Restaurant Sat Bains

[Bapi]

You beat me to it Duncan. We were there on Friday for my birthday too. Will write it up shortly, but as I still have to write up Hibiscus it may be a while.

A great meal, though and different to yours in places. Mmm, cornish sole with veal marrow and asparagus. Bloody sublime.

[RDB]

You beat me to it Duncan. We were there on Friday for my birthday too. Will write it up shortly, but as I still have to write up Hibiscus it may be a while.

A great meal, though and different to yours in places. Mmm, cornish sole with veal marrow and asparagus. Bloody sublime.

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He did beat you to it this time around .Last year I had a fiver riding on Duncan getting it done before you Bapi, and I lost. Great review all the same Duncan.

[JudyB]

He did beat you to it this time around .Last year I had a fiver riding on Duncan getting it done before you Bapi, and I lost. Great review all the same Duncan.

To be fair to Bapi, last year was for my birthday (not Duncan's), so we went there about a week after Bapi. This year we were apparently there two days before him which did give Duncan a head start.

[david goodfellow]

Anybody been recently?

Be great if someone had a review of the five, and seven course menu's,or make my day and tell us about the bespoke.

Jasper Gerard seems suitably impressed, as I was on my visit, some time ago now though.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/foodanddrink/re...Nottingham.html

I know that I have in the past been critical of the pricing a bit, especially the bespoke menu at £150, however I am a very big fan of what Sat produces and would make the trip again.

[confiseur]

Anybody been recently?

Be great if someone had a review of the five, and seven course menu's,or make my day and tell us about the bespoke.

Jasper Gerard seems suitably impressed, as I was on my visit, some time ago now though.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/foodanddrink/re...Nottingham.html

I know that I have in the past been critical of the pricing a bit, especially the bespoke menu at £150, however I am a  very big fan of what Sat produces and would make the trip again.

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....one of my souschefs was there with his mrs a couple of weeks ago...£400 plus bill for the 2 of them ( they had the bespoke and thought most of the courses where good to very good..2-3 didnt work at all though)

At these prices I will most certainly not be paying a visit...unless some expense account critic needs a bit of company...

[olicollett]

Anybody been recently?

Be great if someone had a review of the five, and seven course menu's,or make my day and tell us about the bespoke.

Jasper Gerard seems suitably impressed, as I was on my visit, some time ago now though.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/foodanddrink/re...Nottingham.html

I know that I have in the past been critical of the pricing a bit, especially the bespoke menu at £150, however I am a  very big fan of what Sat produces and would make the trip again.

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I went 2 weeks ago.

We went for the 10 course menu. 3 of the dishes were superb, a couple were a bit hit and miss and the rest were good. Highlights included a very nice crab bisque, beef cheek and a lovely rhubarb desert. We didn't go for the supplement of ham, egg and peas but it was available.

I think in total it came to £145 each on a table of 6 everything inc. We went for bottles of wine for the table because it didn't make a lot of sense with 6 of us going for the tasting wines at ~£65 each.

I've been to Sat Bains 3 times now, I always thoroughly enjoy the experience, it's a very warm and relaxed atmosphere that's quite different to a lot of the stuffier places out there. The cooking can be quite adventurous which probably explains why there's often some dishes that miss the mark, but considering how often the menu changes that doesn't surprise me. I think if every dish was 100% on the money every time it'd definitely be a 2*.

I'll certainly be going back anyway, although I don't rate the food quite up there with some of the top places in the UK, the overall experience is always fun, and it helps only living a mile away!

[david goodfellow]

Anybody been recently?

Be great if someone had a review of the five, and seven course menu's,or make my day and tell us about the bespoke.

Jasper Gerard seems suitably impressed, as I was on my visit, some time ago now though.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/foodanddrink/re...Nottingham.html

I know that I have in the past been critical of the pricing a bit, especially the bespoke menu at £150, however I am a  very big fan of what Sat produces and would make the trip again.

