I'm new to the world of blogging but I have been inspired by a friend of mine to get stuck in. Any and all comments and suggestions will always be welcome! I also intend to add photographs as and when I attempt baking and cooking tomfoolery.
As a reward for putting up with my patheticisms I took my lovely boyfriend James out to The Old Vicarage in Ridgeway, the only Michelin starred restaurant in Sheffield. Naturally it was a Travelzoo voucher purchase! Anyway, it was a 5 course taster menu.
The first course was a tomato tart. Is it too obvious to relay that it was very tomatoey? Ok, so it was very rich but perfectly offset by a (I think pesto?) foam. The pastry was the shortest I've ever tasted. Of course James ate it in one mouthful but when you have 5 courses ahead of you I imagine small helpings are key. The second course was a sole fillet, perfectly cooked and incredibly light but disappointingly served with what was clearly cultured samphire. I overheard another diner ask the waiter what it was and he couldn't tell her! His response was 'some kind of herb'. In any normal restaurant it would make me chuckle but in a place that is so fancy you end up whispering to each other I would have at least expected the poor boy to offer to ask the chef! The sole was also accompanied by another sort of foam. Fond of the foam they are at The Old Vicarage. The third course was old spot pork fillet with risotto and asparagus (no foam this time). I found it too creamy and without enough seasoning. The asparagus was tender with just the right amount of bite. James enjoyed it more then I did, as after this course I did start to feel a bit over full due to the richness of the risotto. One of the benefits of there being so many courses was that there was also large gaps between them. Next was a cheese course. Blue Ribblesdale goats cheese with toasted brioche and Ridgeway honey. I'm not usually a fan of honey (it tastes like bees) or blue cheese but it was sensational! I had no idea that blue cheese and honey went so well together! James and I were so inspired we repeated the experience minus the brioche the following evening and it has inspired me to sometime soon bake a savoury blue cheesecake and serve it drizzled with honey (you may find posts regarding this at a later date). The final course was a desert of strawberry millefeuille, strawberry sorbet and strawberry coulis with chantilly cream. The desert was absolutely my favourite dish of the evening. It was light, fresh, sweet without being cloying and the cream desert came in a mini desert glass with a tiny spoon! I know that's incredibly girly but it did make it that bit more special.
Overall I enjoyed the experience and I'd give the taster menu a 7.5/10. I expected more due to the apparent prestige of the restaurant. The tone was set by the waiter leading us to the dining room and carrying our drinks on a silver platter, yet we constantly felt as if we were dining in a library. But on the bright side we did spill water all over the table cloth. I'd go back, but I doubt it's worth the money one would have to spend on a full price menu.
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