Bournemouth & Salisbury

[Harters]

I'm going to be pottering round the area for a few days and am after a decent lunch in both towns as a leisurely break from the touristing. And, assuming the weather stays this fine, another day around the New Forest.

Edited June 26, 2010 by Harters (log)

[Pam Brunning]

Hi Harters - If you are in Salisbury how would you like to do some reserch for me? For my next issue of Food & Wine I am majoring on spicy foods and wines to match. I have an article on Barts Spices of Bristol and an article on Lebanese food. For my restaurant review I was wondering about Anokaa in Salisbury. I am not into Indian but it sounds good acording to Hardens - 'imaginstive, superbly well flavoured food,fantastic value'.

If you like Indian it might be worth a try - I would be interested in any reports on it.

While around the New Forest you could try The Clos du Marquis on the A30 just outside Stockbridge. Hearty Gallic food that is consistently good with some good French wines to match - we have been several times for lunch.

[Harters]

Pam

Yep, I'd spotted Anokaa in Hardens. The main menu looks interesting - but at lunchtime, they say it's buffet. That might be very dreary Bangla-crap or they might have offerings from the main menu. Most Indian buffets are awful (although we have one locally that isnt). I'll see how I feel on the day - if I do go, is there anything you want to to look for? I don't drink alcohol so won't be able to comment on matching food to booze.

John

[Pam Brunning]

Yes I had registered it was a buffet at lunchtime which is usually disappointing but if you do go I would be interested to hear what it is like. The trouble is going for dinner means an overnight stay for us and I wonder if it is worth it.

[Harters]

ANOKAA

Salisbury seems short on good food opportunities. The Good Food Guide has no listing and Hardens only includes Anokaa, making particular mention of the lunchtime buffet. So I went and tried it. And it affirmed my relief that I live in Cheshire and only had to endure this below-average boring food once. Short on choice; short on flavour; very short on enjoyment.

There were pappadums and the usual curryhouse accompaniements – onions, red and tasteless, orange gloop that may have been mango but tasted of orange gloop, a decent mint raita. There were a couple of salads and a funny coloured gloop that seemed as though it was a bland form of guacamole. I was a bit intrigued – avocado in an Indian restaurant? So I asked what it was – yep, a bland version of guacamole.

The hot starters comprised what I assume was supposed to be aloo tikki (but was actually just spiceless fried mashed potato), similarly bland veggie samosa and soem small chunks of dried-up, wizend chicken. No second helpings, thanks very much.

Only two options for main course. Chicken, which came with mangetout and a had vaguely sweet taste reminiscent of Vesta boil-in-the-bag, circa 1975. The veggie option was even worse. It looked like the leftovers from a Sunday roast. It tasted like the leftovers from a Sunday roast. There was a decent enough dhal makhani, which managed to add some taste and interest to the plate.

Of the carbs, rice was claggy but bread was a somewhat redeeming tandoori roti, rather than the more usual naan.

I struggle to recall a worse meal in recent times.

[Harters]

WESTBEACH, BOURNEMOUTH

WestBeach, the restaurant, is situated right on West Beach, the beach. It majors on seafood and was recently included in a Jay Rayner listing of the 20 best places to eat this summer. I knew a couple of the other places so I thought it’d be a good bet for lunch. So had everyone else.

It was only just past noon but the outside terrace was full – mainly folk drinking coffee – I realised then that it’s a cafe as well as restaurant. No matter, WestBeach has those full-width doors which fold completely back so you’re outside, yet inside (if you see what I mean).

As mentioned the menu is heavy on seafood, supplemented by further dishes on the specials board. I started with a couple of roll-mops – good fish, finely sliced onion giving a bite, nicely vinegary.

WestBeach also meets my criteria for “Eating Fish & Chips Elsewhere than a Chippy”. In sight of the sea? Check. Reputation for fish? Check. Cod, chips and mushy peas, please.

Lovely crisp batter to the fish – not a hint of oiliness. Nice flakes to the smallish fillet of cod. Excellent tartare sauce. Peas a bit thick and stodgy – more pease pudding than mushy peas – but a really good flavour. Chips, frozen but reasonably tasty – and fried to an appealing golden brown.

I’m northern, so eating fish & chips is a cultural imperative. It is not blind prejudice but part of my genetic make-up to despise southern fish & chips. Are bears Catholic? Does the Pope shit in the woods? But, I have to accept, these were OK. OK, they were better than OK.

[Harters]

MASTER BUILDERS HOUSE HOTEL, BUCKLERS HARD

Continuing the outdoor eating of this week, I suspect there are few prettier views than from outside the bar of this hotel – looking down on to the Beaulieu River, with yachts pottering up and down and a backdrop of the New Forest.

Food’s not bad either. On offer the other day was a BBQ outside the “lower bar”. I was tempted as the smell of grilling meat wafted around but I went to have a look at the main menu in the “upper bar”. More posh pub grub than gastropub – sandwiches, steak & chips and so on. But other more interesting stuff – oysters, local mussels and the like. As soon as I spotted the “Godminster board”, I thought “yep, you’ll do”.

So, the wooden board is delivered. On top, a Scotch egg, a pork pie, a large chunk of very full-flavoured Godminster organic cheddar, some of the farm’s beetroot chutney (nicely chunky) and a handful of well-dressed salad leaves. And, of course, I had a side order of chips. Perfect pub lunch, IMO.

