Visa, AccessChef of the Year Juliet PestonAny regular reader of food guides or cookery pages will have heard of Alastair Little, handsome young(ish) turk of Modern British Cooking. For fish- lovers, a warm salad of sauteed herring roe, or pasta with scallops in a cream sauce, or a fish stew. Cooking is sure and clean with a healthily sybaritic edge to it.
The wine list, which is compiled by Ms Roger’s husband, Christopher Warren, is a beaut. His selection of 40 bottles puts to shame the efforts of many a big league proprietor. Here one finds the butteriest of Australian chardonnays for pounds 14.95, or Guigal’s 1990 Rhone for pounds 16.50. This particular Guigal is so good, it is now a rare find in France.
Cheaper at pounds 12.95 is a particularly good Rhone-clone, Cotes d’Oakley from California. There is an ‘85 Rioja, some really peachy burgundies, very interesting bottles from South Africa and Italy Open dinner Thur-Sat, lunch Sun. The chef, Larkin Rogers, looks hard for the best local, often organic, ingredients, then writes menus of exceptional balance: the offerings one Sunday lunch might include, for vegetarians, a roast tomato soup followed by sage spatzle (dumplings) with sauteed mushrooms and Jarlsberg For meat-eaters, there might be braised oxtail. By way of poultry, duck rillettes served with cornichons, sloe chutney and potato bread, or, as a main course, roast chicken breasts. Yet the greeting, the food, the low-key simplicity of the place is more than a bit special. Restaurant of the Year Martha’s Vineyard
Martha’s Vineyard, 18 High Street, Nayland, Suffolk (01206-262888) has problems. The location is in a blink-and-miss-it village just outside Colchester.
The name, which refers to a Californian wine, is too much an inside joke of one of its oenophile proprietors. There is no need for additional jam, just a deep bank of thick, rich, vanilla custard.Stollen comes as the greatest surprise – the marzipan version that is. I was quite bowled over by the result of frying it in butter on all sides until toasted – the marzipan layer turned into warm, soft almond fudge – far preferable to eating it raw. Serve this piping hot out of the frying pan with ice-cream melting over it.No doubt, come next December, I will once again be feeling sym pathetic towards Darlene And no doubt looking forward to that first mouthful of cake Or is it the leftovers?. Lebkuchen can also replace sponge biscuits for an excellent tiramisu As can Christmas cake for that matter. In both cases use some rum or brandy blended with a fruit syrup instead of coffee.
