J'AIME FEBRUARY 2019

More documents

Recommendations

Info

F O O D & D R I N K Focus on flavour WITH A PASSION FOR PRODUCE AND A TALENTED TEAM, LARDER IS MAKING WAVES ON LICHFIELD’S DINING SCENE, AS AMY NORBURY DISCOVERS Every now and then, there comes along a restaurant which truly gets you excited. One which has a pure passion for food at its heart, a superbly talented chef at the helm and a team who are dedicated to providing each and every guest with a memorable experience. And at the end of last year, one such eatery opened right here in Lichfield. Larder is the first solo venture for Ryan Shilton, the young and ambitious former head chef at Swinfen Hall who cut his teeth under acclaimed chef Rob Palmer in the now-Michelin starred kitchen of Peel’s at Hampton Manor. Ryan’s aim? To bring informal and accessible fine dining to a city which, while spoilt for choice with foodie options, can be a little lacking when you’re after something truly out of the ordinary. And, it seems, Lichfield’s fine dining aspirations are in exceptionally good hands. Located in the heart of the city on Bore Street, the restaurant combines a stylish contemporary setting with ingredient-led menus which really deliver a big flavour punch. With a passion for produce and an innate skill at combining bold flavours to create perfectly balanced dishes, Ryan is certainly making his mark. We’d heard plenty of impressive reports about Larder since its opening, so when Ryan invited J’AIME along to sample the latest menu, we couldn’t refuse. The restaurant had just, that day, reopened following a well-deserved post-Christmas break, but the team were expertly back into the swing of things; service was welcoming, friendly and slick, while the kitchen team didn’t miss a beat, turning out dish after dish of superbly executed delights. Larder is set over three floors, with a ground-floor bar area where guests can enjoy a relaxing predinner drink before moving upstairs to the restaurant itself. Go up again, and you’ll find the most soughtafter table in the house: the kitchen table. Here, diners are placed right in the middle of the action, able to observe chef at work while making their way through one of the two tasting menu options. We perused the menus over drinks - Black Sheep for him, and an all-British version of a classic Bramble cocktail for me, made with Cotswolds Gin and British cassis. A couple of bar snacks - an intensely 30
savoury yeasted crisp and a delectable monkfish number - started proceedings off nicely. For dinner, guests are offered the choice of a three-course choice menu at £40, or a five or seven-course tasting menu at £50 and £60 respectively. Now, being the greedy guts I unashamedly am, I’d normally go for the seven-course option without hesitation. But there were a couple of dishes on the more restrained five-course menu which just sounded too appealing to forgo. Decision made. We also chose a bottle of bordeaux from the extensive and well-rounded wine list; a 2014 Espirit du Lussac, Lussac St Emilion which, at £28, represented decent value for money. As we were shown to a cosy table à deux in the restaurant, it wasn’t long before the first sample arrived. And rather than the usual bread offering, it was crumpets. But no ordinary crumpets. These joyous morsels were wagyu crumpets, made with fat from some of the world’s most pampered cows and adorned with a healthy dollop of cultured butter. Pure, unadulterated deliciousness. The first course proper was a luscious Jerusalem artichoke puree served with slightly sweet artichoke crisps, and a rich cheddar mousse filled with pickled artichoke and adorned with a smattering of earthy thyme. Simple ingredients combined to great effect, it was an impressive introduction to Ryan’s culinary ethos. The next offering was the one which had really caught my eye, and it delivered and then some. Billed as ‘Wagyu, parsley, apple’, this was a heavenly slab of rich, melt-in-the-mouth beef alongside a silky parsley cream and slivers of sweet-sharp apple, with delicate rings of lightly pickled onion and microherbs. Beautifully balanced, intensely flavoured and perfectly presented, it was a knockout dish. The Cornish mackerel which followed had a lot to live up to, but the wonderfully firm fish combined with zingy passionfruit and smooth, slightly sweet black garlic purees to great effect. Grains of puffed rice added a nice textural contrast, and my dining companion proclaimed it his dish of the evening. Onto the main event - and the only dish present on both the five and seven-course menus - it was the turn of venison. Now, game might seem like a brave choice to take the starring role on the menu, but when a dish is executed so well, it can’t fail to hit the spot. Served two ways - a rare, seared fillet alongside slow-cooked pulled venison - it was a sublime piece of cooking. Accompanying dice of squash and plump raisins added a contrasting sweetness to the rich, gamey flavour while a hint of chilli gave a welcome warmth. Now, the downside to choosing the five-course menu over the seven was just one dessert instead of two, so it was a welcome surprise to find an additional palate-cleansing course of pineapple and buttermilk sorbets with fresh mint granita. The finale was, however, something of a revelation. Fresh Yorkshire rhubarb alongside rhubarb sorbet and smooth white chocolate was a harmonious offering. But it was the dill ice cream which proved the star of the plate. The distinctive herbiness worked incredibly - who knew! - and shards of dark chocolate and chocolate crumb completed a pretty darn special pud. Larder’s ethos is ‘all flavour: no pomp’ and that’s precisely what Ryan and the team have delivered. An extremely welcome addition to the city’s flourishing restaurant scene, Larder is sure to be a hit with any discerning foodie looking for that little bit more. 31
Page 1: F E B R U A R Y 2 0 1 9 Y O U R L O
Page 4 and 5: CONTENTS InsideJ’aime this month.
Page 6 and 7: FEATURE Champion spirit AS AN OLYMP
Page 8 and 9: the 1982 European Championships in
Page 10 and 11: together.” It was this togetherne
Page 12 and 13: PROPERTY Property of the Month WE T
Page 14 and 15: PROPERTY Summer dreams WITH ITS OWN
Page 16 and 17: INTERIORS Life’s a peach PANTONE
Page 18 and 19: £25 WILLOW & HALL FOXCOTE ARMCHAIR
Page 20 and 21: I N T E R I O R S CONTURA 510G WHIT
Page 22 and 23: GREY RATTAN ARCH LOG HOLDER, THE FA
Page 24 and 25: G I F T G U I D E Spread the love L
Page 26 and 27: £43.50 £64 £90 A LA VELVET BOX W
Page 28 and 29: G I F T G U I D E Make his day SHOW
Page 32 and 33: F O O D & D R I N K Cocktail of the
Page 34 and 35: F O O D & D R I N K Tropical tastes
Page 36 and 37: F O O D & D R I N K A sweet indulge
Page 38 and 39: H E A LT H A tasty tipple ORGANIC W
Page 40 and 41: H E A LT H A workout for two WITH V
Page 42 and 43: T R AV E L Into the wild HISTORIC B
Page 44 and 45: We arrived to an open plain and pau
Page 46 and 47: F E AT U R E Kick the bucket list J
Page 48 and 49: There’s been a bunch of them over
Page 50 and 51: LO CA L A R E A What’s On Local Y
Page 52 and 53: LO CA L A R E A What’s on Second
Page 54 and 55: CO M P E T I T I O N Love pampering
Page 56 and 57: FA S H I O N Sunshine state IT’S
Page 58 and 59: FA S H I O N Best dressed guest JIL
Page 60 and 61: This simple dress with a cheeky flu
Page 62 and 63: B E AU T Y Treat those tresses THE
Page 64 and 65: I N T H E N E W S Creating bespoke
Page 66 and 67: There are seven powertrain options

J'AIME FEBRUARY 2019

You also want an ePaper? Increase the reach of your titles

Delete template?

Save as template?