Review: Roast, Borough Market

Touch the roast side

Roast in Borough Market had been on the “to eat at” list for several years, but one thing or the other had made it unfeasible.  My first thought when we entered the hall was relief.  We were finally going to have some respite from the madness of Borough Market.  I had been in a surly mood as we meandered through the tourists. I almost expected to look over at the river and spy a cruise ship forcing its way up the Thames.  Lawrence Keogh’s Roast was the lunchtime sanctuary we required. 

We got off to a rocky start when we were shown to our seats and we requested a view overlooking the market by the window instead.  The Maître d’ seemed unable to comprehend and I pointed to the four vacant tables.  She explained that those tables were reserved for groups of four.  I pointed out there was a table laid for two. Her reply was that it was reserved for “guests”.  Incredulous and slightly appalled we took our seats, resolving to not let the first impressions destroy the rest of the meal.

It is undeniable that the elegant Roast dining hall is impressive with its high ceilings, oversized windows, white washed walls and classic auburn wood tones.  Never mind the views across bustling Borough Market.  As it was a glorious day, sunlight bounced off the opaque walls adding to the conservatory feel of the room.

The service at the beginning of the meal was very attentive, perhaps a little over done. Our cocktails were slow to arrive and yet our waiter approached us several times to ask us if we were ready to order.  This was despite us stating we were waiting for our aperitifs. The service throughout the meal never really synched with our leisurely lunch tempo, except at the end when it dropped off altogether.

For starters, I chose the game and juniper scotch eggs (£8.00) and Keith picked the Dorset Crab with Berkswell Cheese (£14.00).  My egg had a thick, coarse meaty layer followed by a golden crisp outer shell. They were tremendously good.  The accompanying chutney was too Branston pickle and sweet. I ended up leaving most of it.  

Keith’s Dorset crab had a creamy texture. The natural sweetness of the crab was still very much present.  It was well seasoned and the cheese accompanied the crab rather than overwhelmed it.

For the main I chose the slow-braised pig’s cheeks with parsnip mash and butcher’s sauce (£19.50) and Keith selected the buttermilk fried rabbit with Worcestershire apple salad and devilled sauce (£22.00). My pig’s cheeks were tender and soft.  They were a joy to eat and the serving was a decent portion.  The sauce was average, nothing to speak about at length.  Unfortunately, the parsnip puree was impressive visually, but that’s where it ended. It was quite dense and textureless.  I opted instead to eat our side orders; grilled field mushrooms with garlic butter (£5.50) and Roast potatoes in Britannia beef dripping (£4.50).  We sent both back to the kitchen.  First the mushroom were stone cold. When they came back piping hot with the garlic butter they were amazing. The roast potatoes were both uncooked and solid.  Immensely disappointing and I’m very unforgiving when it comes to wronged potatoes of any cooked variety. When they returned from what we assumed was the abyss of a deep fat fryer, they were super. Crisp.  Golden.   Fluffy.  Everything you expect in a roast potato.

 Keith’s rabbit deserves a drum roll, because it has been a long time since I have walked away from a meal thinking, “I can’t get you out of my mind”. The rabbit was succulent and had a full flavour. The buttermilk batter was light and crispy.  Plus there was plenty of it, but I still strangely sensed some resistance from Keith to share (ignore our vows why don’t you Keith).

The generous portions for mains (and none of the tasters we had in Borough Market) meant that we were bursting at the seams by the end of the meal.  For the sake of the blog we forced ourselves to eat a rather delicious Apple, blackberry and almond crumble with a dollop of ice cream.  We enjoyed the sharpness of the stewed autumnal fruit, coupled with the buttery, crunchy almond topping.  Lovely.

Roast was good but not without its fault.  The meal cost circa £120 and that was with a Top Table deal (£40 voucher which we paid £20 for), so yes it is quite expensive.  The service was patchier than a quilt cover. By the end of the meal I had imagined that our waiter had been sucked into Borough Market through a kitchen vent and ingested by the tourists. He was nowhere to be seen. Our advice; rock up with a tupper ware, put a foreign accent on and ask for two helpings of the rabbit.  The temporary embarrassment will be worth it. 

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Review: The Stables at The Grove

Who's Gonna Ride Your Wild Horses?

Today Keith, Linds and I participated in the Ricky Road Run which is a nine mile race through the suburb of Rickmansworth.  It is the hilliest run in the UK, no, the planet.  Pain is now my companion.  My cheeks (not the ones on my face) are burning and my right hamstring is wound up tighter than Mike Tyson.  We ran this race three years ago, and like child birth, we had completely blocked the pain one endures on this course.  However, something must have registered up there (points to noggin) on the difficulty factor as we booked lunch at the gastro pub The Stables at The Grove as our reward.  The Grove is a five star luxury manor set in the idyllic Hertfordshire countryside.  It is also the accommodation venue of choice for the England Squad and Take That, if any of those float your boat.

