Bapi

A rather belated review from a meal at Hibiscus two weeks ago and its a bit of a tome so apologies. I had forgotten some of the minutiae of the meal and so my missus asked for a copy of the menu, from Claire Bosi. Whilst we just expected a photocopy of the menu to peruse from which to work out the dishes we had, Claire actually typed up the tasting menu courses we had, in the order we tried them (eventhough we had eaten a week earlier and muddled up the order ourselves) and duly despatched it to us. You don't get that in London now do you? The reason for our visit was to take some close friends to Hibiscus as a belated wedding present. Our original meal was delayed due to an untimely death in my friend's family, and the resulting funeral, but Claire was again hugely accommodating and slotted us into a table at 9 pm the following night instead. We arrived at the requested time and ordered an excellent bottle of Pol Roger champagne (approx £34) to enjoy with our canapes. Cheers ScottF for the recommendation. I can only tell you that one of the canapes was a spherical potato croquette containing the lightest of potato fillings, flavoured with vanilla, which was a delicate and fine way to start the meal off. The greedy swines wolfed the other offerings whilst I was babbling away so I didn't get a look in. We ordered The Hibiscus Menu which is 9 courses (£47), and which is chosen by the chef Claude Bosi - although Claire will listen to any wants and don't wants you may have. When it was time to eat we ventured down a few small steps into the dining room. The room itself exudes a sort of subdued cosiness, being dimly lit, but not so dark as to tend towards being soporific. The extensive wood panelling adds to the atmosphere, which is calm and relaxing without a stuffy hushed reverential silence required in other restaurants. The menu: 1. Oeuf Coccotte with Veloute of parsley root and Thai curry. A whole egg, expertly sliced across the top and standing in a "crater" of rock salt crystals. The eggshell contained the wonderful veloute which filled the top half of the egg and had the unusual , but pleasant taste of curry. Below this sat the unctuous egg yolk, which when combined with the veloute made a memorable start as the amuse bouche. 2. Carpaccio of Hand Dived Scottish Scallops, Leeks & Liquorice Vinaigrette Beautifully presented thin layers of leek, both white and green worked into a lattice upon which were sat very thinly sliced slivers of scallop. The scallop had a translucent texture and tasted superbly fresh. Arranged upon the scallops was the dressing which when eaten with the scallop and leek worked as a delightfully fresh tasting dish This was a particular highlight for my friend's missus. 3. Ravioli of Cornish Crab, Avocado Puree & Caviar Moist and expertly thin pasta enclosing a meaty helping of fresh crab. Sat alongside the ravioli were swirls of the avocado puree which were vivid green and flavoursome. But for me the best combination was the last mouthful. Crab ravioli and the generous dollop of Beluga caviar alone, eaten in one mouthful. Bloody sublime. 