REVIEW : THE SUFFOLK KITCHEN - CHELTENHAM

Seasonal food at The Suffolk Kitchen……Ali Nightingale finds the restaurant has all the right ingredients.

It takes a bold and confident caterer, one who knows his onions, to open a new restaurant in a town that is brimming with eateries of all descriptions, but Cheltenham is lucky to have Simon Davies raising his head above the economic parapet, for he is a man with his finger on the pulse of ethical food trends.

Whilst many restaurants pay lip service to seasonal and local produce, it is the central ethos behind his recently opened Suffolk Kitchen, at the heart of every dish.  This is not just a fashionable food philosophy; any chef worth their salt knows that the best tastes are coaxed from food without air miles, fresh from the local terrain.  The Suffolk Kitchen also source meat reared within shouting distance of the Cotswold Hills, which benefits the local economy.  

I was impressed by the ‘Brit Crop’ sensibility of the menu, but there was also a definite hint of European flair added to the indigenous ingredients.  Starters included a soufflé made with Hereford Hop Cheese, and Ox Cheek with an oyster reduction and radish salad (Beef and Oyster is such an Olde English combination, yet this assembly of ingredients was modern to the max).  The clever balance of traditional and contemporary British cooking is what makes the Suffolk Kitchen a stand-out establishment for me.

Mr. N got his selection spot on, homing in on the Pigeon Breast and wild garlic blini, served with red wine jus.  I cheekily pilfered half of his portion; one bite was just not enough.  The pigeon was moist, delicately gamey, with the almost liver like texture that a good chef can achieve when the cooking is timed perfectly.  The blini pancake was light as a cloud, with a gentle hint of wild garlic.  I asked Simon where they sourced the herb – I can never find it - and was informed that it was foraged that morning from a local green space.  Now that is proactive regional sourcing at its best.  I chose a simple seasonal cauliflower soup, which was given another textural dimension with the addition of Simon Weaver (Artisan Cheese-maker) Blue Brie profiteroles.

The Chef’s signature pork tenderloin did not disappoint; I have never eaten such a tender hog.  This was served with a black pudding mash, but the star of the show was (as always) on my husband’s plate.  His fillet steak was perfect, but the accompanying little choux puffs stuffed with Hereford snails were memorable and exquisite.

Puddings were a delight, and I was not surprised to find out that chef Gareth Blackmore was a pastry specialist.  Top marks for the homemade white chocolate ice-cream.

We loved the ambience of the restaurant; a smart yet homely space.  Service was attentive and helpful, linens are crisp and white, the wine list is superb value (I applaud SK selling English wines from the local Three Choirs vineyard) and the set menu available at lunchtime and early doors is easy on the pocket at £14.95 for 3 courses, including a glass of wine.

Verdict: A relaxed atmosphere and affordable, exciting menu is a winning combination.  A cut-above the usual Bistro experience.  The fresh and local produce in the hands of a skilled chef delivers on flavour, concept and style.  Highly recommended.

From the Archives: Restaurant review - Lu Disiu, Castelvetrano, Sicily

This was on our list of "to do" restaurants as recommended by the wise and helpful TA (Trip Advisor) forum member, vagabonda, and I am so glad we found it. The food is really lovely, the service gracious, the restaurant itself is very charming. It was the best restaurant we visited in Sicily by a mile. If you are visiting Western Sicily, please take my advice and eat there. You will eat one of the most delicious Italian meals of your life.

Tucked away In a side street adjascent to a church on a tiny piazza (we would never have found it if I hadn't been given directions) you are welcomed into a intimate space painted in a sunny yellow. Rather smarter than some of the seafood restarants we ate at, it definately has a town rather than a beach vibe, but not so formal that you would ever feel uncomfortable. On the contrary we received the warmest welcome from a very handsome and charming young man, and the service was great.

Between us - his basic English and our phrase book Italian - we decided on a meal of meat rather than fish (we were totally fished out by this point !)

In the traditional Italian way we ate antipasti - divine marinated, baked and pickled vegetables, parma ham wrapped around a smoky mozzarella, a delightful stuffed mushroom and a little baked radicchio stuffed with rice. Then tagliatelli with the addition of almost meaty porcini mushrooms (my husband thinks it was the best pasta he has ever had !) and then a meat course of two baby lamb cutlets, served alongside layers of ham stuffed with cheese and walnuts, crumbed and baked alongside onion and pepper. It was just the most delicous meal. Seemingly simple, but really complex and extraordinary subtle flavours than made our taste buds burst. I love the way Sicilians use fennel - just barely there but it transforms some of their food.

Finished our meal off with a semi frozen lemon mousse, on the lightest flan, which was topped with a heavenly lemon granita. That pudding is one of the most memorable I have ever eaten.

We eschewed our normal Planeta (delicious Sicilian wine from the region) and drank a simple vino di tavoleh which was 10 Euros and nicer than many of the "smarter" wines we had been buying on our trip.

I can't recommend this little restaurant highly enough - a real taste of Sicily, a warm welcome from our hosts (the lovely chef kept popping out of the kitchen, delighted to see how much we were enjoying his food).

87 Euros for 2 inc tax and wine. We pay 3 times that in some of the UK's smart restaurants which are often style over substance. This was stylish, more than satisfying, yet still remarkably traditional.

Ristorante superbo !

Lu Disiu
Via XXIV Maggio, 14
91022 Castelvetrano (TP)

From the Archives: Restaurant review - Da Vittorio, Portopalo de Menfi, Sicily

We weren't so wowed by Da Vittorio at Portopalo de Menfi, which had rave comments on the internet and was decribed by the Guardian's food critic as his favourite place to eat in the world. I know food and hospitality is a very subjective experience, but everything I had read about this restaurant led me to expect the Wow factor - and sadly we felt Da Vittorio was a little lacklustre.
The portions were generous, and we had initially ordered an attractive platter of seafood antipasti and the waiter accepted our order, but just before we were served, a woman who I presumed to be the Manageress, came to us and explained (without a smile) that we HAD to have three courses and the antipasti was simply the first course.
Now I know that it's the traditional way to eat in Sicily, but sometime you simply aren't that hungry and to be almost bullied into ordering courses you didn't want seemed so unecessary.
However we did enjoy the second course regardless. It was good seafood, a lovely spaghetti dish with lobster, clams, prawn and mussels, but we felt almost press-ganged into ordering a huge meal that neither of us really wanted. We just weren't hungry enough to enjoy it.
Other people seemed to come in and have just one course, but maybe our wallets were glowing, and we felt like we were treated like tourists.
I certainly didn't experience this in other local restaurants. Overall the atmosphere left us a bit cold and they weren't as welcoming as other places we visited. I'd rather have saved the 90 Euros (antipasti, shared pasta and sorbeta with 2 beers) and blown it at the fabulous Lu Disiu in Castelvetrano.
For a restaurant with such a stellar reputation, the seafood was good but not incredible. I've had better in Australia, in Africa, in Spain. Disappointing when you consider than Sicily is synonomous with seafood.
A far better seafood experience was the clam and mussel soup flavoured with fennel that we had at the family diner, Pierrot's in Marinella de Selinunte. That cost about 5 Euros !
We did however see the famed bare chested Vittorio, but he wasn't cooking that lunch time, choosing to lounge on a chair outside the kitchen door instead !
So overall verdict - pretty good, but not as good as the rave reviews indicate.