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....one of my souschefs was there with his mrs a couple of weeks ago...£400 plus bill for the 2 of them ( they had the bespoke and thought most of the courses where good to very good..2-3 didnt work at all though)

At these prices I will most certainly not be paying a visit...unless some expense account critic needs a bit of company...

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Blimey, your sous is a real serious foodie, must be on some serious wages too! lol

Any idea how many courses, and more to the point, did they enjoy the whole experience?

Noted that you put down Europe as your base, was he doing a bit of a foodie tour, or was it a one off?

[confiseur]

Anybody been recently?

Be great if someone had a review of the five, and seven course menu's,or make my day and tell us about the bespoke.

Jasper Gerard seems suitably impressed, as I was on my visit, some time ago now though.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/foodanddrink/re...Nottingham.html

I know that I have in the past been critical of the pricing a bit, especially the bespoke menu at £150, however I am a  very big fan of what Sat produces and would make the trip again.

←

....one of my souschefs was there with his mrs a couple of weeks ago...£400 plus bill for the 2 of them ( they had the bespoke and thought most of the courses where good to very good..2-3 didnt work at all though)

At these prices I will most certainly not be paying a visit...unless some expense account critic needs a bit of company...

←

Blimey, your sous is a real serious foodie, must be on some serious wages too! lol

Any idea how many courses, and more to the point, did they enjoy the whole experience?

Noted that you put down Europe as your base, was he doing a bit of a foodie tour, or was it a one off?

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Was in Europe now back in the uk...and decently paid too...as are my staff...but then again we are not in hotels/restaurants anymore

He had shed loads of courses..all very small portions and wines to go with them, thus the bill. He lives in Nottingham and used to be pastry chef at a couple of michelin places so he was well treated by Mr B, being taken into the kitchen where Mr B personally cooked them a course a la minute so to speak...

in general they enjoyed the experience but it was still gulp time when they got the bill...

[david goodfellow]

Anybody been recently?

Be great if someone had a review of the five, and seven course menu's,or make my day and tell us about the bespoke.

Jasper Gerard seems suitably impressed, as I was on my visit, some time ago now though.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/foodanddrink/re...Nottingham.html

I know that I have in the past been critical of the pricing a bit, especially the bespoke menu at £150, however I am a  very big fan of what Sat produces and would make the trip again.

←

....one of my souschefs was there with his mrs a couple of weeks ago...£400 plus bill for the 2 of them ( they had the bespoke and thought most of the courses where good to very good..2-3 didnt work at all though)

At these prices I will most certainly not be paying a visit...unless some expense account critic needs a bit of company...

←

Blimey, your sous is a real serious foodie, must be on some serious wages too! lol

Any idea how many courses, and more to the point, did they enjoy the whole experience?

Noted that you put down Europe as your base, was he doing a bit of a foodie tour, or was it a one off?

←

Was in Europe now back in the uk...and decently paid too...as are my staff...but then again we are not in hotels/restaurants anymore

He had shed loads of courses..all very small portions and wines to go with them, thus the bill. He lives in Nottingham and used to be pastry chef at a couple of michelin places so he was well treated by Mr B, being taken into the kitchen where Mr B personally cooked them a course a la minute so to speak...

in general they enjoyed the experience but it was still gulp time when they got the bill...

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Thanks for that valuable insight.

Not hotels/restaurants? ignore me if I'm too nosey

Sounds like they had fun.

Seems to me your sous is bit handy on the old pastry, bet that was part of the attraction to his Mrs, can't beat a good pud, straight to the heart, so to speak. lol

Edited April 24, 2009 by david goodfellow (log)

[Gary Marshall]

great review in the telegraph today, congratulations!

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/foodanddrink/re...Nottingham.html

[olicollett]

great review in the telegraph today, congratulations!

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/foodanddrink/re...Nottingham.html

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That's pretty much identical to what I ate when I was there - although i think i got in a muddle with another meal, it wasn't a rhubarb dessert i was thinking of it was the lime tart with marshmallow!

