u/TheYorkshireSaint

The second meal on my trip to Warwickshire l. The Cross at Kenilworth is owned by the same person who used to own Simpsons in Birmingham before it closed (in fact, Simpsons used to be in Kenilworth before they moved to Birmingham)

They have had a star for a number of years now, and it shows. Polished service, good food without anything blowing you away. The type of Michelin star restaurant you'd go to celebrate graduating or with family for a birthday I reckon

Tasting menu cost £125 per person, plus £15 for the cheese course

Snacks

Cheese croquettes with smoked mayonnaise and gooseberry puree

Warm and cheesy, nice subtle smoke on the mayo, sharp zing from the gooseberry

Bread

Sourdough with homemade salted butter

Fairly standard bread and butter, nice but nothing to write home about

Course 1

Tomato salad with pine nuts and goats cheese

Good quality tomatoes, added herb dressing and goats cheese. A lovely summer start to the meal

Course 2

Smoked salmon roulade, fromage blanc, fennel salad

Lightly smoked salmon, not too overpowering. Worked well with the crisp fennel, again quite subtle. Grapefruit cut through and the fromage blanc was nice to see being used

Course 3

Ham hock and chicken terrine, quail egg, mustard dressing, celeriac remoulade

Really well made terrine, great flavour from the ham hock. Dressing added bite, and remoulade texture and additional depth of flavour. Lovely dish, right up my street

Course 4

Stone bass, saffron orzo, lobster sauce

Bass cooked nicely, orzo worked well, as did the courgettes. Star is the lobster sauce, packed full of flavour. The stand out dish for me

Course 5

Duck, fondant potatoes, beetroot, cherry puree, duck and white pepper jus

Beautifully cooked duck breast, beetroot and cherry both worked well. The white pepper in the jus elevated it and left a nice lightly spiced finish

Course 6

Raspberry sorbet, raspberry sable, white chocolate cream, fresh raspberries

Almost Eton Mess like, with the cream, fruit and meringue elements. The sorbet was nice and sharp. A really tasty, summer dessert

A trip over to Warwickshire, started off with dinner at this restaurant. Michelin recommended, and ran by a former winner of MasterChef the Professionals.

Some lovely food, the lobster ravioli was one of the nicest dishes I've had this year.

Tasting menu cost £115 per person

Snacks

Beef tartare, red pepper ketchup, jalapeno mayonnaise

Nice crisp to the basket, good flavour in the tartare, nice hit of jalapeno heat

Pecorino sable, bomber cheese, balsamic gel, caramelised onion

Posh cheese and onion. Good deep cheese flavour and nice onion and balsamic as well

Course 1 and bread

Pecorino chawanmushi, pistachio tuille and lovage emulsion. Milk bun with dashi glaze and salted butter

Not that set a custard, but it worked. Lovely pecorino flavour, slight sweetness from the pistachio. Dashi glaze improved the bread, fairly standard milk bun otherwise

Course 2

Beetroot gazpacho, burratta, pine nuts and furikake

Sweet beetroot, well cooked pieces in the gazpacho. Burratta added a nice creamy hint, and furikake added a bit of difference

Course 3

Devon crab, isle of wight tomatoes, garden radish, tomato consomme, lemon verbena

Sweet crab, great flavour and texture. Tomatoes added a nice freshness, consomme was really well made and flavourful

Course 4

Lobster ravioli, XO sauce, compressed granny smith apple, samphire

Ravioli packed full of tender sweet lobster meat, XO sauce added a punch with a great smooth creaminess, apple cut through nicely. A really good dish

Course 5

Lamb chop, belly, boulangierre potato, pea puree, braised lettuce

A nice enough lamb chop, belly was better - tender and flavourful, pea puree added nice freshness, good potato. Always a fan of braised lettuce with peas, worked really well. A bit of a let down with the standard of the main piece of lamb.

Course 6

Cherry Bakewell Baked Alaska

Nothing subtle about this. Cherry, almond, sweet, cooking. Packs s punch and a hell of a way to end the meal.

Overall, a good experience and value for money. A few missteps, mainly with the main course, but good food overall.

The second restaurant on my recent trip to Birmingham. Recently awarded 1 Michelin Star, The Wilderness is tucked away from the main road, and has a dark, rock and roll vibe. The soundtrack (available on Spotify) includes bands such as Motley Crue, The Undertones, Ozzy etc.

