On Wednesday night we took a trip over to Stockbridge for the 2nd time this month to try out The Stockbridge Restaurant. Aptly named due to it’s location in the centre of Stockbridge, from the outside it looks very inviting and unassuming. Once inside and after an initial mix up over our booking (which would later be more than made up for with complementary drinks) we chose our table, a nice touch rather than being told where to sit. The restaurant has a very cosy, relaxed feel to it with the décor and mellow lighting making it ideal for a romantic evening meal.
After perusing the wine list I settled for a glass of Malbec while the designated driver for the evening went with a soda water and lime. Onto the food, we were dining from the A La Carte menu and to be honest I had a difficult time deciding on what I wanted as there were a number of dishes that sounded excellent. I eventually settled on Seared Scallops with butternut squash puree, apple salsa and parma ham (£11.95), followed by Pork fillet wrapped in pancetta, pork belly, cheek, crispy ear with black pudding and sweet potato puree (£17.95). While the other half went for Chorizo and red pepper risotto with parmesan flakes (£7.95) and Gressingham duck breast with duck confit spring roll, foie gras boudin, savoy cabbage and bacon, potato terrine and sauce (£21.95).
Before our starters we were brought an appetiser which was very tasty although to be honest I can’t remember exactly what it was! It certainly contained parma ham, what I’m sure was feta cheese, spring onions and potentially balsamic vinegar (maybe the lovely folks at The Stockbridge Restaurant can clarify that for us), it was certainly tasty in any case. Once the starters arrived I knew I had made the right choice. My plate consisted of three large scallops, well presented on a bed of apple salsa and butternut squash puree, I quickly tucked in and the scallops were cooked to perfection and worked really well with the apple and butternut squash. I also sampled her chorizo and red pepper rissoto which was also delicious with a strong smoky flavour from the chorizo.
It wasn’t too long before our mains arrived and again we were very impressed with the presentation of the dishes. The aroma coming from my plate of pork was delightful and I tucked in before I started to drool. Again I really enjoyed the main which is a meat lovers paradise, the only sign of veg was the sweet potato puree which happens to be my favourite vegetable and went very well with the pork and black pudding. I enjoyed every minute of it and has to go on the list of my favourite dishes. Again I got to sample the duck breast which was very tasty and her enjoyed the dish. The only part neither of us were particularly keen on was the foie gras boudin. After the taste explosion that was my pork dish it just didn’t so anything for me.
We were then asked the question that we pretend to mull over each time before concluding that the answer is always yes, “Would you like to see the dessert menu?”. The dessert menu contains a good variety along with a nice selection of dessert wines. Being a chocolate fiend I opted for the Chocolate brulee with chocolate brownie, white chocolate mousse and milk chocolate ice cream (£6.45) along with a brandy coffee for good measure. Miss Edinburger went for the selection of cheese from I.J. Mellis (£8.95). Before the desserts we were given a passion fruit sorbet which was lovely and tangy, setting us up nicely for what was to follow.
I had failed to notice that my brandy coffee also came with petit fours so was delighted when the sprawling range of chocolate was placed in front of me. The chocolate brulee was lovely and rich, complemented well with the white chocolate mouse, ice cream and chocolate brownie. My brandy coffee also came with a chocolate brownie, a chocolate mint and a coconut covered white chocolate ball. All were delicious as was the brandy coffee which was surprisingly heavy on the brandy (just how I like it). The selection of cheese, all sourced from the local I.J. Mellis was also substantial and included hand made oatcakes, crackers, grapes and pine nuts in honey. The handmade oatcakes and crackers were an ideal accompaniment to the cheese.
As well as the food the whole experience was excellent with the friendly staff reeling off exactly what was in every dish, including the selection of about ten types of cheese which was impressive. As I’m sure you can tell we very much enjoyed our evening at The Stockbridge Restaurant and will certainly be back sooner rather than later to sample the rest of what’s on offer.
Him.
Leave a Reply