L'Enclume , Cartmel, Lake District, Cumbria 05.02.11
Having been invited to my aunts 50th birthday in Barrow in Furness I came across this restaurant on The Good Food Guide web site. As anyone who has been to Barrow will testify this town is rough. Think working mens clubs, shipyards, pie and peas and not much else and you will have an idea of this place.
So how to make this weekend better. L,Enclume featured on the programme The Trip with Steve Coogan and Rob Brydon and I had an idea that it was close to Barrow. A quick phone call and a 1.30 reservation for the 8 course tasting menu was booked in the medieval town of Cartmel. Only 22 miles from Barrow in Furness in distance. A million miles away in style.
L'Enclume is owned by chef Simon Rogan and has a Michelin Star and 5 AA Rosettes amongst dozens of awards for best chef etc etc etc. The restaurant is housed in an 800 year old blacksmiths shop. The decor in the restaurant is basic with whitewashed original stone Walls and the occasional painting and modern sculptures dotted around. The food definitely is the star here.
We were greeted by the French Maitre d and shown to our table in the conservatory which overlooks the restaurants garden. Our table was sat right in the middle of the room which made me feel a bit exposed. A quick word with the waiter and we were moved to a corner table in the main dining room with no fuss.
On to the food, amuse bouche was presented on a small piece of slate which was described as black pudding with caramelised leek in fried bread parcels. They looked fantastic but I couldn't taste anything but the black pudding and fried bread.
The courses then followed shortly after.
1. Carrot sacks with ham and juniper fried cake and cress.
Like the amuse bouche these looked amazing but these definately delivered on flavour, it was like eating a cloud of sweet carrots with salty pieces of ham. The sweet carrot disappeared in your mouth leaving the salty taste of the ham and juniper.
2. Fresh curds and oxtails, grilled lettuce and English mushrooms.
I probably am being biased about this course as I hate mushrooms but the oxtail and curds were perfect served in a consommé of mushroom essence. My wife loved it but the strong mushroom smell put me off.
3. Potted char, radish, fresh cream, dill and rye toast.
I was unsure what char was until this arrived, apparently it is a fresh water fish. This also looked beautiful and delivered in taste with the salty notes of the soft fish balanced perfectly with the cream and the crunch of the wafer thin toast. Perfect.
4. Roasted cauliflower with young squid and elderberry vinegar.
When I first tasted this dish I was amazed that a cauliflower could deliver this much flavour, the baby squid pieces were perfectly cooked and delivered on flavour. If I had a complaint about this course it would be that I felt the squid ink overpowered the delicate flavours of the other ingredients on the plate.
5. Halibut with razor clams, scorzonera and broccoli shoots.
Perfectly cooked fish and clams bound in a beautiful green sauce with exquisite presentation and worked really well with what I assume was the scorzonera. I wasn't sure what this was but it certainly tasted good with the fish and razors.
6. Regs duck and sweetbreads, mustard roots baked in salt, onion weed
This arrived and again looked like a work of art, being described by the waiter as been cooked in a water bath. To me this course never really delivered, my duck was very difficult to cut with pieces of sinue inside the meat. The vegetables and the light jus were wonderful but the star of the plate the duck didn't work for me.
7. Caramel mousse with honey wine, gingerbread caramel and yoghurt.
Served in a small pot this was probably one of the least glamorous looking of the courses but wow did it make up for that in flavour and texture. A sweet caramel mousse with little jewel like jelly pieces of the honey wine and the crunch of the gingerbread caramel. This was an absolutely genius concoction of flavours that worked and complimented each other perfectly together.
8. Poached and caramelised quince with buttermilk, damson and rosehips.
A picture on a plate arrived once again with delicate pieces of bright pink meringue resting on top of the quince with a delicate sauce with a sorbet and buttermilk custard, The last official dish of the menu all came together really well and again was perfectly balanced with sweet and savoury tastes with tiny licorice flavour herbs confusing your pallet once again.
Two and a half hours later and we had got through 9 courses when the waiter appeared with little parsnip and nutmeg flavoured milk shakes served with mini carrot cakes. Again confusing your mind as your drinking what is in effect a savoury drink which your mind thinks should be sweet.
The whole experience was superb, if I had a complaint it would be that near the end of the meal one of the waiters started to clean up and was rattling cutlery about preparing for evening service, i am being petty but in this standard of restaurant he good have waited until we were gone.
L'Enclume has been described as in the top 5 restaurants in Britain, the chef grows many of the products in his own small holding near by, he has a research kitchen down the road from the restaurant and has a bistro round the corner.
This was certainly gastronomy at a whole new level by a chef who is nothing short of a genius.
Rating out of 100
92/100