4. Sauteed Langoustine tails, Chervil Root Pancakes Four plump achingly fresh langoustines, sauteed so they are just the right side of cooked. These were served with tiny chervil pancakes, which again made a great combination. Especially as the chervil's aniseed taste didn't overpower the langoustines at all, as I feared it might. My second favourite dish of the meal. 5. Fricassee of Hereford Snails, in a Saffron & Orange broth with Barlotti beans and Spanish Lomo. I'll admit this is the one dish that wasn't my favourite of the meal. The broth ,the beans and slivers of lomo were lovely, I just don't think I am fan of our Hereford gastropod chums. These guys were rather too big for me that evening. We did have them once before at Hibiscus when they were served in a wonderful wild garlic broth, which I preferred. The missus loved them though. To drink we had two bottles of the Vigonier (£25 ish)- cheers again ScottF 6. Poached Zander Perch, in Salted Butter, Caper and raisin sauce, Quince Puree. None of us had ever tried this fish before, so this was treat. I liked the idea of the fish being poached in salted butter and it worked very well. The flesh was soft and fell part with the vaguest prod of a fork, but retained a lot of bite and flavour. The poaching liquor seasoned the fish well and its meaty but delicate flavour was counterbalanced by the slightly tart flavour of the quince puree. I didn't quite get the flavour of the caper and raisin sauce coming through, but I still thoroughly enjoyed the dish. My friend on the other hand, didn't think this dish worked that well, proclaiming proudly, that fish should be served with potatoes. But what the **** does he know?, he's from Chingford. 7. Roast Suckling Pig, Puree of Muscavado Sugar, Shallot Confit. A stunning dish and the best pork dish I have ever had-no question. Too often when I have tried a pork dish to find it listless, tasteless and tending towards being interminable. This dish was as far removed from that as one can get. The flesh was as tender as to allow being sliced straight through with the minimum of effort. A task made a damm sight easier by the unnervingly sharp knives supplied to us- Langouvile (sic) or something similar sounding. The flavour was sweet and the texture succulent, the milky flesh being surrounded by fantastic crackling. One might think that the shallot and the sugar combined might give the dish a tendency towards being overly sweet, but this wasn't the case. The quality, taste and execution of this course made it my favourite dish of the year. 8. Cheeses At this stage my friend took on the demeanour of someone with the worrying affectation of narcolepsy. The combination of the previous day's wake, a five hour drive and too many Whisky Macks that afternoon took their toll and he lurched into bouts of unconsciousness, waking intermittently at the table to spout bile about Jamie Oliver- some egulleters would no doubt have approved. Claire didn't bat an eyelid as I sent him outside to get some air and in his absence, we wolfed down a fine selection of gooey un-pasturised cheeses amongst others. 9. Apple Puree, Sweet Celeriac Jelly, Chestnut cream A great pre-dessert, which went well with the Canadian Eiswine(sic), which Claire chose and which Tony Finch mentioned in an earlier review. 10. Warm Hazelnut Fondant, Brioche Ice cream, Butternut Squash Syrup I was getting very full by this stage, but did note the brioche ice-cream was sensational. We didn't make it to coffees as my friend was near to collapse, but overall we enjoyed a thoroughly splendid meal. I can't recommend this restaurant highly enough. Claire Bosi is a delight as front of house, as nothing is too much trouble and she is always happy to explain what some of the more unusual ingredients are. We have already booked to go back during the Ludlow Food festival next year. Eventhough the festival isn't till next September(12-14)- we weren't the first to book apparently, and as penance for falling asleep, I am delighted to say my friend is paying next time.