The tasting menu cost is £140 plus £30 for the add on course

The snacks

Wonton with celeriac, celeriac emulsion

Rich, creamy filling, crispy case, balanced well with good Chinese style flavours

Croustade with trout roe, BBQ jersey royal, wasabi

Lighter, hints of smoked and spice

Course 1

Poached oyster, iberico, nashi pear, walnut buttermilk sauce, lovage granita

Lovely contrast, slightly poached oysters still plump and tasted like the sea, nashi pear added crisp sweetness, rich sauce, herbaceous granita. Lovely dish

Course 2

Cabbage and apple terrine, smoked eel, smoked eel sauce, black truffle

Well made terrine, without it being too much cabbage or too much apple. Eel added a nice smoke, and the sauce packed a punch. Truffle added extra luxuriousness

Course 3

Barbeque John Dory, Cornish mussels, salsify in a togarashi seasoning, orange gel, mussel and tarragon sauce

John Dory cooked really well, added sweetness from the orange, salsify carried the spice in the togarashi nicely, which left a lovely numbing tingly on the tongue. Sauce worked well, if a little lacking in flavour compared to the rest

Course 4 - Extra course

Barbeque scallop, iberico cheeky, tonks bean infused cherry, chicory jam, scallop and iberico cream sauce

Plump sweet scallop, nicely BBQd. Meaty soft and sweet iberico cheeky, good sauce, tart and sweet from the cherry and chicory jam. A lovely course

Course 5

Leg and breast of quail, apricots, apricots gel, vin jaune sauce, laminated roll, girolles

Nice quail, well cooked, went well with the apricot elements. The sauce was ok, but a bit lacking, the bread a tad dry and nothing special.

Course 6

Salted goats cheese ice cream,red shisho granita, strawberries, pink peppercorn meringue

Nice creamy smooth ice cream, hint of salt worked really well. Sweet strawberry and meringue, off seat with a hint of spice. A good transition between savoury and sweet courses

Course 7

Pistachio tart, brown butter case, furikake topping, rhubarb sorbet, rhubarb gastric

Subtle pistachio, brown butter added depth. Furikake stopped the whole dish from being too sweet, rhubarb added a nice sharpness. Well balanced and a very well made dessert

Petit Four

Blood orange pate de fruit with peppercorn sherbet

Nice blood orange flavour, good sharp sherbet with a hint of spice

Overall, a nice meal and well deserving of the star. I think there are a few places in Birmingham at this level, or really close to it, so it will be interesting to see if they are recognised more in the future.

A recent trip to Birmingham, hitting up this Michelin recommended restaurant first. Located in an old custard factory in Digbeth, it's a great little restaurant. The head chef has appeared on Great British Menu and used to work at The Man Behind the Curtain.

Signature Tasting menu is £135, optional extra £28 for caviar with the savoury custard course (I did not opt for this) and additional £20 for the cheese course

Snacks

Prawns with blackcurrant, blackcurrant gel, yuzu koji

Worked well, slight kick from the koji , good prawn flavour and nice fruit edge from the blackcurrant. A really small mouthful, but packed a punch

Cheese custard, spring onion chutney, garlic ketchup, crispy leeks

Full on cheese, nice sweetness and savoury from the onion elements

Curried trout tartare, wonton pastry case, coriander stem chutney, candied peanuts, curry leaf emulsion

Fairly tame, nice curry flavour, trout got a bit lost, had a good overall Asian flavour without being specific

White soy and Ponzu Jelly, Cornish tuna, wasabi cream

Full flavoured, tuna was nice and well seasoned. Wasabi cream added some heat. Not overly soy, despite it being in the jelly and the tuna

Japanese milk bun, brushed with local honey. Herb butter, bresaola

Well made bread, added sweetness and floral from the honey. Butter and bresaola were ok, not stand outs

Isle of Wight tomatoes three ways - dehydrated, fresh and in a Brummie Tabasco sauce, shiso oil

A lovely example of how nice tomatoes can taste, nice slight spice in the sauce. Well balanced dish

Pea and sorrel salad with gooseberries, torched Cornish mackerel, granny smith and butter milk sauce

Mackerel was allowed to shine, everything else complemented it nicely. Good sharp zing from the sauce and gooseberries

Savoury miso custard, pickled white strawberries, chicken and black truffle sauce

An intense flavour in the custard and sauce. Both really well made, you can tell why it's a signature dish. Strawberries cut through a bit, bit of a struggle against the richness and savouryness - not that it was a bad thing

BBQd Jersey royals, smoked eel butter sauce, crispy cabbage, wild garlic oil

All about the sauce. Potatoes were nice, but were a carrier for the sauce. Smoked eel heavy, with added wild garlic. Nice, but could have been better

Cod, cooked in beef fat, brown butter onions, fermented asparagus sauce, cut with seaweed sauce

Lovely cod, firmed up from the slight cure. Onions add sweetness. The sauce was rich, still had a white asparagus taste, with that lacto ferment tartness. Worked really well

2 month dry aged sirloin, bordelaise sauce, olive dressed salad, beef fat bao bun

Beautiful sirloin, tender and full flavoured. Lots of pickled elements in the bordelaise, with the salad and bao bun it was a nod towards the accompaniment of a burger. All worked well, and sirloin wasn't overshadowed.