The serene setting of The Stables makes it a perfect place for a mellow Sunday lunch, especially maybe for a family celebration.  The wrought iron finishes against the milky white back drop and vases of colourful violet flowers exude casual country.  We had dined here after Ricky three years ago and there was no erosion in standards at all.  We lacked imagination and all ordered the parsnip soup for starters and the roast beef with all the trimmings (roast potatoes, parsnips, carrots, long stem broccoli, gravy and Yorkshire pudding).  I was concerned that the parsnip soup might be too sweet, but it was delicious and seasoned to perfection.  It was creamy, frothy and thick.  I loved that was served piping hot.  I even spotted Keith mopping up the bowl with bread after he had finished.  He hardly ever does that (that’s my job). 

The Roast hit the spot too.  Like many girls, I am fiercely opposed to visible fat on my meat and requested that my beef was lean and medium. Both requests were followed through.  The cut was tender, juicy and that beautiful pink colour that you expect beef to be. Lovely!  My only minor criticism was that the yorkshire pudding was a bit overdone and dry, but a dab of the gravy and mustard sorted it out. I was designated driver, but Keith and Linds polished of a Calbuco Chilean Cabernet Sauvignon / Merlot (2009), which was complimentary to the red meat we were feasting on.

We should have stopped there, but our dessert stomachs were requiring attention.  Keith opted for creamy lemon curd with ginger cookies.   Linds chose, what turned out to be the largest blueberry crème brulee in the world, served with biscotti.  I picked the apple crumble topped with hazelnuts and custard.  All were divine. I’ll be having fantasies about mine for a while.

Head Chef, Chris Mouyassia really has a winning formula.  His aim is to use seasonal vegetables and create comfort food.  The Stables is a high end gastro pub, so you can expect a meal here to blow the cobwebs off your wallet. The above cost us just over £45 a head including a tip (and coffees).  However, the food was top quality, service attentive and the leafy well maintained grounds of The Grove are just spectacular for that post-lunch roll, I mean walk.

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An Alternative Sunday Roast, Duck a l'Orange

Duck be a lady tonight

The traditional roast dinner is an old English favourite meal.  We love our chicken, roast tatties, peas, carrots, Yorkshire pudding and gravy.  However, there is no reason why this iconic meal can’t be shaken up now and again.  A brilliant way of doing this is to swap out the usual chicken and enter stage right Duck a l’orange.  Duck a l’orange was more popular than leg warmers in the 1980s.  Find your quality duck and you will have a feast where your guest are eating out of you hand.    

Ingredients

• 1 whole duck
• 2 small onions, quartered
• 3 oranges
• 4 cloves of garlic, halved
• 3 tbsp sugar
• 2 tsp cumin powder
• 1 oz butter
• 200 ml of chicken stock
• 2 tbsp sherry vinegar
• Salt and pepper
• Sprigs of thyme

For the Roasting of the Duck

1. Preheat the oven to Gas Mark 5/190C/375F
2. Place onions into the cavity of the duck.
3. Cut one of the oranges into quarters and place three of them into the cavity of the duck with a couple of sprigs of thyme.
4. Stab the top side and the legs of the duck with a sharp knife and insert the garlic into the holes.
5. Using a sharp knife, separate the top skin of the duck from the flesh to form a pocket that is accessible from the cavity end.
6. Cut the last quarter of the orange into four slices and place two slices on each side with a sprig of thyme.
7. Spread the cumin over the top of the duck and sprinkle salt evenly
8. Place the duck into a roasting tin and cook for 1 hour per kilo plus 15 minutes
9. Whilst the duck is cooking, mix 1 tbsp of the sherry vinegar with the juice of an orange and one tbsp of sugar. Simmer until the solution reduces slightly.
10. After the duck has been cooking of an hour, baste the duck with the juices from the bottom of the roasting tin. Pour evenly over the orange, sugar and vinegar mix then return to the oven for the remainder of the cooking time.

For the Orange gravy

1. Melt the butter with the remainder of the sugar and the juice of the last orange in a pan over a medium heat.
2. Pour in the chicken stock, add the rest of the vinegar and simmer for 2 minutes.
3. Season to taste.

Serve the carved duck with your favourite roast tatties, seasonal vegetables and generous dousing of range gravy. A luscious red wine that melds wells with the tanginess of the orange and juicy depth of the duck is a pinot noir.  We recommend Marks and Spencer’s Clocktower Pinot Noir. Drink up and “duck” in!