[Hearno]

In the comments that followed the story a gent called Nik Pure wrote:

Report this commentTo those in the industry, we regard Baines as little more than a magpie, stealing the "shiny" ideas, techniques and flavour combinations from younger up-and-coming chefs, having jumped onto the molecular gastronomy band wagon, a term he embraces, while Heston and Ferran don't, and they are the driving force of this movement. Flavour combinations of chocolate, black olive and salt have been done for almost a decade, Gerard himself had seen the beef cheek/oyster combination at Hix's (brilliant) chop house.

Baines is a talented chef, technically close to perfect. Unfortunately, he lacks the 'je ne sais quoi' of Blumenthal/Campbell/Atherton/Flyne, the true geniuses of British cuisine.

Try the Vineyard, Fat Duck or Anthony's, and if you can't, then go to Sat's a year or so later, and see the dishes on his menu. Nik

Which prompted an angry response from Mr Bains:

Your comments are absolutely unfounded, have you actually eaten at my restaurant? I've never used the word molecular Gastronomy to describe the cuisine here. Hix never invented the beef and oyster combination, but he added his own style to it. The chocolate, olive oil, bread and sea salt was rooted in Spain and is a story we tell all our guests when they enquire.

I have an open door policy and nothing to hide, it's quite ironic that I'm friends with Mark, Anthony, Jason and Heston and if you knew what you were talking about would notice our food is quite obviously very different.

I would like to invite you behind the scenes to witness for yourself the thought process and effort that myself and team put into every element here at Restaurant Sat Bains.

Touched a nerve, or was he just responding with justification to an unfair comment?

[RDB]

great review in the telegraph today, congratulations!

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/foodanddrink/re...Nottingham.html

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Great review in the sense that Sat's cooking and restaurant truly deserve all the praise they get ( I have mentioned this a few times before). However, the actual way the review is written is terrible. It is just full of tired cliches, "This might be Robin Hood country but you won't feel robbed", " Every mouthful reveals another layer of flavour", "When I'm reviewing, I eat first. Footballers warm up by kicking balls; I limber up by eating." etc etc

Not to mention this blunder " How it only has one Michelin star when Hélène Darroze's hidebound Connaught extravagance has two says more about French bias than Bains". No it actually says more about lazy journalism than anything else.

All followed up with an ending which is based upon cliche and the above blunder, " Michelin men, even more than foodies navigating back roads in a Nottinghamshire industrial estate, are going up a blind alley".

[food1]

You have to take these reviews with a little pinch of salt. Other than Jay Rayner, Terry Durrack, Fay Mashler and Mathew Fort, pretty much all of the rest of them don't have an effing clue as to what they are talking about and they can get so many facts wrong.

We had a contrary review by the female journo of the Sunday Telegraph a couple of months back. It wasn't so much a bad article but just a terribly written piece, that came across as a complete nonsense and factual wrong. One of her gems was that she stated that the amuse she had left no impression, a carrot cappachino. I've never made one of these in my life!! Reviews are all well and good but they should at least have the decentcy to get the actual facts right.

She has since cast her 'expert' view on Anthonys outpost in Leeds, which made me very angry indeed. The piece was a total insult to Anthonys. Absolutly no need for some of her very silly and amateurish comments about the place, which to me only demonstrated her complete lack of knowledge. The Flinns must have been totally pissed( for all about five minutes!) Thats all the piece deserved.

One of the worst things about working at a half decent level in catering is not the long hours, the commitment etc but having to listen to total gobshites, who don't have a bloody clue!

[olicollett]

You have to take these reviews with a little pinch of salt. Other than Jay Rayner, Terry Durrack, Fay Mashler and Mathew Fort, pretty much all of the rest of them don't have an effing clue as to what they are talking about and they can get so many facts wrong.

We had a contrary review by the female journo of the Sunday Telegraph a couple of months back. It wasn't so much a bad article but just a terribly written piece, that came across as a complete nonsense and factual wrong. One of her gems was that she stated that the amuse she had left no impression, a carrot cappachino. I've never made one of these in my life!!   Reviews are all well and good but they should at least have the decentcy to get the actual facts right.

