Lunch at The Waterside Inn (Menu Exceptionnel, Winter 2012)

This afternoon, I headed to The Waterside Inn for a good old spot of classic French cooking. There were a few dishes on the current winter menu that looked really enticing and I couldn't wait to try them!

I was quite late due to delayed trains, but a quick call to the restaurant, explaining the situation whilst on my way, assured me that nothing was too much trouble for them. The welcome was as warm as ever - not a single hint of annoyance from the staff. Diego was all smiles as usual and assured me that I could take as much time as I wanted over lunch, and joked that I could even stay for dinner (I wish I had enough stomach space and money to do so!). Today was somewhat quiet (perhaps not surprising for a midweek afternoon) and service seemed particularly personal and attentive; for example, someone must have noticed me putting my camera on the ground beside me (as I always do), and for the first time a little stool on which I could place it was brought to my table. Also, I was asked if I would like lemon or lime to freshen up my tap water. Meticulous touches such as these made for a really elegant and inviting atmosphere, and I was enjoying every bit of this calm and beautiful day by the river.

The usual array of canapés was brought out while I was perusing the menu and Diego came to take my orders a while later. I asked to substitute two dishes from the tasting menu as I didn't want any meat today, and he promptly suggested two items from the à la carte menu that I had been eyeing - this man seems to be able to read minds! I already knew that this was going to be another great meal.

At my usual spot

Canapés: rabbit rillette on toast with gherkin and hazelnut, Welsh rarebit, prawn with soy sauce and cheese sticks.

Nothing really new here, but I particularly enjoyed the rabbit rillette and the prawns. The rabbit rillette had a really rich and creamy texture and deep flavour, enhanced by a nice crunch and characteristic flavour of hazelnut, and balanced by the gherkin strip. The prawn, coated in a light batter, remained firm and juicy on the inside, and its fresh taste was given further depth by the intense umami of the soy sauce. The only catch in all of this was finding a small piece of bone in one of the rillettes; a kitchen of this rank should have been more careful, but minor mistakes do happen anyway, and knowing its usual standards I wasn't going to kick up a fuss.

First course: warm oysters with shredded cucumber rind covered in a parmesan and hollandaise melt (similar to gratin), lobster mousse wrapped in spinach leaves and topped with 'Royal Belgian' oscietra caviar, champagne sauce, black (Périgord) truffle shavings, shallot confit (in the middle).

This dish was my first substitution in the tasting menu. Apart from the intoxicating truffle aroma, what really struck me was the portion size - almost too good to be true. Just to be sure I wouldn't be paying the exhorbitant à la carte price for modifying the menu, I checked with my server, who clarified that this was indeed a full portion, but that the kitchen had decided to go ahead with it anyway, as it would look odd to make a reduced portion due to the design of the plate for serving this particular dish. Such generosity especially with regards to luxury ingredients such as truffles and caviar, and what a fabulous start to the meal!

The freshness of the oysters was perfectly matched by the crunchy and juicy shredded cucumber, and the truffles and cheese draped over them imparted an incomparable richness in texture and depth of flavour that was totally appropriate for the distinctive taste of this shellfish. For the other half of the dish, a creamy and intense lobster mousse was well balanced by tender poached spinach, and given a delicate salty zing from goblets of caviar in each mouthful. A rich champagne sauce unified the two parts of this dish with formidable aplomb. The little mound of shallot confit was no less excellent; like the icing on a cake it continued to enhance the dish with its characteristically deep flavour and aroma, even as it served mainly to balance all this indulgence with a mild acidity. This was definitely the best starting dish I've ever had in this restaurant, and when I thanked Diego for this wonderful dish and for the kitchen's generosity, he replied ever so charmingly, 'our pleasure, as long as you like it!' - yes, I was certainly a very happy customer!

Second course: warm escalope of foie gras with cardamom, glazed root vegetables, verjus and sultanas sauce.

A classic French delicacy matched appropriately with heavier accompaniments for the wintry climate, this was another winner. The sweet and spicy taste of cardamom perfumed this dish very subtly and had a most delightful warming effect. The incredibly large and juicy sultanas, together with a thick and mildly acidic verjus sauce, were a nice complement to the creamy foie gras, pan-seared to give a thin charred and crisp layer that accentuated its deep musky flavour. The assortment of root vegetables with celeriac purée gave the dish further weight.

Course 3: pan-fried lobster medallion with a white port sauce and ginger-flavoured vegetable julienne.

