Chapter One
Not that we need an excuse to go out and eat, but there was cause for celebration in our household and we had a spare Saturday. A guilty pleasure for me is a long lazy lunch, and in the immediate area there is one go-to restaurant, Chapter One in Farnborough Common.
The venue is divided into a fine dining restaurant, a cocktail bar and a brasserie. The food can be described as modern European, but has its roots in British cooking. The brasserie menu has the comfort food you would expect - cottage pie, steaks and burgers. The main restaurant has two menus - a set three course that is very reasonably priced, and an a la carte menu. We will be back for the evening tasting menu!
We started with cocktails in the bar, a smoky Negroni and a Black Russian before moving in to the main restaurant, and the usual game of food envy began.
Both starters brought a taste of spring, accompanied by a flinty dry glass of Chilean Sauvignon Blanc.
Winner of the starter went to the fresh shaved and blanched asparagus with a poached duck egg, dressed in a zingy citrus and caper dressing. The yolk oozed out and added another dimension to the dish. The micro herbs and salad leaves adding a pleasant bitter edge.
A close second in the starters was the spring pea veloute and poached hen's egg. The poached egg was served in a deep bowl, and the rich bright green soup poured table side from a copper pan. When the egg split open and the yolk ran out it mixed with the soup adding a creamy depth.
The a la carte menu has seven main dishes, two fish, four meat and a vegetarian option. The choice was difficult, but being meat eaters two dishes stood out, the pork and the lamb. We paired these dishes with a Californian Big Top Zinfandel - a big wine.
Roast saddle of lamb, lamb sausage roll, potato fondant, spinach and lamb jus.
To be honest this dish was chosen for the sausage roll! The saddle of lamb was cooked pink, and sat on a bed of wilted spinach. The fondant potato was soft, and served with a quenelle of mint sauce, perfect with the minced lamb sausage roll. The crisp pastry providing another carb hit on the plate, along with the pureed root vegetable - butternut squash?
Winner of this round, however, was the Josper grilled Iberico pork shoulder, braised pork cheek, roasted carrot, Roscoff Onion and pork jus.
The Josper grill allows a chef to cook at very high temperatures - 300 - 350C, grilling meat to give a smoky crisp exterior, but allowing the inside to be a perfect rare. Ideal for pork shoulder. Some may not like their pork this rare, but the meat was so tender, and the flavour really came through.
Hidden under this piece of meat was a slow braised pork cheek that fell apart when cut. A roasted sweet carrot and sweet onion was off set by a smooth earthy puree and rich pork jus.
Simply perfect meat cookery.
Sometimes dessert is an optional course for us, especially on seeing the cheese menu. Chapter One has an impressive list of 10 cheeses, and I would recommend saving room and indulging. This time, however, we couldn't resist a little something sweet to finish.
New to the menu is a chocolate malakoff. A rich chocolate mousse on a crisp praline base with a pistachio crumb and intense coffee mousse piped on top. Served with a pistachio ice cream.
The coffee was almost too over powering, but the taste remaining in the mouth was that of a Ferrero Rocher, smooth chocolate and praline. Unfortunately the pistachio ice cream was a little lost in the mix.
I can't resist a classic Lemon Tart with lemon sorbet. To me it is the sweet bite that rounds off a meal, but also acts as a palate cleanser if done correctly.
Chapter One's lemon tart is perfectly executed. Served warm, the creamy filling had the perfect wobble, a bruled top gave a little crunch. The lemon sorbet a tart foil to the sweetness of the tart.
Service was the right side of friendly and attentive, without being over powering. The restaurant manager remembered us from a visit before Christmas, even remembering the table we were sat on. We had one last glass of wine in the bar, and chatted with him about the impressive wine list. They have invested in a Coravin wine system, so hopefully the list of wines by the glass will grow. I'll definitely report back after our next visit!
