Cumbrian beef Yorkshire Pudd,horseradish.
Roasted belly of pork, thyme potatoes, cider apples.
Now then,with the name Rogan above the door I think my expectation level was too high.
What we ate was pretty OK-ish pub food not dissimilar to what I could myself do at home.
The blue cheese tart was itself a lesson in simplicity.
It was ok but looked not dissimilar to ones that I have made using the far tastier(and more expensive ) roquefort.
The mains as I said were OK.
I cold nit pick but I won't.
Service was generally very pleasant and obliging,with just one slip.
Our waiter served the main course then disappeared.
We wanted some english mustard but no one came back to the table until I had finished my meal, and because it was quiet we could not attract anyones attention.
A very simple visit to the table midway through the meal could have rectified this.
This really is a welcome addition to the dining scene in Cartmel, with a very nice upmarket feel to it.
Whilst some of the above may seem negative, we would most certainly recommend it.
Having dined at Rogans on may occasions I just wanted to add comment to your observations. You mentioned that you selected the set lunch menu and at that price, I think what you actually get is a quality product made with the corresponding ingredients - a Yorkshire blue cheese tart would have been made exactly as it says on the tin......and not with a more expensive roquefort.
You could have selected the a la carte menu??
I think in this climate offering less expensive set menus is the only option for many restaurants/pubs.
"Point taken, however the food comes from the same kitchen,with presumably, Tom Kerridge and assists doing the cooking except using cheaper ingredients
As pointed out above,some chefs have the ability to put a bit of magic into their food,thats what makes them special"
I believe this was your post on the Hand & Flowers £10 lunch thread. Not only does Rogan's have to deal with customers being selective over price but they also have to cater for what is a predominately local market, completely the opposite to L'enclume.
Your comment about Rogan's above the door is a fair point but just because he has opened a casual drinking/eating establishment does not mean he is going to recreate a L'enclume 2 in the same small village, as that would definitely not make good business sense!
I don't want to nit pick over your post but I will be very interested to hear what you say about L'enclume.
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The Highwayman is in Burrow, two miles or so south of Kirkby Stephen. Those two miles probably aren't ideal if you're on foot though. There must be some decent old coaching inns in Kirkby Stephen itself.
The Highwayman is south of Kirkby Lonsdale
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Well, Mrs H's employer decided to be even more appreciative of her contribution to global capitalism - so we're booked in at L'Enclume and staying overnight with them. Which should mean we can squeeze in lunch at the Highwayman next day.
Unfortunately this means we have only enough left over for two houses in Wigan.
Would have been my choice, why not try lunch at their new place Rogan & Company and go for the whole Cartmel experience.
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I cannot believe they haven't changed the name, Juniper is Paul and Kate and many young chefs who worked for them. They need to find their own identity.
(I love you JB)
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L'enclume - 2 of course!
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I inevitably end up watching these. I may have missed it, but did it mention the places where the contestants work at the moment? It would have been interesting to know what level they're at professionally already, because in general they didn't seem that good!
When is it on?
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We've got two nights at Gilpin coming up and I'm looking forward to it
Oooh are you staying in one of the garden suites?
Stayed in one a couple of years ago and had a memorable night in one of the hot tubs in a howling gale!
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I am looking to visit RHR in October and have tried to bypass the 2 months reservation policy - it's a long story. Does any one know what it's like to get a table at the moment on a friday night?
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friend of mine has a house in the lakes and is a fairly regular visitor to l'enclume, he had a meal at rogan & co and though it brilliant, his quote was 'anyone with half a gram of commonsense would go there rather than l'enclume' he saw it as perhaps a danger to their existing biz
I'm not sure why your friend would make that comment. Surely you would visit L'Enclume for a completetly different experience to that of Rogan & Co.
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Any suggestions for an evening meal out in Newcastle, up to £50 a head for food would be ok.
Apologies if this has been asked before.
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I agree with Rogan & Company
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It's a shame you didn't enjoy your visit as much as you had hoped. I have been twice now and was also lucky enough to be at the opening and I think the place is fantastic!
The food is wonderful and the service is relaxed but professional and just what Cartmel needs. I think what is also nice for the village is you can go just for a drink
and I know it will be my local from now on.
I think Simon and Penny have got it just right and it knocks spots off places like The Punch Bowl and The Drunken Duck.
Good luck guys
Interesting you should compare it to the Drunken Duck/Punch Bowl. I find both way to £££££ for what you get, espcially the Drunken Duck. I am always a bit confused by them. Are they gastro pubs, restaurants, pub, bar, hotel, restaurant with rooms?? I prefer the Punchbowl of the two. Rogans is more a restaurant, its more focused. I look forward to returning there.
