Lunch at Le Manoir Tuesday 18th January 2011

11th Jan 2011

I say it often because I think people want to hear that working in a restaurant isn’t just about long hours, no social life and low pay, but on this occasion, there really were some “perks to the job”, with an invite to lunch at Le Manoir aux Quat Saisons courtesy of Villeroy & Boch’s Keith Porter and Nick Green found itself upon us.

Lunch on Tuesday was to start at 12pm with champagne and canapés, sit down at 1pm. Not a bad way to spend lunch. This is my second visit to one of the most luxurious restaurants in England. Not quite per se in this current climate as no expense is spared with attention paid to every small detail, starting with a weighted silver key ring to symbolise our coats were in the very best of care.

One of the many reasons I enjoy eating here is that my dietary requirements are effortless. Well, I am made to feel like it is, although I am sure some eye rolling went on in the kitchen, but Gary (Gary Jones Executive chef) had remembered them from last time, or had well documented them.

Some gluten and wheat free canapés promptly arrived on a slate and was a really treat including smoked salmon with caviar and parsnip crisps. Lunch was lovely display of care and attention to detail with its roots in classic French cooking, a trait that Gary upholds in every dish that is presented. Highlights for me were our first course of scallops with curry oil and cauliflower puree and the pear almondine with ginger cream. The only disspointment for me was the wine matching. We started with Trimbach’s Riesling 2008. Trimbach is a great Austrian wine producer, and this is a lovely wine but served far too cold to gage any real fruit character with the scallop, and by the time it had lost its bracing chill, it was far too light to be appreciated with my intense Cep risotto. The red wine, served just before the Hare dish, was a Bourgogne, an interesting choice to choose Pinot Noir with a very well hung dish with some strong robust flavours. The intense sweetness of the rhubarb didn’t work for me, but Steve suggested that it was a classic accompaniment to balance the gamey character of the hare. But this wine was too dry and too light to really do any justice to the dish. Use of oak aging was apparent in this wine and I enjoyed its character and its savoury notes that were able to be expressed in a young wine with the subtle use of oak, however, it didn’t enhance the nature of the food, nor did the dish add any further expression to the wine, except diminish the drying tannins.

The dessert wine was certainly more welcomed and although I wasn’t familiar with the producer, I am a great fan of Monbazillac and was fairly sure what to expect. And I wasn’t disappointed. A rich intense gold colour and the hint of luxiousness already indicated by the legs on the glass. Concentrated pineapple, caramlised orange and some lemon curd citrus made this a moreish wine. Its level of acidity was balanced and allowed for a soft finish. Both the desserts needed this considered approach as were both light in final flavour but didn’t lack impact.

We had to leave before we could enjoy petit fours, but meeting with Gary afterwards, it was clear he is still very proud to be part of this institution of fine dining. Gary and Steve go back a long way to Clivdeon some 12 years ago and it was lovely to hear them talk about their times together, for me, in another life.

Le Manoir is an experience and one that I would recommend to anyone that enjoys traditional service, classic food and phenomenal settings. And I feel very fortunate to be guests of Villeroy and Boch, as I am sure it would have been some years off before I could have been able to treat myself to a visit there.