Chapter One

[Matthew Grant]

Chapter One on Saturday, this isn't far away from me, (and even closer to Scott and Sam) but the last time I went was for a friends Birthday on a Sunday evening not long before it lost the Michelin star it has since regained. I was prompted to go this time by David Durack who used to be at Arbutus and is now Manager here.

We were comped Champagne to start which was a nice touch and had a good chat with Andrew McLeish who has been chef here since it opened around 13 or 14 years ago. Starters of smoked eel with beetroot and pancetta was very good, the Langoustine Raviolo pronounced excellent by the other half.

Slow roast pork belly came rolled and was served with choucroute and apple sauce, a little crackling wouldn't have gone amiss but it was otherwise decent enough. Rhug estate Milk-Fed lamb didn't have the richness of it French counterpart but was excellent all the same with various cuts including a sweetbread..

Dessert was perhaps the best course of the day. A £2.50 supplement, making it a grand total of £10, got you a fine selection of what seemed like the whole dessert menu, including excellent Chocolate fondant and lemon tart and a beautiful roast plum.

Overall well worth a stop if you are in the area.

[Harters]

Interesting the mention of Rhug, Matthew. I'm passing near the farm shop in a couple of weeks and am intending to pop in to fill a few gaps in the freezer.