The Crown at whitebrook – Monmouthshire Wales
This seasoned performer has been offering food and
accommodation in a pretty, 17th-century cottage since 1971. The
secret to its longevity seems to be a combination of location – its Wye Valley
setting is both idyllic and easily accessible – and wonderful food. Chef James
Sommerin’s insprised, Michelin-starred cuisine is as soul-stirring as the
choral soundtrack that greets you in reception.
The Crown at
whitebrook – Monmouthshire Wales
The décor here is country-comfortable, and the public spaces
have all the leather furnishings, low ceilings and oak beams you’d expect in
such a rustic setting. My room, “Dylan”, is something of a shrine to Wales’s
favourite poet, and he stares down at me from the wall as I flick through his
life’s work from the bedside bookshelf. Design-wise the room is a little bland,
but I find it cosy and charming; and the huge bathroom feels as decadent as a
night out with Thomas himself.
The all
round kings of great Welsh food, the Crown at Whitebrook
The restaurant goes for a more modern look, but other than
some original art, there’s nothing to get too excited about. That’s where
Sommerin comes in. From the amuse-bouche of creamed langoustine on a bed of ham
hock and starter of crispy chicken pieces on a mushroom reviolo, it’s clear he
is unafraid of using techniques to coax the best from earthy British flavours.
My main course of quail with black pudding and red wine is stunning; I
particularly love the deliciously light false “legs” Sommerin creates by
deep-frying balls of minced quail and inserting a sliver of bone into them.
Seared scallop at the
Michelin starred The Crown at Whitebrook
By the time dessert comes around – a walnut-and-banana
soufflé with condensed-milk ice cream – I feel as though my tastebuds have been
taken into areas previously unvisited. I’m also very full. Thank goodness Dylan
is just a stair-climb away.
Whitebrook, Monmouthshire (01600 860254; www.crownatwhitebrook.co.uk).
Doubles from $215 B&B. Three-course dinner menu $85 per person.
Mr Underhill’s – Ludlow, Shropshire
Mr Underhill’s –
Ludlow, Shropshire
There’s something of the school dining-hall about Mr
Underhill’s. Guests are required to take their places for dinner between 7.15pm
and 8pm, and are served the same dishes from the nine-course Market Menu
(although it can be adjusted to suit guests’ dietary requirements). The
similarity with school dinners ends there, though, Chef-proprietor Chris
Bradley has earned his restaurant a Michelin star for the culinary journeys on
which he takes guests, and his inspired creations – which, on the evening I
visit, include a filo cone of raw salmon and beetroot, a pot of crème
caramel-like duck-liver custard, and a piece of lemon sole topped with a
chorizo crust – are as delicious as they are showy.
“The Market Menu was born out of necessity,” Bradley tells
me. “When we first began, we didn’t have the supplier network we do now. Being
so far from London, the only way we could get what we wanted was to buy in
bulk. For that to work, I had to be sure everything would be used.”
Ludlow food
Festival recipe: Mr Underhill's Festival apples
While Mr Underhill’s is undoubtedly a favourite of residents
of this genteel borders town, its four luxury suites – including two new spa
bedrooms with pool baths and steam rooms – mean it also attracts many visitors
from afar. Though the food is obviously the biggest draw – “Our guests know
they’re guaranteed a fabulous meal at about a quarter of the price of Le
Manoir,” says Bradley – the location of Mr Underhill’s is not to be sniffed at
either. Situated on a weir beneath Ludlow Castle, overlooking the ducks and
water-babble of the River Teme, it is a gorgeous spot by day. And at night,
when candles are lit in the terraced courtyard garden and fairylights
illuminate the sculptures dotted between arbours and ironwork tables, the whole
place feels utterly magical.
Dinham Weir, Ludlow, Shropshire (01584 874431; www.mr-underhills.co.uk). Doubles
from $330 B&B. Market Menu $93-$100
Restaurant Sat Bains – Nottingham
There’s a lot to get over before you can appreciate
Restaurant Sat Bains. Firstly, there’s the location. Turn off the A52, drive
under a flyover and pylons, and you find yourself at the gates of a low-level,
red-brick complex. The backdrop of traffic rumbling along one of the Midlands’
busiest thoroughfares adds little to the scene, and it doesn’t help that this
restaurant with rooms resembles a motorway service station.
“The majority of gastronomic restaurants have beautiful
locations, sweeping countryside, sea views, that sort of thing,” says
chef-proprietor Sat Bains. “We don’t, and that’s what I wanted. The
juxtaposition of the location and what you get on your plate is unique, I
think”
Restaurant Sat
Bains
Then there are the rooms. Arranged around a central
courtyard/car park, they’re OK in a functional, budget-hotel sort of way. Some
effort has been made to give them boutique-style gloss – my bed has a
ceiling-high purple velvet headboard and a metallic snakeskin blanket – but I
find the décor and other furnishings uninspiring.
Where it does work, though, is in the Michelin-starred
restaurant. Every one of my seven courses is stunning, a perfect complement of
flavor and texture. Highlights include a tender piece of Loch Duart salmon in a
robust oyster soup, and soft, pink medallions of mallard served with a cleverly
deconstructed Waldorf salad. Every dish is confident and accomplished, and
served with a real sense of fun. “I question everything,” says Bains. “Why do
combinations work? What levels of acidity need to be added to offset fat? How
much crunch needs to be introduced to give texture to cream? We research,
research and research more.”
Restaurant Sat
Bains presents Beef Cheeks, Seaweed, Oyster
Alsa, the package didn’t work for me. I felt it was a superb
restaurant, with rooms tacked on. Forget sleeping here; get them to call you a
taxi at the end of the meal.
Lenton Lane, Nottingham (0115 986 6566; www.restaurantsatbains.com).
Doubles from $194 B&B. Dinner menu $115 for seven courses, $124 for nine.
(Conde Nast Traveller UK 2012 06, pages 124 – 133 + 158)
