Reading about eating out written by a restaurant critic ('How to Eat Out' by Giles Coren) was always going to be a bit of a double-edged sword. On the one hand, there was some useful consumer advice. On the other, it has made me hyper-aware of the foibles and failings of the food industry which, now encountered, will not be forgotten easily.
My first experience of eating out since I read this book (and consequently started thinking about the experience of eating out rather than just blithely accepting it) was last Friday at Loch Fyne - the Oxford branch. This meal was to celebrate Burns Night and their special offer set menu was what attracted us in the first place.
Things started well. Despite the on line booking system saying it was full, I called the branch and turned on the charm. Gratifyingly the manager accommodated us with out so much as sucking his teeth (perhaps he is one of my readers!). While on the phone he told me that the night wasn't just about food; there was going to be a piper too. With that in mind, I asked that the timing of the booking be changed to take this in. Again, not a problem. Top marks so far.
When we got to the restaurant, it had quite an interesting layout. The entrance foyer lead on to a mezzanine level containing the bar and a few tables. This in turn lead to a lower-level dining room and open-plan kitchen. We were shown to our table straight away. Unfortunately it was just by the door. Even if my girlfriend wasn't hypersensitive to the cold, I would have gotten irritated by the door constantly swinging open and closed so I employed my newly learned "How to get a decent table without being a twat" skills. Immediately we were moved further back without a fuss; admittedly we were still on the mezzanine level but that was my fault for not pushing harder.
The whole place was decked out in more tartan than an Edinburgh gift shop; tartan napkins in the glasses and tartan ribbons adorning the candle holders (and the staff... with varying degrees of consent). Overall this created a slightly kitch effect but fun none the less. Another nice touch was the inclusion of a nip of whisky in the set menu as an alternative to a glass of wine. Better still, it was a decent malt (Talisker) - better than a bargain basement blend.
Now on to the food. For starters I had haggis, neeps and tatties (well what else) and for the most part, it was delicious. The mash was smooth and creamy without feeling like it had come from a packet and the haggis was beautifully cooked. The whole thing was served in a rich red wine and juniper sauce. My one technical complaint was that the were perhaps a little watery. A much bigger complaint was the portion size. Yes it was sold as a starter but three small quinnells was barely enough to get on the fork never mind get the taste in my mouth.
My girlfriend had the traditional cullen and skink soup (creamy smoked haddock and potato for the uninitiated) which looked delicious and rustic. Sadly I didn't get to taste any as she scoffed the lot herself. I suppose that's an accolade in its self.
The main courses were where things began to really fall down. As we were somewhere which specialised in seafood, I opted for the hake with mussels and squid. The hake was beautiful - moist, succulent and perfectly cooked. Certainly a good ingredient speaking for its self.. The mash too was lovely. Unfortunately the same could not be said for the seafood. Both the mussels and the squid were cold. As well as this, the squid had been cover-cooked making the whole lot slimy and a bit rubbery. I am not generally known for leaving stuff on my plate but after a few valiant tries, even I couldn't face any more of it.
My girlfriend was also disappointed. She opted for the vegetarian option; pasta with vegetables. I could describe it further but it's a waste of everybody's time to do so. Apparently it managed to be simultaneously bland and have too much pepper. Giver my experience with the main course, I took her word for it.
Things picked up a bit with dessert. The cheese board had a nice selection of soft and hard cheeses. Better still, for once there were enough oatcakes to allow all the cheese to be eaten. There wasn't a particularly Scottish theme which is a bit of a shame given the wonderful cheeses Scotland produces but it can't be condemned for that. My girlfriend had the sticky toffee pudding which was proclaimed excellent. No more really need be said.
Before I move off the food and drink entirely, it is also worth noting that Loch Fyne had taken the trouble to stock Belhaven Robert Burns Ale. Belhaven ales are a bit hit and miss with me (and unfortunately I tend not to like the ones I want to like most) but this one is absolutely excellent but quite hard to come by. It was a nice touch that they sourced and served it on the night.
The night wasn't just about the food though. It was about general celebration. As I mentioned, the restaurant had hired a piper - a huge ex-Scots Guardsman to be precise - who was excellent company as we were waiting for our dessert. Unfortunately he hadn't started playing by the time we had received and eaten our desserts leaving us nursing our drinks and trying to kill time while we waited for him. At this point we were suffering the, "Is there anything else we can get you?" tactic. Being in a fairly belligerent mood I replied in the negative and we continued sipping our drinks (we had been seated for around 45 minutes at this point so we can hardly be accused of table-hogging. Eventually the manager came over and told us that he had booked out the table for a few minutes time and asked us if we would mind moving to the bar for the remainder of the evening. To be honest I wouldn't have minded moving on the back of an honest request (rather than veiled hints and innuendo) but he offered a couple of drinks on the house by way of compensation so it would have been churlish to refuse!
When his moment came the piper was excellent combining the old favourites with some more unusual tunes. He then addressed the haggis (twice to prevent those of us upstairs from missing out - another nice touch) and gave a brief immortal memory. Impressively, he managed to deliver this without being too dry or pompous and even got a couple of jokes in that were suitable for the pre-watershed audience. Excellent patter as they would say in Glasgow.