She has since cast her 'expert' view on Anthonys outpost in Leeds, which made me very angry indeed. The piece was a total insult to Anthonys. Absolutly no need for some of her very silly and amateurish comments about the place, which to me only demonstrated her complete lack of knowledge. The Flinns must have been totally pissed( for all about five minutes!) Thats all the piece deserved.

One of the worst things about working at a half decent level in catering is not the long hours, the commitment etc but having to listen to total gobshites, who don't have a bloody clue! 

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In fairness to the reviewer, although it was badly written they seem to pretty much agree with me on the dishes, which means they must know what they are talking about

That Nik Pure clearly seems to have missed the mark somewhat.

[food1]

Who is this Nik Pure? Deffo got in for Sat. What a ridiculous piece to write. Yet another total GOBSHITE! I'd just love to see some of these A holes try and run a restaurant. I reckon some would need a recipe to boil a pan of water.

Alot of these critics could do to try and write with some perspective. Many of them seem forget this point and drone on with absolutely no regard for the people they are self deemed to judge.

If an eaterie is truely bad and incompetent, then by all means blast away. The place deserves it but in most cases, a little perspective is callled for and a dash of first hand catering experience perhaps!

[olicollett]

Who is this Nik Pure? Deffo got in for Sat. What a ridiculous piece to write. Yet another total GOBSHITE!  I'd just love to see some of these A holes try and run a restaurant. I reckon some would need a recipe to boil a pan of water.

Alot of these critics could do to try and write with some perspective. Many of them seem forget this point and drone on with absolutely no regard for the people they are self deemed to judge.

If an eaterie is truely bad and incompetent, then by all means blast away. The place deserves it but in most cases, a little perspective is callled for and a dash of first hand catering experience perhaps!

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He does do an amazing job of setting himself up as a prize twunt with the following opener:

"To those in the industry, we regard Baines..."

In that one snippet of a sentence, he's come across as a condescending prick yet also managed to spell the man's name wrong. Quite an achievement when you think about it.

[gavinhanly]

We managed to catch up with Sat at the restaurant show - he's not all that fond of London restaurants, but he did like Murano...

http://www.hot-dinners.com/Features/Articles/interview-sat-bains

[david goodfellow]

A couple of videos in Catersearch that you may find interesting.

The Masterclass series is well worth looking at, some good butchery tips and of course top chefs like Mr B showing us how its done.

Anybody been recently?

http://www.caterersearch.com/Articles/2010/01/08/331625/video-watch-a-masterclass-and-interview-with-michelin-starred-chef-sat-bains.html

Edited January 12, 2010 by david goodfellow (log)

[Gav]

Anybody been recently?

Visiting in March and will gladly update. Liking the look of the current sample menu, just got to convince the good lady she "needs" 10 courses now.

[Andrew]

I had the pleasure of visiting a couple of weeks ago and was very impressed by the food. This was the second time I have visited and each time I have been very impressed. I was there on a Friday night and there was a choice of a 7 course menu and £69 and 10 courses at £85. In addition there was 'Peas & Ham' and cheese on offer as extra courses.

With a drink before dinner, wine, water (£5 a bottle), coffee, 12.5% service it soon adds up. My bill was £185 per head for the 10 course menu.

The quality of the food was excellent, some of the courses were not quite to my taste but I could recognise the quality of the delivery.

It is well worth a visit.

[olicollett]

Blimey, can't believe I didn't write anything after my visit in December!

Some of the highlights included a scallop 'curry' which was a beautifully cooked scallop with a spiced crust, braised mutton and a chocolate and coconut dish.

I really should write these things up at the time so I can remember most of them. For me I felt it was one of the best experiences I had last year and I'm planning on another trip in July, it's probably my favourite restaurant in the UK.

[Harters]

A hotel deal that Mrs H has found prompts us to do an overnighter in Nottingham at the end of next month. Booked in at Sat's for dinner and am looking forward to it.

[Mrs Woman]

Will be enjoy first full night away from Master Woman in a week and half when we visit here for Sat's midweek room, dinner and breakfast deal - can't bloody wait.