This was the other highlight of today's lunch, and a Waterside Inn signature dish since the days of Michel Roux Snr. The freshness of the lobster was beyond doubt, and it had a wonderfully firm and juicy texture with a delicate sweet taste. What really struck me though was how Chinese (Cantonese) this dish tasted; the savoury sauce felt almost soy-based and the shredded vegetables with ginger are common accompaniments to steamed/stir-fried Cantonese fish/seafood dishes. And of course, the coriander garnish. Diego let me in on the origins of this dish when I told him what I thought about it, and my gut feeling was right: this dish had actually been born in Hong Kong during Michel Snr's regular visits to now-defunct Pierrot restaurant at the Mandarin Oriental Hotel. Inspired by the indigenous style of cooking, he somewhat replicated the savouriness of soy sauce using a rich veal stock (a very French thing, I should add) and also thought of pan-frying the lobster briefly over high heat to seal in natural juices (similar to the Chinese wok-frying technique). A perfect marriage of two rich culinary cultures - one could say 'fusion food' at its best and most original, from a time way before the term had even been coined.

Fourth course: turbot roasted on the bone, served with soft tarbais beans and lardons, black trumpet mushrooms and a full-flavoured Hermitage wine sauce.

This was my second replacement in the tasting menu because I didn't feel like having meat, and to my utter surprise this was another full portion! Whether this was due to sheer generosity or a genuine oversight on the kitchen's part I'll never know, but I certainly wasn't complaining. At this point, Alain Roux was making his rounds within the restaurant and greeting customers, and when he got to my table I showed him the dish and commented on the portion sizes today. He looked a little surprised himself and replied, 'yes, it's a little generous but you know, that runs in the family. Make sure you leave some space for dessert!' - most brilliant response ever.

This was a most substantial dish, and I'm not referring to its size. The huge chunk of turbot had a most meaty and succulent texture, and being roasted on the bone also gave it an exceptional flavour, supported and enhanced by the mushrooms and rich wine sauce. One wouldn't usually expect a red wine sauce to go with fish, but the sheer weight of this dish made the pairing completely appropriate. To finish, a mixture of beans and lardons with bean purée added even more substance and flavour, while gherkin strips on the side lightened the stomach a little with their acidity. Needless to say, by the end of this course I was quite stuffed.

Pre-dessert: lime sorbet with tequila and raspberry mousse.

After the sheer extravagance of the preceding courses, this was indeed a welcome relief. The acidity and bitterness of this morsel was most refreshing and helped to set up the palate for the following desserts. The sorbet had a really lovely smooth texture.

Fifth course: teardrop of milk chocolate mousse flavoured with caramel, with a mango and passion fruit filling.

This was beautifully presented with a topping of passion fruit coulis, mango and brownie cubes, and tasted every bit as good as it looked; the chocolate-caramel combination, as rich as it sounds, was effectively balanced by a light and somewhat acidic core of mango and passion fruit cream, so that the dessert never felt too sweet and cloying on the whole. Very solid and enjoyable.

Sixth course: warm (mandarin) orange soufflé with cranberries.

This was the perfect end to any traditional French meal. It was hardly my first soufflé in this restaurant, but I think this was the most enjoyable thus far - the tanginess of the orange custard mix combined with a mildly astringent filling of cranberry compote and fresh juicy orange segments made for the lightest soufflé I've ever had, its wonderfully delicate texture notwithstanding. I was actually rather surprised that I could still finish everything and savour every mouthful. A simply divine experience.

I had asked to visit the kitchen for the first time while making the reservation, and shortly after tea and mignardises were served my waiter came to take me there. It was a pity though that by that time most of the kitchen team were out on their break - Alain included, with whom I was hoping to get a photo in the heart of the action - but I still managed to catch a glimpse of preparations for the dinner service.

There was no way I could eat those little pastries after all that food; I had to ask for a takeaway. As for tea, I requested the usual Chinese green tea, and was informed that they had just changed suppliers so they now serve Mao Jian instead of gunpowder - very pleasant mellow and sweet flavour, perfect for finishing a heavy meal.

Meticulously polishing the silverware.

This area with the roasted meats smelled amazing!

I can only imagine how good this stock must taste!

Bread chef at work since 5 am! I was told that he is the
first person to come into the kitchen every day as he
needs to prepare breakfast for the inhouse guests.

Cheese refrigerator

Meals at The Waterside Inn just seem to get better and better for me; this time two of six courses within my amended tasting menu were full portions, which was extremely generous of the kitchen and really gave me the best value for money amongst all my visits so far. I had been hoping for a lighter meal with mostly fish and seafood dishes, but still left the restaurant stuffed beyond the limits of my imagination - almost too much of a good thing methinks! A final point regarding the service - a lovely reception staff member ran out to me just before I boarded the cab back to the train station, to pass me the petit fours I had asked to take away but forgotten in my state of satiation. Plain incredible service from start to finish. Looking forward to my next visit for the summer menu already!