So all in all, my conclusion is the same as the title. Great night; lovely setting, great atmosphere and a generally jovial mood. It's just a pity the food wasn't just a wee bit better to make the whole thing perfect.
JR
My first experience of eating out since I read this book (and consequently started thinking about the experience of eating out rather than just blithely accepting it) was last Friday at Loch Fyne - the Oxford branch. This meal was to celebrate Burns Night and their special offer set menu was what attracted us in the first place.
Things started well. Despite the on line booking system saying it was full, I called the branch and turned on the charm. Gratifyingly the manager accommodated us with out so much as sucking his teeth (perhaps he is one of my readers!). While on the phone he told me that the night wasn't just about food; there was going to be a piper too. With that in mind, I asked that the timing of the booking be changed to take this in. Again, not a problem. Top marks so far.
When we got to the restaurant, it had quite an interesting layout. The entrance foyer lead on to a mezzanine level containing the bar and a few tables. This in turn lead to a lower-level dining room and open-plan kitchen. We were shown to our table straight away. Unfortunately it was just by the door. Even if my girlfriend wasn't hypersensitive to the cold, I would have gotten irritated by the door constantly swinging open and closed so I employed my newly learned "How to get a decent table without being a twat" skills. Immediately we were moved further back without a fuss; admittedly we were still on the mezzanine level but that was my fault for not pushing harder.
The whole place was decked out in more tartan than an Edinburgh gift shop; tartan napkins in the glasses and tartan ribbons adorning the candle holders (and the staff... with varying degrees of consent). Overall this created a slightly kitch effect but fun none the less. Another nice touch was the inclusion of a nip of whisky in the set menu as an alternative to a glass of wine. Better still, it was a decent malt (Talisker) - better than a bargain basement blend.
Now on to the food. For starters I had haggis, neeps and tatties (well what else) and for the most part, it was delicious. The mash was smooth and creamy without feeling like it had come from a packet and the haggis was beautifully cooked. The whole thing was served in a rich red wine and juniper sauce. My one technical complaint was that the were perhaps a little watery. A much bigger complaint was the portion size. Yes it was sold as a starter but three small quinnells was barely enough to get on the fork never mind get the taste in my mouth.
My girlfriend had the traditional cullen and skink soup (creamy smoked haddock and potato for the uninitiated) which looked delicious and rustic. Sadly I didn't get to taste any as she scoffed the lot herself. I suppose that's an accolade in its self.
The main courses were where things began to really fall down. As we were somewhere which specialised in seafood, I opted for the hake with mussels and squid. The hake was beautiful - moist, succulent and perfectly cooked. Certainly a good ingredient speaking for its self.. The mash too was lovely. Unfortunately the same could not be said for the seafood. Both the mussels and the squid were cold. As well as this, the squid had been cover-cooked making the whole lot slimy and a bit rubbery. I am not generally known for leaving stuff on my plate but after a few valiant tries, even I couldn't face any more of it.
My girlfriend was also disappointed. She opted for the vegetarian option; pasta with vegetables. I could describe it further but it's a waste of everybody's time to do so. Apparently it managed to be simultaneously bland and have too much pepper. Giver my experience with the main course, I took her word for it.
Things picked up a bit with dessert. The cheese board had a nice selection of soft and hard cheeses. Better still, for once there were enough oatcakes to allow all the cheese to be eaten. There wasn't a particularly Scottish theme which is a bit of a shame given the wonderful cheeses Scotland produces but it can't be condemned for that. My girlfriend had the sticky toffee pudding which was proclaimed excellent. No more really need be said.
Before I move off the food and drink entirely, it is also worth noting that Loch Fyne had taken the trouble to stock Belhaven Robert Burns Ale. Belhaven ales are a bit hit and miss with me (and unfortunately I tend not to like the ones I want to like most) but this one is absolutely excellent but quite hard to come by. It was a nice touch that they sourced and served it on the night.
The night wasn't just about the food though. It was about general celebration. As I mentioned, the restaurant had hired a piper - a huge ex-Scots Guardsman to be precise - who was excellent company as we were waiting for our dessert. Unfortunately he hadn't started playing by the time we had received and eaten our desserts leaving us nursing our drinks and trying to kill time while we waited for him. At this point we were suffering the, "Is there anything else we can get you?" tactic. Being in a fairly belligerent mood I replied in the negative and we continued sipping our drinks (we had been seated for around 45 minutes at this point so we can hardly be accused of table-hogging. Eventually the manager came over and told us that he had booked out the table for a few minutes time and asked us if we would mind moving to the bar for the remainder of the evening. To be honest I wouldn't have minded moving on the back of an honest request (rather than veiled hints and innuendo) but he offered a couple of drinks on the house by way of compensation so it would have been churlish to refuse!
When his moment came the piper was excellent combining the old favourites with some more unusual tunes. He then addressed the haggis (twice to prevent those of us upstairs from missing out - another nice touch) and gave a brief immortal memory. Impressively, he managed to deliver this without being too dry or pompous and even got a couple of jokes in that were suitable for the pre-watershed audience. Excellent patter as they would say in Glasgow.
So all in all, my conclusion is the same as the title. Great night; lovely setting, great atmosphere and a generally jovial mood. It's just a pity the food wasn't just a wee bit better to make the whole thing perfect.
JR
No comments:
Post a Comment