The Red Lion, East Chisenbury, Wiltshire

[PhilD]

Jay Rayner and Dos Hermanos have both give this little pub good reviews in the recent past week.

Amongst other restaurants; Guy, the chef, is ex Chez Bruce, and Per Se, and his wife Brittany is a highly qualified pastry chef who is also ex- Per Se, and Allen & Delancey. This pedigree really shows on the plate with really first class food. Every element of each dish is good, and you can taste the pedigree of their cooking in every mouthful. The bill was approx £90 for two with a very quaffable bottle of Kiwi "Mudhouse" Pinot.

The pub is in the wilds of Wiltshire in a village called East Chisenbury, near Pewsey. The The Red Lion website has all the directions.

Jay mentions the patchy service in his article. Our service was good (although I wouldn't recommend that Jay returns - the FOH staff have sharpened implements at the ready).

We will return as soon as we can - it was great.

Here are some photo's:

Pig's head croquettes with sauce gribiche and green bean salad

Nettle soup with butter poached Wiltshire crayfish:

Steamed fillet of bream with cockles, razor clams, bacon and beurre blanc:

Wild garlic risotto with snails and red wine sauce:

Banana sponge with candied macadamia, pineapple and avocado ice cream:

Valrhona chocolate cream with olive oil ice cream and pine nut sable:

[muichoi]

Some beautifully conceived dishes. But is it pedantic to insist that a risotto does not have a separate sauce, or does anything go as long as it tastes nice?-in which case, should it not have another name?

[PhilD]

Some beautifully conceived dishes. But is it pedantic to insist that a risotto does not have a separate sauce, or does anything go as long as it tastes nice?-in which case, should it not have another name?

←

If you wanted to be pedantic it would probably be more accurate to describe the dish as 'Wild garlic risotto, and snails in red wine sauce". However, we were enjoying the food so much we missed that detail.

[PhilD]

A second visit to The Red Lion. The food is still excellent; I started with a superb pate and brioche; the pate had a really soft melting texture, which almost liquefied in the mouth releasing great flavours. Very moreish. I followed this with pig cheeks, wonderfully flavoured, soft and melting, contrasted with a good sauce and very precisely cooked small vegtables. To finish a creme brulee, which hit the spot perfectly.

So fantastic food, but the service does let it down, and as a result I fear for the place. On our first visit I didn't think it deserved the critism it got from Jay Rayner or Jasper Gerard in the national press. On this visit I understand their comments. The food gets to the table, but the two servers (sisters?) clearly feel that serving is beneath their station in life, if feels as if they are bringing dishes to you during gaps in their social lives. There are too many FOH staff which causes them to get in each others way, even though there seems to be some sort of division of responsibility, this gets debated at every turn (you don't need to divide up roles in a small country pub). Brittany, one of the chefs and co-owner from the US, is hyper, and rushes around FOH and exuding a worried air, maybe business isn't great but it won't get better if the atmosphers feels so tense.

I really want them to succeed. The food is really, really good, and people with this much talent shouldn't fail. Hopefully, the service will rectify itself (should I write to them?) and they will find their feet. My fingers are crossed.

[Harters]

(should I write to them?)

Yes.

You are now a "regular" and, more to the point, one who can gve them constructive

criticism.

The nature of the response will tell you a lot.

J

[Pam Brunning]

A second visit to The Red Lion. The food is still excellent; I started with a superb pate and brioche; the pate had a really soft melting texture, which almost liquefied in the mouth releasing great flavours. Very moreish. I followed this with pig cheeks, wonderfully flavoured, soft and melting, contrasted with a good sauce and very precisely cooked small vegtables. To finish a creme brulee, which hit the spot perfectly.

So fantastic food, but the service does let it down, and as a result I fear for the place. On our first visit I didn't think it deserved the critism it got from Jay Rayner or Jasper Gerard in the national press. On this visit I understand their comments. The food gets to the table, but the two servers (sisters?) clearly feel that serving is beneath their station in life, if feels as if they are bringing dishes to you during gaps in their social lives. There are too many FOH staff which causes them to get in each others way, even though there seems to be some sort of division of responsibility, this gets debated at every turn (you don't need to divide up roles in a small country pub).  Brittany, one of the chefs and co-owner from the US, is hyper, and rushes around FOH and exuding a worried air, maybe business isn't great but it won't get better if the atmosphers feels so tense.