Strawberries, rice ice-cream, strawberry sorbet, consomme, pink meringue

Nice and fruity, clean and fresh. Worked well after a few really rich dishes

A take on a fruit and nut bar. Chocolate ganache, PX soaked prunes, valrhona chocolate ice cream, chocolate tuile, caramelised nuts

Chocolate, chocolate and more chocolate. Decadent dessert, nicely linked to the nearby Cadbury factory

Cheese course - £20 extra - f****ig cake, pickled walnuts, Baron Bigod, black truffle, local honey

Sticky sweet cake, nicely pickled walnuts, Baron Bigod as good as ever, added flash and richness from the truffle and local honey. Lovely cheese course

Tiramisu Madeline, coffee creme diplomat

Well made light Madeline, slight coffee flavour in both parts, not too overwhelming. Lovely end to the meal

Overall, this was a great experience. Service was good, some really impressive dishes. I'd recommend it if you are in the area.

A trip up to Doncaster for work, meant a meal at this lovely restaurant as well. I first went last year, and thought it was ok but packed a bit of seasoning and refinement in the service.

Service had improved - despite it only being my second visit, and my first being a number of months ago, they remembered me and my preference for beer over wine. However, one of the waiters appeared a bit lost, and didn't know the answer to a few simple questions (what flavour is the macaron, what have they done with the tomatoes, for example)

Food wise, it has also improved. However, there is still a lack of seasoning in most dishes and some missteps

Snacks

Cured oyster, pickled cucumber salad, wasabi and cucumber sorbet

Firmer from the curing, clean fresh and full of the taste of the sea. Wasabi added a background heat, but a very fresh opener

Chicken liver parfait, crispy onions, onion jam, onion macaron

Rich parfait, nice onion flavour, really well made macaron

Course 1

Elderflower and blueberry cured salmon, dill aioli, blueberry buttermilk dressing, fresh blueberries

Nicely cured salmon, blueberries added an interesting counter point. Worked well, tad under seasoned to make it stand out. Sauces were ok but didn't add much

Course 2

Beef tartare, gherkin gel, bone marrow espuma, beef fat rosti

Tartare lacking a touch of salt to make it pop. Nice touch with the gherkin gel, added richness from the espuma and rosti. Overall worked as a dish but under seasoned

Course 3

White crab salad, fresh radish, apple and radish sorbet, brown crab hollandaise

Nailed the flavours on this. Nice crab salad, well balanced and dressed. Sorbet added freshness, bit of pepper from the radish, brown crab hollandaise added additional crab flavour. Best dish of the night

Course 4

Cured and torched mackerel, tomatillo salsa, Ponzu gel, Ponzu sauce

Really meaty mackerel, nice flavour and good cook. Tomatillo added a tartness and the Ponzu elements cut through nicely, another good dish

Course 5 - optional extra

Tuna gyoza, wakame salad, soy and onion caramel

Good flavour in the filling, slight spice and well rounded. Tuna flavour drowned out a bit. Salad added freshness and tartness, soy and onion caramel was nice and rich, with a salty element. Gyoza skin was a tad thick. It was ok, but I missed the tuna flavour

Course 6

Bbq iberico pork shoulder, carrot and pineapple kimchi, pineapple hot sauce, homemade bao buns

Lovely pork, kimchi worked well to cut across everything, the hot sauce was thick and added nice spice and sweetness. Well made bao buns added an interesting twist to the dish, but it felt a bit lacking

Course 7

Semi dried tomato, compressed watermelon, pickled watermelon rind, smoked feta

An interesting dish, and the more I think about it the more I don't think it all worked. The tomato didn't add much, and was drowned out by the smoked feta. The feta was lovely, and worked with the compressed watermelon, but the rind added too much salt. I get what they are trying with this, a mix of sweet and savoury, but didn't quite hit the mark

Course 8

Strawberry choux, olive cremeux, olive tuile, strawberry sorbet

Light crisp choux. Olive didn't come through heavily, strawberry sweetness - sorbet was very well made and great strawberry flavour. A bit of a let down, as it was all strawberry and the choux itself was lacking

It's still the best place in Doncaster, and only one doing fine dining. That being said, if you are in the area and looking for fine dining, it's probably worth the train or taxi to Sheffield