Le Gavroche - £40 set lunch including half a bottle of wine strikes me as good value. I haven't eaten there yet , but we are looking to partake of this lunch for a friend's birthday in December. Has anyone else tried this and is it worth the trip?

Good God man that's not very PC is it? Are Cannibalistic tendencies common in Sussex? Begs the question as to what you have actually ordered for us at the egulllet lunch??

ScottF - I take it the letter was in the Winner's dinners section? I don't believe it for a second. Arrived back from Ludlow yesterday evening (avoiding falling trees and lorries on the M40). Very briefly for now- Had two great meals, the first at The Merchant House on Thursday. Monkfish with a simple but sublime tomato, ginger garlic and chive sauce, followed by - hurrah !- Venison with Foie Gras and Somloi to finish. Er, suffering from same affliction as ScottF regarding remembering the exact order of courses we had at our second meal at Hibiscus. However, amongst them were roasted Zander Perch; langoustines with chervil root pancake and confit of chervil; and stunning Roast Suckling Pig with Puree of Muscovado Sugar, Confit of Shallots. Will revert back with a more detailed post after discussing with the senior partner.

Juniper in Altrincham, which a few of you recommended to me, has I notice in the press, been voted the Good Food Guide's - Best Restaurant for 2003.

ScottF - a belated thanks for your post. As I indicated to you privately, our meal at Hibiscus this Friday, had to be cancelled due our friend's grandmother passing away. However, I explained this to Claire Bosi, who was very understanding and managed to fit the four of us in on Saturday night, but a bit later in the evening. The woman is a veritable poppet, as our friends were extremely disappointed about the prospect of missing out. We too had a similar langoustine dish last time, but on that occasion it was bound with truffle butter, which was excellent. Andy- thanks for the link to the Jan Moir article link. Also managed to sneak in for a late meal on thursday at The Merchant House. Although, I will have to leave work in London early, and drive like the tw*t my wife tells me I am, to get there in time. I recommend avoiding the M40 on Thursday evening- at all costs. Friday night - we are trying the Japanese place in Ludlow called Koo. Has anyone been? Will report back with details next week

Apologies for not responding sooner, I have been on an all day training course on Financial Statements - YAWN. I must have been a very bad boy in a previous life to have to endure this now. Thom- what can I say? The Mother of all posts or even a veritable Tome eh, Thom?- sorry, woeful pun, blame the course I am on. Many thanks for the excellent and informative post, I fear a week may not be enough time to do all your suggestions justice. The Yang Sing is a definite and I like the sound of both Juniper as well as Samsi Yakitori amongst many others. I do know Rusholme- I spent many a long afternoon was spent there in my youth waiting for my mother to buy every sari imported into the country. I spent the time stuffing my face with Samosas whilst she shopped. But it was half the size it is now and there were far fewer restaurants back then. Thom - can you tell me abit more about The Urbis and where is the Millenium Quarter?? Feeling slightly wary now as I should have realised Malmaison could be a bit on the nosy side from its location, especially as The Lowry was the other option, and I chose the Hotel! Even more so now that I hear that Alias have opened Rossetti, (we are thinking of going to Hotel Barcelona with friends next year). Many thanks again to all who replied.

I will be up in the North of England on business in November, but staying in central Manchester. (Malmaison Hotel - is the chain any good by the way?) Hence, I would appreciate some suggestions as to where to eat whilst up there. I used to live not so far away from Manchester in my distant youth, and used to get taken to the Yang Sing and an Indian called the Rajdoot. Are they still any good? Thanks

I had a good meal at The Fire Stables in Wimbledon a while back, but that is more of a pub/restaurant, so maybe not what you want for a special occasion. Worth a look though. I am pretty sure it won some sort of Time Out award recently.The chef won a scholarship and trained with R Blanc at Le Manoir, I think.

John W- many thanks for your advice, I did try Eight Dinham many times yesterday but failed to get any answer. In any case we are now booked in elsewhere, so thank you. ScottF- Great minds think alike. You and your missus are dining in the reverse order to us. However, I too have concluded that a pub-crawl may well be apposite on the Saturday after lunch at The Merchant House! As you are going two weeks before us, I would be very grateful for your comments and recommendations as to what you ate and enjoyed at Hibiscus and The Merchant House. A few suggestions as to the pubs you visit on Saturday wouldn't go amiss either. Have a good time. (PS - Try the Unicorn next to The Merchant House). Cheers

Help Booked for Dinner at Hibiscus on 25th October and just scrapped in for lunch only at The Merchant House on 26th October (a dinner reservation on a Saturday is non starter until next year now!) . My problem is that I am having difficulty in finding anywhere reasonably priced to stay (Not The Feathers) I need two double rooms in a B&B, or a cottage with the same capacity. Can anyone who has stayed recently recommend anywhere to me please? Many thanks Ps Tony F. thanks for the link earlier

Fear not Miss J. Palmer's Green station Car park on Sundays from 10 am. What is that roughly, 15 mins from Finchley? I haven't managed to get my lazy arse out of bed yet to attend (eventhough it is only 2 miles away) but will endeavour to do so on Sunday and report back. Best Farmer's market I have been to is at Ludlow, well worth a look. On a similar vein(ish) have a gander at the Huge Furry Whippingtool (aka Hugh Fearnley Whittingstall) book The River Cottage Cookbook, its excellent.

Does Mathew get a Telegram for 100 posts? I agree it does sound very good and is likely to be heavily over subscribed. From what I remember , I think it was originally due to be in May of this year but was postponed due to last years tragic events in September.

Sounds very good Cabrales. Thanks for posting it. Glad to see the lobster dish will be available. Do you know when this menu will commence?

