Anton's Restaurant

[Andrew Chalk]

Anton’s Restaurant is set in the newly renovated Great Hallingbury Manor at the end of the runway at Stansted airport. The developers have created a new building for the restaurant at the back of the manor next to an idyllic lake. Summer evenings outside on the large veranda will be pleasant indeed when it is complete. Inside, the story is not so good. Why is this brand new, ultra-cool dining room rated 'poor' for atmosphere? Because it is too darn loud. You cannot hear the person on the other side of your table when the restaurant is full. There are too many hard surfaces in the room. The developers need to get a consulting architect in quickly to rescue this victory of style over substance. Pad the ceiling or something.

The next problem is service: I asked our pleasant waitress about a wine on the large list and she said 'I don't know'. She didn't offer to get the sommelier, which puzzled me. It was because there isn't one! Not one that night. But not one on the payroll. When I asked the manager about this he said he couldn't find one (!). They do however have one credit card machine. Exactly one. It took us 15 minutes to get it as everyone was leaving at the same time. This, and other service problems, make me think that they need a new manager.

The food, however, is sublime. Anton Edelman is still experimental, maybe more so than he was allowed to be at the Savoy. Where possible, the ingredients have designated provenance and there is an emphasis on discovering local sources. We liked the Saddle of Rabbit Stuffed with Black Pudding. It is risky to serve rabbit outside of a stew or other long-cooked preparation. However, this one was as easy to chew as pork. The “Wick’s Manor” Pork with cauliflower puree was also a winning combination. The delicate puree adding a richness to the flavor of the meat. Among the seafood dishes the Seared Sea bass with basil crushed new potatoes, globe artichokes, asparagus and sauce vierge was steller. Not only is it pleasant to find an institution that proudly does the classic sauces but also to find one that does them so well. I started to see a pattern to what Edelman is particularly good at. He puts together the meat or fish, the center of the dish, with complementary vegetable and sauce selections. It is a masterpiece of composition in a world where the frantic search for new ingredient combinations makes us so often beta testers of the bizarre and incongruous.

At the moment he is let down by the front of house. Hopefully, this will change as Stansted is so close by that Anton’s it will convenient place to drop by in the Gulfstream on the trip from Dubai to the US.

Food: Excellent.

Wine: Great selection but you are on your own.

Service: Laurel and Hardy on crack.

Atmoshere/Décor: A victory of style over substance. Try to get a table outdoors if the weather permits. Otherwise, go with someone you don’t want to talk to.

Men’s W.C.: Clean

www.antonsrestaurant.co.uk

[sunbeam]

Anton’s Restaurant is set in the newly renovated Great Hallingbury Manor at the end of the runway at Stansted airport. T

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Is the noise inside more of a problem than the jet airplanes brushing the chimneys?

S

[nikkib]

Anton’s Restaurant is set in the newly renovated Great Hallingbury Manor at the end of the runway at Stansted airport. T

←

Is the noise inside more of a problem than the jet airplanes brushing the chimneys?

S

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