I really want them to succeed. The food is really, really good, and people with this much talent shouldn't fail. Hopefully, the service will rectify itself (should I write to them?) and they will find their feet. My fingers are crossed.

←

Well this should be interesting we are hoping to go tomorrow. We went to The Sportsman last week and the service was terrible! See my post on The Sportsman.

[PhilD]

A second visit to The Red Lion. The food is still excellent; I started with a superb pate and brioche; the pate had a really soft melting texture, which almost liquefied in the mouth releasing great flavours. Very moreish. I followed this with pig cheeks, wonderfully flavoured, soft and melting, contrasted with a good sauce and very precisely cooked small vegtables. To finish a creme brulee, which hit the spot perfectly.

So fantastic food, but the service does let it down, and as a result I fear for the place. On our first visit I didn't think it deserved the critism it got from Jay Rayner or Jasper Gerard in the national press. On this visit I understand their comments. The food gets to the table, but the two servers (sisters?) clearly feel that serving is beneath their station in life, if feels as if they are bringing dishes to you during gaps in their social lives. There are too many FOH staff which causes them to get in each others way, even though there seems to be some sort of division of responsibility, this gets debated at every turn (you don't need to divide up roles in a small country pub).  Brittany, one of the chefs and co-owner from the US, is hyper, and rushes around FOH and exuding a worried air, maybe business isn't great but it won't get better if the atmosphers feels so tense.

I really want them to succeed. The food is really, really good, and people with this much talent shouldn't fail. Hopefully, the service will rectify itself (should I write to them?) and they will find their feet. My fingers are crossed.

←

Well this should be interesting we are hoping to go tomorrow. We went to The Sportsman last week and the service was terrible! See my post on The Sportsman.

←

Pam - it won't be that bad. Interested in your comments on the food. Do get the family to save space for Brittany's desserts: although the deconstructed Tiramasu my partner tried on our last visit tasted better smoosched together (re-constructed).

[Pam Brunning]

A second visit to The Red Lion. The food is still excellent; I started with a superb pate and brioche; the pate had a really soft melting texture, which almost liquefied in the mouth releasing great flavours. Very moreish. I followed this with pig cheeks, wonderfully flavoured, soft and melting, contrasted with a good sauce and very precisely cooked small vegtables. To finish a creme brulee, which hit the spot perfectly.

So fantastic food, but the service does let it down, and as a result I fear for the place. On our first visit I didn't think it deserved the critism it got from Jay Rayner or Jasper Gerard in the national press. On this visit I understand their comments. The food gets to the table, but the two servers (sisters?) clearly feel that serving is beneath their station in life, if feels as if they are bringing dishes to you during gaps in their social lives. There are too many FOH staff which causes them to get in each others way, even though there seems to be some sort of division of responsibility, this gets debated at every turn (you don't need to divide up roles in a small country pub).  Brittany, one of the chefs and co-owner from the US, is hyper, and rushes around FOH and exuding a worried air, maybe business isn't great but it won't get better if the atmosphers feels so tense.

I really want them to succeed. The food is really, really good, and people with this much talent shouldn't fail. Hopefully, the service will rectify itself (should I write to them?) and they will find their feet. My fingers are crossed.

←

Well this should be interesting we are hoping to go tomorrow. We went to The Sportsman last week and the service was terrible! See my post on The Sportsman.

←

Pam - it won't be that bad. Interested in your comments on the food. Do get the family to save space for Brittany's desserts: although the deconstructed Tiramasu my partner tried on our last visit tasted better smoosched together (re-constructed).

←

You were right, we were not disappointed. The food was very good and they had sorted the service, the sisters? banished? Brittany was very attentive, they had one chap behind the bar and Guy was bringing food out as well, It was a good family atmosphere, mind you they only had 10 in for lunch, it could have got fraught if more had turned up. They are doing a good job, good luck to them.

Edited June 11, 2009 by Pam Brunning (log)