Merchant House/Hibiscus

[Andy Lynes]

Fans of former Ludlow restaurateur Shaun Hill may wish to pay The Glasshouse website a visit and sign up to the newsletter which will keep you informed of when the restaurant will open - late October at the moment.

[Gary Marshall]

Anybody off to the  Ludlow Food Festival next weekend?

Heading down to Ludlow tomorrow, for a weeks holiday. Bloody well hope the weather is better than it has been this last week. Just possibly may well find myself at Hibiscus at some point 

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if my cunning plan comes off so might i

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and indeed it has, well i found i'm within striking distance , give or take 133 miles each way, and as long as i'm back to northamptonshire for a wedding on saturday afternoon all is well

[Bapi]

Anybody off to the  Ludlow Food Festival next weekend?

Heading down to Ludlow tomorrow, for a weeks holiday. Bloody well hope the weather is better than it has been this last week. Just possibly may well find myself at Hibiscus at some point 

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if my cunning plan comes off so might i

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On the one hand we were very lucky. The weather was superb in Ludlow all week. Two great meals at Hibiscus and one very good one at The Bell Inn at Yarpole. The Food Festival was great fun - lots of great exhibitors and plenty to try out, especially beers and perry! Our little man discovered chocolate big time, thanks to Granny joining us and was like the Tasmanian Devil on crack cocaine. Rosie broke the world record for scotch egg consumption at the Handmade Scotch Co again. Fantastic to share the fun with Scott and Sam, over the weekend.

On the other hand, we were gatecrashed by the pink shirted one from ooop North. Amazing how Marshall turns up - his speciality being gatecrashing our respective wedding anniversaries He became so impatient he ended up ringing/ begging Hibiscus directly; something I have learnt those poor chaps in Cheltenham, had to put up with as well.

Lovely to see the Hibiscus mob again- whilst I am slightly sad that they will no longer be be based there- they are certainly doing the right thing for them and I wish them every success. Already booked another meal for later in the year and NO Marshall - you can't bloody come along.

[ajnicholls]

Finally made my first pilgrimage to Ludlow and had a truly memorable meal at Hibiscus.

A well-made martini by Simon allowed us to relax and peruse the menu. Having said that, we'd decided on the Chef's surprise menu before we left. And the wines!

A fun four hours went as follows:

Chilled watermelon soda, pinapple, tomato and olive oil

Verl fresh tasting, clean flavours and a good palate cleanser

Salad of sweetcorn and caramelised pine nuts, watercress veloute, mousse of coconut and light thai curry

A surreal-looking dish, with the mousse topped off with popcorn. The warm veloute was poured onto the dish at the table. A very pleasant dish. The intense sweetcorn flavour was beautifully complemented by the thai spicing. This was set off by an alsace gerwurtstraminer, which had just the right amount of sweetness to set it off.

Ravioli of ricotta cheese, salad of black olive and oven-dried tomato, courgette and mint puree, Roscoff onion

The best pasta I've tasted outside of Italy. Perfect al-dente ravioli with the salty ricotta lifted by the onion and mint puree. Was really starting to enjoy the meal at this point. A French Viognier was the wine choice, which was pleasant but a little dull.

Salad of Cornish Crab, avocado and William pear

The first truly outstanding dish of the night. I could eat this forever. A simply constructed but perfectly dressed salad of the sweet crab and avocado was truly divine.

Roast Scottish scallops, ragout of Puy lentils, chorizo and orange, wood sorrel and green lentil shoots

The largest scallop I have ever seen came dressed with the lentil ragout. I adore scallops and you couldn't have wished for one more perfectly cooked. The salty lentils balanced the dish perfectly and it was married with a beautiful Chilian sauvignon blanc.

Confit of Scottish salmon in olive oil, smoked aubergine puree, caramelised pig's head terrine, barigoule sauce, eucalyptus

I've wanted to try salmon cooked this way since I read Heston Blumenthal's reccommendation for it. The salmon was perfect and delicate. The rich pig's head terrine lent a depth of texture and flavour. The white burgundy was a great match with this.

Savoury ice cream of foie gras, warm emulsion of brioche, balsamic vinegar caramel

I know this has been written about to death on every part of this forum, but I still can't believe how good a dish this was. Claire told us to tell Bapi they'd given us extra large portions (but not the starter-sized one that you'd asked for the last time you were there!)

