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...
Showing posts with label Blue Strawberry. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Blue Strawberry. Show all posts
Tuesday, 27 September 2011
Saturday, 30 July 2011
The Blue Strawberry, Hatfield Peverel: Review
The Blue Strawberry is probably my favourite Essex restaurant. Something that really strikes me is that the waiting staff have been working there for as long as I have been going- about 5 years! Besides the excellent food, the service is very slick yet not stuffy. I will occasionally make an evening visit, but usually go for lunch where 2 courses is £13.95.
The choice is pretty good- about 8 choices for each course. There are some staples (including my partner's beloved belly pork) that remain on the menu for months at a time, and daily specials including the fish of the day, the soup and the pie of the day.
On Thursday I took my guest there for lunch. I've had a greedy week- eating out 3 days on the trot! One glance at the menu, and I instantly knew what I'd have for starters- EGGS BENEDICT! My favourite! I was blinded my the site of my culinary love, and couldn't really care what else was on offer! When it arrived, it didn't disappoint. I'm an eggs benedict snob, and can spot a bad eggs benedict at 10 paces. This didn't disappoint. The egg was perfectly cooked- runny but thick. The muffin was toasted enough to me crisp and the ham was thick and tasty. The hollandaise was zingy and delicious. There was no attempt to fuss around with fancy presentation- another peeve of mine in when restaurants put garnishes on dishes that do not relate to the dish. It was the best eggs benedict I have eaten. My only gripe is that it is not offered as a main course!
My guest opted not to have a starter, the plan being that she must leave room for a dessert. She had the rump steak with tomato and onion relish and rocket salad. Luckily, she gave me a quarter of her steak, just to be doubly sure to leave room for pud! It was cooked medium, yet was still slightly bloody. It was delicious and tender; rump steak can withstand lenghthy cooking. I didn't much like the relish, but this was probably due to my slight aversion to sunblush tomatoes. The accompanying vegetables were jersey royal potatoes, mashed carrots, cabbage and broccoli, all perfectly cooked.
I had plaice fillets with caper and tomato vinaigrette. I was slightly concerned that the plaice would be overpowered by the capers, but this was not the case. The saltiness of the capers was a good contrast to the tender, mild fish. Delicious.
As a side note, I was once fairly conservative in my choice of fish, being suspicious of fish that was not prawns, cod, plaice or haddock. Since going to this restaurant I have beome a fish fan, eating shellfish, salmon, halibut, scallops, crab and sea bass. I still have a way to go on oily fish, but I trust this restaurant to do fish properly. If I don't like something, it'll be because I genuinely don't like it, not that this has happened, rather than it being badly cooked. I was very ill off bad seafood at a London restaurant many years ago, so I won't eat it at a restaurant I don't trust.
After my two courses, I was stuffed, so had no room for a pudding. My guest couldn't go for their usual gluttonous option of the assiette (4 mini desserts, £2.50 supplement) so went for the orange and almond tart with amaretti ice-cream. I'm not a fan of amaretti, but could tell that the amaretto-laced ice-cream with crushed amaretti biscuits would be loved by those that did. The slice of tart was huge, had thin crisp pastry, and was remeniscent of a Bakewell tart, with the layer of almond sponge. It was topped with sliced oranges in syrup. It was moist, not too sweet or heavy. Again, it was delicious.
If you like straightfoward, delicious food, go to the Blue Strawberry. Simple.
The choice is pretty good- about 8 choices for each course. There are some staples (including my partner's beloved belly pork) that remain on the menu for months at a time, and daily specials including the fish of the day, the soup and the pie of the day.
On Thursday I took my guest there for lunch. I've had a greedy week- eating out 3 days on the trot! One glance at the menu, and I instantly knew what I'd have for starters- EGGS BENEDICT! My favourite! I was blinded my the site of my culinary love, and couldn't really care what else was on offer! When it arrived, it didn't disappoint. I'm an eggs benedict snob, and can spot a bad eggs benedict at 10 paces. This didn't disappoint. The egg was perfectly cooked- runny but thick. The muffin was toasted enough to me crisp and the ham was thick and tasty. The hollandaise was zingy and delicious. There was no attempt to fuss around with fancy presentation- another peeve of mine in when restaurants put garnishes on dishes that do not relate to the dish. It was the best eggs benedict I have eaten. My only gripe is that it is not offered as a main course!
My guest opted not to have a starter, the plan being that she must leave room for a dessert. She had the rump steak with tomato and onion relish and rocket salad. Luckily, she gave me a quarter of her steak, just to be doubly sure to leave room for pud! It was cooked medium, yet was still slightly bloody. It was delicious and tender; rump steak can withstand lenghthy cooking. I didn't much like the relish, but this was probably due to my slight aversion to sunblush tomatoes. The accompanying vegetables were jersey royal potatoes, mashed carrots, cabbage and broccoli, all perfectly cooked.
I had plaice fillets with caper and tomato vinaigrette. I was slightly concerned that the plaice would be overpowered by the capers, but this was not the case. The saltiness of the capers was a good contrast to the tender, mild fish. Delicious.
As a side note, I was once fairly conservative in my choice of fish, being suspicious of fish that was not prawns, cod, plaice or haddock. Since going to this restaurant I have beome a fish fan, eating shellfish, salmon, halibut, scallops, crab and sea bass. I still have a way to go on oily fish, but I trust this restaurant to do fish properly. If I don't like something, it'll be because I genuinely don't like it, not that this has happened, rather than it being badly cooked. I was very ill off bad seafood at a London restaurant many years ago, so I won't eat it at a restaurant I don't trust.
After my two courses, I was stuffed, so had no room for a pudding. My guest couldn't go for their usual gluttonous option of the assiette (4 mini desserts, £2.50 supplement) so went for the orange and almond tart with amaretti ice-cream. I'm not a fan of amaretti, but could tell that the amaretto-laced ice-cream with crushed amaretti biscuits would be loved by those that did. The slice of tart was huge, had thin crisp pastry, and was remeniscent of a Bakewell tart, with the layer of almond sponge. It was topped with sliced oranges in syrup. It was moist, not too sweet or heavy. Again, it was delicious.
If you like straightfoward, delicious food, go to the Blue Strawberry. Simple.
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