METROLAND Spring 2022

history of the house itself. She also commented on
my shoes which is always lovely to hear!
We followed with the sirloin steak and the confit
duck. My steak was served traditionally with fries,
mushrooms and tomatoes. Cooked to perfection,
it was tender and tasty. I must mention the chips,
which were the best combination of fluffy and crispy,
and seasoned to absolute perfection. David’s
confit duck was served with a chorizo and lentil
cassoulet and wilted stem broccoli. The restaurant
has a seasonally-led menu that puts the spotlight
on locally sourced, quality ingredients, including
fresh vegetables from the hotel’s own kitchen
garden. This shines through in the quality of the
food and the pride of the kitchen which is evident
in everything they do.
Dessert was another joy. The hubby chose the
apple and forest fruit crumble with vanilla ice
cream. The ice cream was another locally sourced
ingredient and complemented the crumble very
well. The crumble itself was gluten free, made from
pecans, and provided a perfect crunch to go with
the soft fruit beneath.
I selected the banana and lemongrass tart, and
it is here that my words fail me slightly. I have
spent the last 24 hours trying to find the words to
describe this wonderful dessert. A traditional tart
base with creamy banana lemongrass gel, it was
complemented by the macha-flavoured chocolate
truffles, coated in coconut. It provided a lovely
palette-cleansing end to lunch without being too
acidic or sharp. Despite being comfortably full
after an amazing meal I was very tempted to order
another!
90 METROLAND SPRING 2022