Last Saturday, my partner decided to treat me to a meal out at the Blue Strawberry. What was the occasion? Nothing! Dining out for the sole reason of gluttony!
I've never had a bad meal at the Strawb' and this was no exception. My partner was a little disappointed with the menu, claiming that it was very fish-heavy. I'm notsure I concur- I suspect it was just an excuse for him to have his beloved belly pork! There was lamb as well as two types of steak, so what's his beef?
We were seated at 6.30pm. The place was quite empty. I attributed this to the financial downturn, but was pleased to see the place brimming by the time we left.
I started with a very 1970s starter- prawn and crab in a Marie Rose sauce, on an avocado fan! It sounds naff, but there's a good reason it still persists: it's a classic! The crab and prawns were sweet, the avocado perfectly ripe and creamy. The richness was cut through with an oak leaf salad and a citrus dressing. It was a well balanced dish. My partner offered for the pork and ham terrine. I think that terrines are very underrated. Whilst people are salivating over pates, the humble terrine, whose rough texture allows individual flavours to shine through, is ignored. Bah. This terrine was well seasoned, with fragrant apricots and herbs as dominant flavours. It was accompanied by a zingy and fresh pineapple chutney.
Predictably, my partner had the belly pork. I can see why. It is absolute perfection for the meat eater- crispy crackling with succulent, tender meat beneath. It was served with spring greens with pancetta, which had a lovely smokey flavour, as well as apple sauce and what looked like boulangere potatoes. The veg on the table was broccoli, mashed swede and courgettes in tomato sauce. There was even enough pork to smuggle some home for the cat!
I had moules mariniere with skinny chips. To my mind, there is something very beastly about eating chips, especially those skinny-fast-food-looking, whenone is in a decent restaurant. I managed to put my qualms to one side, and tackle the enormous portion of mussels presented to me. They were perfectly cook, in a different league to the small mussels served at Loch Fyne. They were plump, tender and perfectly cooked. the white wine, clream and garlic sauce was beautifully seasoned and very garlicky. Not that this was a problem, but it would have been nice to have had some bread.
After stuffing our faces, there was no room for pud. Well, maybe there was, but I didn't fancy driving home with that overstuffed feeling...
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