I suppose my comparison only relates to what else is in the local area, as really you can't put them in the same league, but I know which of the 3 I won't be visiting again. I was at Rogan's on Sunday night and it was suprising to see how many non diners where downstairs which gave the place a great atmosphere equal to any city centre wine bar.
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how was l'enclume bertie? i hear so many mixed reports.
Hmm. An interesting one. I didn't put up a review because, uhhr, I also have a very mixed reaction--I had full notes on the menu, but thats elsewhere in the country right now.
We did the full 25-courser (part of my continuing 'recovering vegetarianism'). Some of it (deconstructed cartmel pudding, surrealist tequila slammer, something involving eggs being poached in front of you) was superb. Some of it was dreadful (the 'main' which was venison with banana was, well, even thinking about it brings me out in spots. I thought I'd have trouble with the venison, but, no, just the combination), and some of it was so-so. All of which is fine. I don't expect to like everything on the menu at such an experience.
The real problem is to compare the L'Enclume experience to its peers (Fat DUck, etc). A 25-courser done with Rogan's expertise has to be about performance, the surrounding elements have to be right. And in the current venue, with the current staff, they're not. The staff are lovely, but the majority of them have such heavy accents its difficult to decipher what the dishes actually are (we only worked out the tequila slammer on viewing the menu the next day), which has to be part of the sheer delight at meeting such combinations. One of the dishes I totally misheard as 'liver' rather than 'vanilla', and my preconceptions of the mix implied led me to hate something that should have just been a bit bland (and Mrs W. loved).
The room is still more suited to a leisurely lunch than to a very special (and very expensive) evening meal. With the exception of the opening 'dehydration/rehydration' and the use of a syringe for poaching egg in a chinese soup, there was no performance associated with the presentation, something that adds to the taste, the anticipation, everything. Heck, there wasn't even someone to thank us and say 'goodnight' on our way out, which, when you've spent 300+ sovs on a meal for two, is a little insulting.
So, still mixed. We'll be back as its only ninety minutes or so from Manc, and its such a lovely village, but can it improve if Rogan is also working on the new place?
Back to the original post........my understanding is that Simon has a new team in at Rogan & Co and therefore he is still at the helm at L'Enclume and 100% committed to it.
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Went today after reschuduling the booking 3 times. Everytime I thought I had a free weekend, something came up! Always the way. I nearly changed the date again as it was Cartmel race weekend, but luckily, the races are only on Sat, Mon and Weds. So arrived and managed to park in the central square of the very picturesque village. Wandered over to near by antiques shop, very smart, lovely stuff in, saw a very nice dresser/bureau, mere snip at £18,000!! Quickly exited. Had quick drink in kings arms, then onto Rogans.
This is situated where smart antique shop used to be, they obviously have spent a bit of cash on the place. Wine bar downstairs, with tables that you can eat at as well.
View form bar:
Downstairs there is the main area, plus one room of to the side with a few more tables in, plus loos. The bar is at the back of the building. Himself had a white wine, I opted for a pineapple juice. Took a seat, then was shown upstairs. This is where the restaurant is, so to speak. There is a smaller bar and small lounge area, then towards the frount, main dining area, and again to the side a smaller room with more covers. Upstairs, probably 40 covers?? I did take a pic, but it came out crap, sorry. So, food. There was 1 menu on. I don't know if this was a lunch menu, or if this was literally it. I think it was 7/7/7 choices, starters £5.25 - £6.25, mains £12 - £18.50.
I opted for Roast veal sweetbreads, compote of red onion and truffle viniagrette.
This was really tasty, quite liked this actually!
Main, I went for Herb crusted halibut, anchovy fritter, asparagus, herb risotto.
Again, nice, simple but tasty dish. Came with little pan of risotto.
Himself, went for roast beef. They had beef or pork on, for £9.95. Beef was nice and rare. Came with little pan of veg. He didnt fancy any of the starters?!
For my dessert, Warm chocolate mousse, with pistachio ice cream and caramel.
It was like a melting middle choc pud!! Very gooey in the middle, quite rich. The ice cream was spot on too. His lordship had a cherry and lemon triffle.