The second restaurant on my birthday trip to Nottingham. You can see why this place has two stars, service was impeccable and the food was top notch

Snacks

Sable tart, beer braised onion, set cheese custard, Tete de moine

This snack was served in the lounge (or garden) and was a great start to the meal. Tender pastry, lovely onion and cheese flavour, lingered for a while which worked well as the opening bite

Chawanmushi with a horseradish granita

Nice and fresh, herbaceous with a nice hit of heat from the horseradish

Lincolnshire poacher veloute

Rich, deep cheese flavour, super smooth

Pomme Dauphine with lovage

Soft and flavourful bite, a good one biter snack

Black treacle bun, sourdough, Lincolnshire poacher butter

Black treacle added a difference to the bun, stand out was the butter, had a nice cheese taste

Course 1

Smoked eel, pickled turnip, granny smith apple, chicken and Riesling sauce

This came shortly after the bread, rich smokey eel, cut through with the apple and slight pickles. An amazing chicken sauce that was rich and acidic enough to stand up throughout the dish. Extra sauce provided for dipping the bread. As the first proper course, it set a high bar.

Course 2

Orkney scallop, seared on one side, Sats funky tomato sauce, elderflower beurre blanc

A perfectly cooked scallop, that was allowed to shine. The sauce added some depth and richness, but didn't overshadow the scallop

Surprise course - Course 3

Pizza Bianco with pesto, served with a glass of Laurent Perrier

Not on the menu. One of the chefs takes you out into the greenhouse, where you are surrounded by the herbs they are growing. They proceed to make a pizza Bianco (one shared between two) with a pesto made from the herbs from the greenhouse. Served with a glass of Laurent Perrier champagne. A great touch and added difference, making great use of the gardens and pizza oven. and champagne in a greenhouse.

Course 4

Guinea fowl Chou farci, minestrone vegetables, chicken jus

A signature dish, one that was so comforting and homely yet elevated. Deep rich guinea fowl, light veg and a rich jus. Stunning deep flavours.

Course 5

Chalk stream trout, onion custard, shimeji butter sauce

Rich onion custard, short pastry, nice umami from the mushroom sauce. Trout cut through and added freshness, a nice almost palate cleanser from the rich Chou farci before.

Course 6

Turbot, chicory, taramasalata, Mushroom and champagne sauce

A dish that shows you don't need to muck around with good ingredients. Turbot was meaty and sweet, chicory added crisp bitterness, taramasalata added salt, sauce was rich and luxurious. So simple, yet perfect. A real stand out dish

Course 7

Duck breast, mojo Verde, duck sausage, duck offal skewer, compressed watermelon, kimchi

Good flavour from the duck, rich sauce, cut with the kimchi and watermelon. Offal skewer and sausage added a nice touch, a well rounded dish that all worked well.

Additional cheese course - Course 8

Truffled Baron Bigod on sourdough, with onion and capers

Three options for the cheese course - a selection of blue cheeses, blue cheese with a version of an Eccles cake, or this. I'd seen this on their Instagram, so had to go for it. They take a whole Baron Bigod wheel, slice it in half and layer truffles in the middle, put it back together and let it infuse. Served on toasted sourdough with a pickle onion and capers dish on the side. Decadent cheese on toast, the truffle added extra richness. Onions cut through nicely, a good cheese course

Course 9

Sweetcorn ice-cream, popped corn, miso caramel, passion fruit and olive oil

An ideal crossover from savoury to sweet. Miso caramel added salty sweetness, ice cream was lovely and passion fruit added a zing

Course 10

Chocolate tipped with a yoghurt Panna cotta, lime and cumin

Rich chocolate mousse, topped with a light fresh panna cotta, lime cut nicely. Another well balanced dish

Course 11

Strawberries, jasmine tea ice cream, meringue

Lovely fresh strawberries, that had been macerated, with a smooth ice cream and sweet meringue shards. Fresh, strawberries and cream so bang on season

Course 12

Junior Bains - honey and hay ice cream, topped with white chocolate, salt and woodruff

Named after their rabbit, and based around the flavours of what the rabbit would eat. Served in the kitchen, a one note ice cream coated in white chocolate, sprinkled with salt and woodruff. A nice end to the meal, sweet and creamy.

Overall, this was a hell of a meal and experience. Highly recommend, but only for special occasions due to the price

Menu was £259, plus £15 for the cheese course, per person.