Roast shropshire partridge, caper and raisin sauce, roast pumpkin, glazed savoy cabbage, smoked butter

My least favourite dish of the night, not because it wasn't good, just it was lacking something the other courses had. The flavours were very clean and the cabbage was superb. My girlfriend loved it though.....

Selection of fine cheeses with apricot bread

Stinking Bishop...... Never has a name been more appropriate for a cheese. I woke up at 5am after this meal and could still smell it. Tasted bloody good though! A fine knowledge of the board came from Simon, who also provided a lovely 10yr old port.

Granny Smith apple puree, sweet celeriac and chestnut

Not much to say about this other than the flavours married together well and set up nicely for the final course.

Clun valley whimberries, sabayon tart, Earl Grey ice-cream

Truly wonderful finish to the meal. The pastry of the tart is the lightest I have ever known and dissolved in your mouth like a merangue. The dessert wine was a great accompniment.

Wonderful service all night from Simon and Claire was topped off when I asked if we could pass on our regards to Claude. Who then came and joined us for half an hour and showed us around the kitchen.

The personal touch shown by all at Hibiscus is beyond anything I have seen in a restaurant in this country. They made our evening incredibly special and somewhere I will not forget in a very long time.

Ludlow's loss will be London's gain. Just got to make sure I go back before they close.

Just wanted to thank everyone who reccomended this place in my forum question. Definitely think that we made the right choice!

[peter cook]

Hello,

I would like to add a few of my thoughts to this thread as a newbie on eGullet.

I agree that criticism of a restaurant is just as valid as praise. Even if the majority of reviews on Hibiscus are that it is suberb, I can say that, locally, there are reservations about the restaurant, that are backed up by Pweaver1984.

As for Ludlow's decline as a "foodie" town, there are still all the small food producers in the area that tempted Shaun Hill there in the first place, if not, more.

The Food Festival goes from strength to strength with new events and ideas each year.

When hibiscus eventually moves away, which could take a while, with the lease priced as it is, there are several other restaurants that are waiting to take a share of the spotlight.

To prove no anti-Bosi feeling, I had a wonderful lunch at The Bell, Yarpole, yesterday, and will definetely be returning soon.

Peter.

[Gary Marshall]

I agree that criticism of a restaurant is just as valid as praise. Even if the majority of reviews on Hibiscus are that it is suberb, I can say that, locally, there are reservations about the restaurant, that are backed up by Pweaver1984.

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i think it only fair to point out pweavers comments are from several years ago!

[cheeekymunkey]

Five us were at Mr Underhill’s this weekend. It was the first time we have been to Ludlow and, needless to say to those who have been before, the town is breathtaking and the small gardens outside Mr Underhill’s were looking especially beautiful – a perfect place next to the river to enjoy our aperitifs.

The menu is of the no choice 7-course tasting variety. On the night, we had:

Cone of marinated salmon

Pleasant as an amuse bouche, with a good delicate tuile. I’m always slightly disappointed when restaurants list amuse bouches on the menu because it smacks of an attempt to beef up the menu and make it look more impressive.

Game Consomme with Herb Gnocchi

Talking of beef, the consommé was rather more beefy than it was gamey. For my taste, carrot and celery were also too prominent in the final flavour. Good gnocchi.

Duck liver mousse, quince, five spice jelly

There is so much foie gras on menus these days, that it was nice to have a different presentation than the ubiquitous pan-fried stuff. Almost a great dish but the seasoning between layers was somewhat inconsistent, so a delicate five spice jelly was bombarded by an oversalty mousse.

Asparagus with Lemon Risotto

This dish was bizarrely sweet and really, without the chicken stock, the risotto would have made a passable lemon rice pudding. The risotto was overcooked. The asparagus was local and a tasty, mitigating factor in an otherwise misjudged dish.

Roast rack of lamb, braised shoulder, mustard celeriac etc.

Another OK, but far from special dish, for me. The rack was just short of overcooked and could have done with a couple of minutes less. The real disappointment was the shoulder, which was dry and underwhelming. I thought it was over-trimmed so there was no fat to keep things moist and it looked and tasted like it had spent a long time being reheated in its presentation shape.

Cheese (+£6)

All very good condition.

Almond ice cream and ‘sponge’

The highlight of the menu by miles, though only a pre-dessert. Smooth, well-flavoured ice cream and a really clever ‘sponge’ – a frozen, aerated sorbet type thing. No idea how they did it, but it was fantastic.

