Several things can occur when out for a meal. One of these is that the food you order is made from poor ingredients and cooked badly, another could be that the dish is too complex and cooked terribly. My favourite meals out are those where excellent ingredients are cooked to perfection in a simple way and The Royal Oak at Ecchinswell does exactly this.
The menu looked very promising, choosing what to have was the only issue. I decided to forgo a starter and save room for pudding for a very good reason; the head chef here had, at one time, been the second best pastry chef in France. I’m not sure anyone would ignore the pudding menu knowing that.
I always feel uncomfortable taking a picture in a restaurant but I’ve not been to somewhere laid out quite like this. They had several smaller rooms, each with only five or six tables in, rather than one huge room. It had a more homely feel and was lovely as we felt like the only people in the whole place despite it being extremely busy.
When I order lamb cutlets with dauphenoise and green beans that is exactly what I expect to get and I prepare myself for what I imagine will turn up in front of me. I was delivered exactly what I had ordered, with no extra frills or fuss, just beautiful ingredients treated with respect. The juicy lamb was pink inside with a wonderful smoky flavour from the griddle, the dauphenoise tasted incredible with a beautiful soft texture and the beans still had a little crunch and sweetness. The jus was rich, dark and unctuous and they weren’t shy with it either. You can get some strange looks extracting a magnifying glass and trying to locate a few dribbles of jus strewn around the plate. It would have been improved if the smoked bacon (around the beans) had crispy rather than gelatinous fat but I ate it anyway.
There was also a venison burger on the table and although I didn’t get to try any, I did manage to pinch an onion ring. I’m not sure there are the words to describe this onion ring. It was immense. Soft, sweet, juicy onion and hot, salty, crispy batter. Absolutely the epitome of onion rings.
Don’t you just love it when you get a great meal like that?!
That’s a fantastic meal! The lamb cutlets look perfect!
I have become shameless about taking photographs in restaurants now (I never use a flash though so I just look like a freak). I think looking back on your meals through these posts and photos brings the whole experience back. Would love to hop the pond and visit this restaurant with you….after sampling your Sloe Gin!
I am lucky enough to have The Royal Oak as my local.
My family and I popped in there today after a long walk.
We had the 2-course roast lunch. I can highly recommend Sunday lunch – it’s good value and the meat (beef and partridge) was delicious!
We love living in this village, and the pub is just the icing on the cake 🙂
What a fabulous meal! I would have chosen the tarte tatin, too…mmmmmm. You’ve reminded me I must bake one while the apples are in peak season~ I hope the next time you visit, they’ve added chutney to their cheese board and you get every drop of wine…it sounds quite reasonable to me 🙂
This sounds like a great place to eat, I’ll have to look it up next time I visit my brother. And if you haven’t yet, you should give The Wellington at Baughurst a try – for my money it’s one of the best dining pubs in the country.
Interesting what you say about feeling uncomfortable taking photos. I’m usually alright, even in Michelin places like Texture, but at our recent meal at Schloss Berg in Germany the setting and fellow diners were so damn posh I felt very self-conscious… at least until the second bottle of wine! ; )
wow..utterly delicious..love your recipe collection..;)
Tasty Appetite
sound like a great place to dine in! 🙂
This sounds like such a wonderful meal – one that I know I would definitely love! Simple and elegant, it’s all we really need, right?