[Harters]

It was only the other week that I reckoned I’d found a new “best ever favourite” restaurant. That was In de Wulf in Belgium. Now its top spot in my affections is under threat. Our meal at Sat Bains was as perfect an experience as you’re likely to want. Certainly as perfect as I want – and Nottingham is a heck of lot closer than Dranouter. It’s one of those places where you immediately feel welcomed – the staff just seem pleased to see you and really want you to have a good time. And service manages to hit that difficult blend of formal and efficient yet friendly and engaging. It’s a knack many places just don’t manage. I even really liked the room, decorated with glass artwork “hangings” that I’d happily give house room to. Our table was in the glass roofed “conservatory” – great views of the neighbouring electricity pylon.

There’s a 10 course tasting menu and an entirely different 7 course one. Naturally, we went for 10. My partner took that with the wine pairings – very expertly put together and explained by the sommelier. The menu focuses on the five tastes – salt, sweet, sour, bitter and umami – with each dish “ticked off” on the menu for the tastes represented.

It kicked off with an unadvertised dish. Elsewhere I’d have described it as an amuse but, in the same portion size as everything else, it’s just an unadvertised extra. And it was a belter. Fennel gazpacho with cubes of frozen cucumber.

Then a dish of salty, sweet scallops, a little slice of soft fatty pork belly, cubes of sharp apple, apple puree and crushed cornflakes. Really liked the texture contrasts here as well as the flavour match.

Braised leeks and ramsons followed. Perhaps the best braised leeks you’ll ever eat – but really still just braised leeks. It slotted brilliantly between the previous dish and a rich dish of “English duck, with asian influences”. Duck parfait, not overly rich, wrapped in duck ham – a lovely combination in itself, accompanied by the “influences” of mushrooms and plum sauce

Then one of the superstar dishes. Spring vegetables – thin crisp slices of asparagus and alexanders (a wild plant tasting of something of celery but not quite), topped with shreds of a very unctuous braised Wagyu beef and shavings of Parmesan. Inspired cooking.

The puzzling dish named NG72SA was up next. Of course, it’s the restaurant’s postcode and it represents their foraging in the very immediate vicinity. A seemingly simple, and delicious, plate of hedgerow leaves and flowers but completely lifted to Michelin standard by the inclusion of a horseradish pannacotta – soft and silky, yet with the necessary little kick from the horseradish.

The final savoury dish is Sat’s take on a BBQ. A little slice of very rare loin of roe deer, a little venison kofta, charred Little Gem lettuce, beetroot crisp, some cucumber and yoghurt. And it was this dish that raised the only minor nit-picking with the two of us. It was the yoghurt that didn’t quite sit right. It’d be fine at home to mellow the highly spiced koftas I make but, with the much more restrained flavouring by the kitchen, it was the yoghurt that dominated. But, that aside, this was a very fine dish.

At this point, we were invited to visit the kitchen to meet the man himself. Tiny. The kitchen, not the man. I didn’t see any other customers invited so we must have been a random pick. Copy of menu signed, it was back to the table for desserts.

Sweet “curry” saw the bottom of the bowl covered with a thick rich sauce – savoury and sweet at the same time with the mildest hint of curry spices. A yoghurt (?) pannacotta also had a hint of spicing . And the traditional mango chutney with a curry was replaced with a mango sorbet. Crunch came from a scattering of coconut. Clever. Very clever.

Next, a small quenelle of very rich chocolate ganache, topped with crystallised violet flowers. The richness was set off by an olive oil pastille.

And, finally, a lemon mousse, surrounded by thin slices of dehydrated meringue and topped with fennel and basil – a really interesting combination of flavour and texture and absolutely delicious.

We passed on coffee but the waiter insisted we try the chocolate brownies that would have accompanied it. Well, twist my arm then. Lovely end.

In the Good Food Guide’s list of its Top 60 UK restaurants, Sat Bains sits at 6. I wouldn’t be surprised to see it edge upward. This was a great evening that we’re going to remember for a long time.