Dessert menu

At this point, you get a choice of desserts. It seems a bit strange after a set menu to be given a choice of puds, but we all opted for the chocolate ‘fondant’. I imagine the thought process that led to the creation of the dish was something along the lines of… ‘Hmmm… people like chocolate fondants. And they especially like the gooey centre. Sod the rest of it. Let’s just make a pud out of the gooey centre’. So that’s what it was. Essentially an undercooked chocolate soufflé kept in shape by rice paper. Porno food, but delicious.

So, from a food perspective, a bit disappointing overall perhaps. Just the one dish – the pre-dessert – that seemed innovative and impressive. The others were a mix of acceptable and below par, though far be it from me to determine where par is.

A note on service: the waiting staff were exceptional. That is, those that brought and cleared our dishes. They were well coordinated and polite. However, the restaurant manager, who I think is the chef’s wife, is just a tiny bit abrasive. To keep this constructive, we all felt a bit like we were intruding in her house, rather than being welcomed. If she could just chill out a bit, the whole experience would have been rather more enjoyable.

[RDB]

Revisited the Stagg Inn with the family a few weeks back. I find this place a bit strange, and it really challenges me on how it has a star. The food is good(ish) but pretty straight forward, more classic safe bistro, than amazing bistro. Mains options included duck, steak, venison and an interesting plaice and snails dish. All dishes had the meat and sauce on a plate, and it came with a side bowl of veg, carrot, red cabbage, cauliflower, and a few broad beans. It was very Sunday lunchesque for balmy summer evening, and serving the same veg with every dish to me is a bit boring and lazy. The quality of the meat was excellent, and cooked well, although the plaice was slightly overcooked. The chips were judged worthy of a star on their own by the 'kid critic'. The service is ok, the kind you would get in any dining pub, but nothing else to set it apart. Not to go into the black hole of Michelin criteria, but compared to somewhere like The Star at Harome, The Stagg's food is very standard. Saying that I still really love visiting the place, and staying in the vicarage is a delight.

[Gary Marshall]

did the stagg not change hands a while ago ? is it still starred?

[Bapi]

I can't find anything to suggest that it has lost a star...see this. Nor that it has changed hands. But I have to agree with Robin though.. the Vicarage, which was not under their ownership the last time we stayed, but looks like a wonderful place to stay.

I am intrigued though Robin, did Ludlow itself with Le Becasse not tempt you? We had a couple of sublime lunches back in March at the Bosi's Bell Inn at Yarpole. I sampled the best Guinea fowl of my life there. It was cooked sous-vide and then pan fried to crisp up the skin. Utterly delicious.

Oh and re Cheeky Munkey's erudite musings about Mr Underhill's. I agree, she is the reason we will never return.

To the mix I would this potential newcomer Fishmore Hall, as sadly Dinham Hall and Overton Grange seem a little past their sell buy date and no-one either here, nor in the town, ever recommends them to us. I have yet to try it and although we are back for the Food Festival this year, I am not sure we will get the chance either- but hopefully one of you guys will.

[Gary Marshall]

the one i am thinking of had a star, they sold up to run a deli? and reports subsequent of the pub weren't great?

he used to write in the caterer a bit and had a great spread in telegraph one weekend about their idyllic life running a country pub, oh how i laughed at that one

Edited July 21, 2008 by Gary Marshall (log)

[RDB]

I can't find anything to suggest that it has lost a star...see this. Nor that it has changed hands. But I have to agree with Robin though.. the Vicarage, which was not under their ownership the last time we stayed, but looks like a wonderful place to stay.

I am intrigued though Robin, did Ludlow itself with Le Becasse not tempt you? We had a couple of sublime lunches back in March at the Bosi's Bell Inn at Yarpole. I sampled the best Guinea fowl of my life there. It was cooked sous-vide and then pan fried to crisp up the skin. Utterly delicious.

Oh and re Cheeky Munkey's erudite musings about Mr Underhill's. I agree, she is the reason we will never return.

To the mix I would this potential newcomer Fishmore Hall, as sadly Dinham Hall and Overton Grange seem a little past their sell buy date and no-one either here, nor in the town, ever recommends them to us. I have yet to try it and although we are back for the Food Festival this year, I am not sure we will get the chance either- but hopefully one of you guys will.

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Bapi it was more about logistics why we choose The Stagg, we were attending a weekend festival around Eardisland (Leominster) so it fitted the bill time and travel wise. Saying that totally forgot about The Bell Inn, as it is on my list of places to visit!!!! Maybe next time