[Pam Brunning]

Sorry about that John - thanks for trying it. We went last Tuesday night - we did a bit better than you I think they must make more effort in the evenings. Report coming shortly.

[Harters]

No worries, Pam.

I sort of quite like the occasional disaster. Gives you something to talk about - otherwise we end up like those folk who always go to Pizza Express and always have the American Hot - coz it's where and what they like.

[Pam Brunning]

Our September magazine has a feature on spices so I was informed, ‘we need an Indian restaurant review’. I fully admit I am prejudiced, having experienced the Curry House revolution of the 60s and 70s and the aromas wafting through the house from the microwave when our teenagers brought home an Indian take away, ugh! I honestly think I can manage without another chicken tikka masala or pork vindaloo for the rest of my life.

It took several weeks of nagging before I would even consider the idea. We did drop hints to some member friends but received no volunteers for the job. Then I was made aware of Anokaa, or maybe I should say I found food guides lying around the house, open at the Salisbury page. Salisbury I hear you say, not actually the Mecca of gastronomic enlightenment. The city’s ecclesiastical ancestors may have been fond of their food but I can’t imagine the whiff of chicken korma being carried on the breeze through the hallowed cloisters.

Under duress I perused the reports - ‘the most attractive Indian restaurants in the south-west’ say some - ‘still Salisbury’s best restaurant of any kind’ says the Hardens guide. Others just call it The Anokaa Revolution.

Head Chef Puwan Kumarb at Anokaa is creating food that I can only term as ‘east meets west’. When we arrived at six thirty on a Tuesday evening the restaurant was over half full with a broad spectrum of diners, families with small children celebrating, down to singles enjoying one course on the way home from work. This was the pattern all evening, they were turning tables around promptly. Conversely for those of us that wished to linger there was no pressure whatsoever. The staff is so plentiful I would think it is a good thing there is a ‘Job Centre Plus’ around the corner. On this hot evening one young man constantly kept our water glasses replenished earning allusions from my partner to Gunga din.

Popadums with the usual pickles and relish, that were fresh and ranged from very good cucumber and mint raita and tomato salsa to an average mango chutney.

We ordered the sea food platter - black tiger prawns, chilli fried baby squid, crab cakes and salmon tikka. The marinated tiger prawns were tasty enough, chilli fried baby squid was tough and inedible, any crab flavour in the crab cakes was hidden by the spicy sauce but the cubes of salmon tikka were cooked about right. Not a great success as a course, the starters being served at other tables looked much more inspired.

The main courses were where the restaurant came into its own. My tandoori seared lamb rack with sweet chillies and marjoram was cooked perfectly, crispy and spicy on the outside, pink and juicy in the middle and very tender. The accompanying marsala mashed potatoes with spicy sundried tomatoes were especially tasty but the cashew nut based sauce with mint, peppers and yogurt just didn’t seem to hang together. Others may have enjoyed it but for me it didn’t hit the spot.

When the other half ordered a whole John Dory he was warned about, ‘many, many bones’. Not being one to worry about bones he was very happy with the good sized fish which was presented on a bed of lightly spiced pine nut, pepper and yogurt sauce, served with garlic spiced spinach and mango dressed rocket. The fish was cooked ‘a point’ and the sauces complimented it well.

On their website Anokaa shows several enticing puddings, not a line Indian restaurants are strong on. Here their chefs have definitely taken a lean towards the west. There was only one word for my dark chocolate mille-feuille layered with cream and a soft chocolate mousse on top of a very light sponge, luscious.

To stay in keeping we drank a bottle of Chenin Blanc from the Sula vineyards at Nashik. Situated 180 km northeast of Mumbai, Nashik is India's largest grape-growing region. It was a well balanced, refreshing, fruity wine that stood up well to the spices, especially when it had warmed up a little.

Coffee was good and strong and concluded a very interesting evening. I think I will return sometime to try some of the other interesting sounding dishes on the menu.

The bill was £78.55 and I made it up to £ 90 for the excellent service.

[Harters]

Yep, you got a better looking deal, Pam. Food looks quite appetising.

[malcolmwilliamson]

I was favourably impressed by Verveine Fishmarket Restaurant (www.verveine.co.uk/ ), Milford on Sea at a mid-week lunch last week. As its name suggests the village is on the coast, on the southern edge of the New Forest. Its about half an hour by car from Bournemouth, nearer an hour from Salisbury.

Verveine was busy at the lunchtime service. The restaurant is entered by passing through the wet fish shop at the front and past their small kitchen. It opened in Feb 2010 and I was told they were turning customers away during the summer. Hence the co-owners are considering plans to extend the restaurant, probably by covering an enclosed patio area at the back.

Chef/co-proprietor David Wykes trained in Michelin starred kitchens in France (Nice) & the UK (Oxford). My selections from the Prix Fixe menu were packed with flavour and gave clear evidence that he has the skills and invention to make good use of the fresh ingredients. Unsurprisingly the a la carte and specials board majored in fish dishes.

The chef was supported by a good team of two in the restaurant; their service was very friendly, enthusiastic and efficient.

Well worth a visit IMHO.

Edited October 4, 2010 by malcolmwilliamson (log)