Now we have completed our move to Surbiton (Long Ditton,
actually), it’s been suggested by a couple of readers that I should rename the
blog. So welcome to the first posting on Chompers of Surbiton!
Since restrictions on pubs and restaurants were lifted, we’ve
managed two lunches out, and discovered the pleasures of sitting in the
sunshine outside our local, the City Arms, watching the
wildlife in the marina – heron, great crested grebe, as well as more common
birds, and some huge fish.
Our first lunch was back to Hart’s Boatyard. They had arranged a one-way system, with hand
sanitizer at the door. Tables were well spaced out, and the upstairs area out
of action, so the number of people they could seat was much reduced. Most tables were occupied, but we had asked
for one overlooking the river, so we had a very nice view, though it was a
little darker downstairs than the at upstairs tables we’d had before.
Their menu was reduced, but still there was an interesting
range. We ordered tempura squid and crab
arancini to start, and a bottle of Sunlight Sauvignon Blanc. Thankfully, the
waitress pointed out to us that the Sunlight was low alcohol, so we went for
Tokumara New Zealand SB instead.
We seemed to wait quite a while for our food, and when it
came, they brought the main courses, rather than the starters. They took these
away, and the starters appeared soon after.
The squid was cooked nicely, but the batter was a little dull, with no
sign of the Szechuan peppercorns. But the chilli and red pepper in the arancini
made up for that with quite a good kick in a full flavoured ball.
We ordered a second bottle to go with the mains, which arrived
after a sufficient pause to make one think they had been re-cooked. B had more
crab in her linguine, with king prawns and chorizo. The chilli in this was
prominent too, though in identifiable pieces you could avoid if you wished. I
had chicken Milanese with fries with some nice garnish of parmesan, rocket,
pine nuts and aioli.
We passed on desserts, feeling full on our first meal out in
months. With service – friendly,
recovering well from the mistake – and the two bottles, this came to £108, good
value for some interesting food.
When restaurants were allowed to open on 6th July,
we tried to book for lunch at The
French Table – but the first day we could get was 22nd. That was just about a month after we moved in,
so it seemed a suitable date. Our previous
visit had been back in October when we had been very impressed, and we had
twice been thwarted – on my birthday when no trains were running, and on the
day we completed on the house, when lockdown started. We had bought a couple of
gift vouchers during lockdown to help with cashflow and hoping that they would
survive. So we were very much looking forward to it – and we were not
disappointed.
We arrived a fraction after our 1.30pm booking time to find
a waitress at the door expecting us. Stories about “no-shows” at restaurants
since they have re-opened are shocking, so perhaps they were concerned. Welcomed with hand sanitizer and a forehead
temperature check, we were then shown into the dining room. They had taken out
some tables, but it was still pretty full. We were shown to a lovely table at
the back, with the sunlight beaming in from the skylights.
We’d pretty much gone expecting to order the 5-course
tasting menu, and looking at it decided to stay with that decision. The lead
waitress described their special starter – raw salmon with kimchi – which sounded
great, but we still stuck to our guns.
As we ordered the lunch, we also had a kir each, lighter
than many, maybe with strawberries rather than framboise. We also opted out of
the wine pairing options, and instead chose the Viognier from Pays d’Oc, at £28.
They do have a good range of wines by
the glass or 500ml carafe.
Our waitress was struggling a bit with the new rules -
delivering cutlery in a basket rather than laying it out, not topping up our
wine - but they didn’t bother us. Home-made
bread included cheese, sun-dried tomato and olive.
First up was an extra amuse
bouche, strawberry gazpacho. With
half a strawberry floating in it, this was a delicious rich, peppery soup,
served in an attractively shaped little bowl. First designated course was
scallops with a chorizo crust. This comes served in a dish surrounded by
seaweed, which we are sternly warned not to eat – a bit pointless really. But
the chorizo gives a really lovely boost to the perfectly cooked scallops.
The second starter is a terrine of duck and ham hock. This
came with a sharp piccalilli and lovely walnut bread. Good but perhaps not that
unusual.
Fish course is hake, with tomatoes and a chilli pesto. The balance between the fish and the sauce is
excellent, the fish skin being really crispy. Obviously, in the tasting menu the portion of
fish is fairly small, but it’s plenty to get the flavour.
The meat course was guinea fowl – roast breast, and confit
leg in a raviole. The contrast between to the two parts of the bird is so
interesting. It comes served on a bed of
pearl barley risotto and wild mushrooms in madeira sauce, which is probably the
low point of the meal. Although the flavours are rich, the overall effect is
rather cloying and salty. Actually, the hake had been pretty salty too.
Finally dessert was chocolate “moelleux” with blackberries,
blackberry ice-cream and honeycomb crust (”Crunchie” without the chocolate).
The chocolate aroma hit you immediately, before you even touched it. On contact
with the spoon, it broke to reveal flowing molten chocolate. Blackberries
provided a tart contrast. Lovely.
The full restaurant has buzzed with the contented murmur of
comfortably fed diners. Admittedly it was generally a narrow demographic,
though the table next us was a family of five.
Background music included Miles Davis, but was very low and unobtrusive.
The various waitresses were all charming and friendly, only getting irritated
with a walk-in customer who wanted to book a table but didn’t know what day
for! M. Patron and M. Patronne were in
evidence, the latter chatting to us at the end – the restaurant had been pretty
full since re-opening and not suffered from “no-shows”.
Admittedly the bill at £159 (including a second bottle and
12.5% service) was not cheap. A place
for celebrations and special events rather than a weekly regime, but somewhere wonderful
to have within walking distance.