The food was lovely, the place really smart, it was the service which needs work. There were a few young waitresses, all wearing jeans and rogan and co polo shirts, when we commented that himselfs pudding came out on its own, we watched as his sorbet slowly melted, then 5 mins later my dessert came out, one just said "I do apologise" ie "I couldn't give a badgers ass". Why didnt they send them out together?? There was no frount of house manager or anything. Thats what it needs. Someone to oversee everything, the pacing was a bit slow. But the food was spot on. I was expecting more bistro type affair, but this place holds it own. Def worth checking out if in area. Total bill was around £60 (With 1 bottle of red minus 1 dessert as we mentioned the wait!) It's early days for it though, I for one will be going back soon!
It's a shame you didn't enjoy your visit as much as you had hoped. I have been twice now and was also lucky enough to be at the opening and I think the place is fantastic!
The food is wonderful and the service is relaxed but professional and just what Cartmel needs. I think what is also nice for the village is you can go just for a drink
and I know it will be my local from now on.
I think Simon and Penny have got it just right and it knocks spots off places like The Punch Bowl and The Drunken Duck.
Good luck guys
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There was a good article about L'Enclume in this weeks Westmorland Gazette. It was more based on Simon Rogan, on how he has scrapped plans to open in Henley-on-Thames, and is opening a new place in Cartmel called Rogan & Co. The restaurant has also had a bit of a make over. No tablecloths, a bit of a trend in places at the mo! If I can find it online, I will post here. Makes me want to go even more now!!
http://www.thewestmorlandgazette.co.uk/lei...ith_sadness.php
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Anyone been here and have any good reports? A friend of mine owes me a sizeable food/drink debt and it would be easier if it could be settled in the North East. I have little hope that somewhere serving 'Parsnip Foam - Foie Gras Ice Cream' will be anything other than a rollercoaster of pretension but hopefully one of you wants to change my mind.
Why dont you take it for what it is ! A description of the dish.
Maybe you will enjoy it, may be you won't but at least give the place and the chef a chance.
There are too many people like yourself that make they're mind up before even visiting a restaurant.
Places can suffer from these kind of comments ie there too expensive,there too pretentious. Visit the place first!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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L'enclume was targeted by foie gras protesters on friday evening, just as it was two weeks earlier i am told.
Is this a step up in tactics from these people or is it typical now across the UK.
I eat out a lot and quite honestly i have never seen anything like it!
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bibis should be able to help.
http://www.bibisrestaurant.com
200-odd cover italian brasserie, lively amosphere for a christmas do you won't go far wrong.
Unfortunately they are fully booked already!!
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I am looking for a venue in Leeds that would be suitable for a party of 20 for a evening meal in December on Saturday 16th, preferably in the city centre.
I have tried the top end of the market - Anthony's, 3 York Place, Brasserie 44 and even Simply Heathcotes but to no avail.
Spend per head in the region of £50 excluding drinks.
Does anyone have any other suggestions?
Thanks.
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Myself and three friends are off to l'Enclume tomorrow night hopefully taking in the 20 course gourmand, Can't wait!!!!!!!!!!!
Glad to see Bertie enjoyed himself, its a shame he could'nt have made it for dinner and had one of the bigger menu's as this is when you see the true picture of L'Enclume. I've not managed to get to Leeds yet but just read Gary Marshall's latest posting on yet another culinary experience at Anthony's maybe i'll get there in the next couple of weeks and maybe bump into Mr Marshall himself as it sounds like he is part of the fixture and fittings!
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That's the badger. Thanks Jon.
Has anyone been? Gary?
HI SUZI MESSED THE FIRST POST UP WASNT SURE WHAT I WAS DOING, BUT THANKS FOR THE EMAIL.
I'VE BEEN TO HOLBECK NUMEROUS TIMES AS I LIVE HALF AN HOUR AWAY, THE FOOD IS ALWAYS COOKED AND PRESENTED WELL BUT TENDS TO BE PRETTY SAVE, IN FACT I VISITED FOUR TIMES LAST YEAR AND THE MENU WAS MORE OR LESS THE SAME EVERY TIME, VERY MUCH TYPICAL COUNTRY HOUSE "ONE STAR" DISHES.
TRY IT IF YOUR IN THE AREA BUT NOT REALLY WORTH A SPECIAL JOURNEY BUT THEN AGAIN I MIGHT BE BIASED AS L'ENCLUME IS A FIVE MINUTE TAXI JOURNEY A WAY !!!!
HAVE BEEN FREQUENTING L'ENCLUME SINCE IT OPENED BUT NOW THINK CHEF ROGAN HAS FOUND HIS TRUE DIRECTION, BACK FOR DINNER HOPEFULLY NEXT WEEK !
L'Enclume
in United Kingdom & Ireland: Dining
Posted · Edited by trimble (log)
Did you feedback to the kitchen about the Duck?