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Having visited Paris several times over the years, I almost felt
like I was back in the capital of France when visiting Brasserie
Blanc in The Hub. The restaurant has a typically French feel,
from the décor to the waiting staff – everything says “French.”
After a hard week in the office, this would surely be the
perfect venue to dine and unwind on a Saturday night?
We
took our seats by the window towards the back of the restaurant
which meant our eye line was level with the pavement outside.
This took a little getting used to but it was not long before we
concentrated on the menus placed before us.
We
ordered a bottle of Domaine Begude VDP d’Oc Sauvignon Blanc
(£15) to help us get under way and this was a lovely, clean,
crisp wine that will accompany most dishes.
I
opted to start with the hot oak smoked Loch Duart Salmon,
vegetable piccalilli (£7.75). Before my food had arrived I
noticed the prices. Brasserie Blanc was previously incredible
value for money. Some of the prices have however, risen more
than 15% in less than a year which was slightly surprising.
My
salmon looked gorgeous on the plate but was unfortunately
slightly dry. The vegetable piccalilli was so tasty – excellent
in fact, that it was for me, the best part of the dish. This
still represented an above average starter but I turned to my
partner to find that she too was slightly disappointed with her
choice of Bleu des Causses cheese soufflé, pear and walnut
(£7.25). The soufflé was overcooked, almost crusty on top and
the pear was not ripe and so lacked in any real flavour. It’s
probably fair to say that had we been eating anywhere else, we
would have described the food as “ok” but we expected more from
this restaurant.
It
was now up to the corn fed chicken breast, spring vegetables,
risotto (£16.50) to try and make amends! This dish was
beautifully presented and whilst the chicken was cooked
perfectly, the risotto was a little watery. This is a must have
dish for the health conscious individuals and whilst I enjoyed
it; you could say it lacked a punch in terms of flavour.
In
contrast, my partner’s choice of slow cooked veal, castle
potatoes, went down a storm and this dish was oozing with mouth
watering flavours. The veal was delightful both in its taste and
tenderness and every bite had you itching for more. I know only
too well as I kept asking if I could try some more! Yes, I did
wish I had ordered this instead, especially as the accompanying
mushrooms were also full of amazing flavours. In short, this
dish had everything mine did not.
Poached pear and caramel sauce (£6.50) was next up for my now
happier partner. It just got better as this was an outstanding
dessert. The lovely soft pear with the slightest hint of ginger
and a lovely crunchy biscuit base offered not only a wonderful
combination of flavours but of textures too.
There was not a spare seat in the house and despite my slight
disappointment at my quality of food, it was actually difficult
not to have a good time and enjoy ourselves in stylish
surroundings. The level of service was particularly high and
everything was explained to us clearly and with detail.
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