Matthew, Your reference to the your E -reg Fiesta and the WI made me chuckle. I had the same quandry when I had a clapped out gold Granada (The Golden Beast). Thankfully, the old man was abroad, so I "borrowed" his car. Also received the same magazine as Cabrales, (only because I filled in a form in our room on a previous visit to be kept informed of future events). There is an article within it, about the White Hart at Nayland, Suffolk, which Michel Roux also owns. Although I first read about it in the now defunct EatSoup" magazine , anyone remember that? Its run by Frank Delatang , who is ex - WI. We have eaten there twice for lunch and it is very good value for money, excellent Guinea fowl dish for £12, which everyone on the table had and enjoyed. Rooms are v reasonable in price although I have never stayed. Tried to book a night's stay and to dine at the end of August, but fully booked.

Yvonne , it's a shame you didn't enjoy your stay there. I took the wife there for two nights to celebrate our anniversary earlier this year and we had wonderful time and were thoroughly spoilt. One downside, was a slightly dodgy oyster eaten the night before on the coast, so I was not quite up to the Menu Gourmand on the first night. All the food we had was absolutely sublime, (I had the Cannelloni of langoustine with sevruga caviar - a wallet bashing three times, during my stay). We stayed in the Mermaid Rose room (large bathroom at the top of a spiral staircase, with two free standing cast iron baths that face each other and large mural on the wall). Heartily recommended The staff were superb and one particular highlight was being given a tour of their newly re-furbished kitchens. The chap who showed around was charm personified, articulate and genuinely enthusiastic at the interest we had shown. He took us to all the stations within the kitchen and explained at length what occurred at each of them. He explained about the long hours involved, the amount of food that was prepared each day and from where they sourced their produce. A top bloke, indeed, as we were in there a good 10-15 minutes, during service, so we must have been slightly in the way. As to how the chefs stand it in there is beyond me, the temperature at the station where meat was being prepared was unbelievable, I thought I was melting and I only stood next to it for three minutes.

Thank God Mr Branson has divested himself of any interest in the group. See here http://www.caterer.com/archive/articledeta...articleID=42291

Adam- The five hours at The Trout was an extended stay due wholly to an inability to get a Taxi back into town before 7pm, not because of any pact made with Bacchus!! Rest assured- a few tactical cokes where imbibed during the days proceedings. Cheers again I will be venturing back to Oxford with the missus soon, as I loved it. Rekindled many happy memories of my time studying for A levels there (although I may divulge only an edited version of my time there to her). Would anyone recommed La Gousse D'ail as a a port of call when it re-opens ?

Thanks for the information. Spent five glorious hours at The Trout at Wolvercote - wonderful location, OK - beer, but it is sadly part of the Vintage Inns Chain, so the food was very, very average. The White Horse, King's arms, Turf Bear and Quod were all visited and suprise, suprise, we ended up in some risible curry house on the High street. And yes La Gousse d'Ail was shut when I walked( staggered ) past, but then again it was 3.30 a.m. Thanks again

Nope, I am illtriate. Sirry

What's this I see in this weeks edition of Restaurant magazine? E-Gullet.com getting an honourable name check in an interview with Jay Rayner. When asked "You spend a lot of time on the internet, in particular on a site called www.E-Gullet.com. Do you have a lot of spare time?" Jay responds- "No, but I'm not very good at doing nothing- I need to disract myself" Bravo.rolleyes: Re : the magazine I agree, it has improved. This week there is a good article on the Napa valley and one about picking samphire on the Norfolk coast, with the chef at Morston Hall.( Pertinent for me as I am eating there in two weeks time). Also an interesting article about the Top ten Restaurant rip offs.

Adam, You sir- are a Gentleman and a scholar. Thanks for your comprehensive responses. Restaurant du Liban and Kazbar sound like distinct possibilities. Could you let me know of any Waterside Pubs that may be worth a pint in? I remember the Head of the River pub from my days in Oxford way back when, studying for A levels. Isn't there another one out of town in Summertown (or is it Jericho) that's supposed to be good? Mrs Woman- thanks also. Petit Blanc was the one I was thinking of but I may well give it a miss now.

Can anyone offer me some help as to where to visit in Oxford this coming weekend? Any recommendations for eateries and pubs would be very welcome. Unfortunately, La Gousse d'ail is off the agenda as its a Stag Do.