A recent trip to Nottingham, headed to Alchemilla for the first night

What a stunning restaurant. They have a roof top garden for before dinner drinks, and inside was a really cool set up

Tasting menu was £150 plus £20 for the scallop course

Snacks

Cured oyster, buttermilk, dill oil, summer 22 relish

The curing had firmed up the oyster, had the texture of a cooked mussel. Nice hint of pickle from the relish and tartness from the buttermilk

Artichoke tart, barbequed shallots, brown butter hollandaise, crispy chicken skin

This was good. Super thin and crisp tart, caramelised shallots gave sweetness, hint of tart from the beer vinegar, ended with the rich hollandaise

Savoury stroopwafel, filled with mushroom caramel, aged comte and bacon jam

Super savoury, with a nice sweetness still. Comte came through at the end.

Smoked scallop soup with lovage oil

Rich and smoky, with a nice hint of scallop sweetness. Lovage was a bit lost

Baked celeriac, sourdough crumbs, whey sauce, gastric

Well cooked celeriac, tender and slightly smokey. Tart and sweet from the sauces. Worked really well

Bread course

7 day Sourdough bread, salted cultured butter, marmite butter

A cracker of a sourdough, cultured butter was a bit meh, marmite butter - I could eat a gallon of it on hot crumpets

Tomato mousse, topped with salt and olive oil

A nice palate cleanser, good tomato flavour

Prawn, green strawberry, lime, sun dried tomatoes

Prawn carried the flavours well, the strawberry and lime added tart and sweetness, a real summer dish. Tomatoes added some nice texture and a bit of richness

Sweetcorn chawanmushi made with a dashi from the corn cobs, topped with a prawn head dashi

Well made chawanmushi, good texture and depth of flavour. Corn kernels added texture, nice spice from the prawn dashi

Scallop with fennel and caviar, nadhi pear and nasturtium oil

A good scallop dish, all elements complemented the scallop flavour without overwhelming it. Pear added a nice crisp sweetness, and fennel was subtle

Lobster claw, lobster boudin, pumpkin tuile, green curry sauce, pumpkin puree

Lobster was perfect, great flavour, boudin worked really well, nice spice. Good puree and tulle, sauce was well rounded

Dry aged bream, pickled wakami relish, bordelaise sauce with beef fat croutons, gooseberry foam

Bream was nice, good crispy skin. Relish added some piquancy, bordelaise was rich and deep, a great addition. Gooseberry foam added some extra fruity tartness

Hogget saddle, fillet and belly topped with cucumber relish, kohlrabi, salad with mint, Hogget sauce, garlic sauce, peri peri sauce

What a dish. Hogget was perfect, each piece cooked exactly rich and rich in flavour. The sides and sauces all added hints of spice, garlic, mint and freshness, along with a beautiful deep rich lamb sauce.

Caramelised chocolate, koji vinegar, mushroom caramel

Sweet and slightly tart, a nice gateway into the dessert courses

Cultured cream ice cream, caramelised sunflower seeds, grapefruit caramel

Nice clean fresh ice cream, slightly tart, added sweetness from the seeds, grapefruit was missing a bit

Pineapple - barbequed and fresh, miso ice cream, sweet toast, coffee sauce

Full on pineapple, great with the ice cream. Coffee worked surprisingly well with the fruit

Chamomile oat cake, rhubarb jam

Light with a nice tea flavour, oat added some texture to the cake

Chocolate tea cake, oat biscuit, banana marshmallow (no photo)

Rich chocolate and sweet banana. What's not to like!

Some great dishes, good value and relaxed atmosphere. Would recommend

A recent trip to Frog by Adam Handling.

Tasting menu will set you back £199 plus £40 for the lobster and £15 for the cheese course

The snacks - all served together

Tomato and peach tea

Light and fresh, good tomato and peach flavours that worked well

Not an oyster

An oyster shell cracker, with oyster leaf. Eating an oyster shell was an experience, good oyster flavour without any oyster

Smoked eel donut with finger lime

Deep smokey flavour, pings of freshness from the finger lime

Lamb tartare

Full of lamb flavour, with cumin adding depth

Crab cigarette with green chilli dipping sauce

Lovely crab flavour, packed a lot in for not much filling in the cigarette. Dipping sauce added some nice spice

Bread course

Parker house roll, chicken butter with chicken liver parfait, Cornish salted butter

Good bread, but the standout is the chicken butter. Depth of flavour with the added treat of a parfait in the middle.

Scallop tartare with sorrel sorbet, kohlrabi, buttermilk and curry leaf oil sauce

Slightly sweet scallop, herbaceous sorrel, citrus tartness, creaminess from the butter milk, which added more tartness, rounded out by the curry leaf oil. Lovely dish, nothing dominated any of the other flavours

Lobster in wagyu fat sauce with caviar

Perfectly cooked lobster, with an added richness from the wagyu fat. Slightly spicy sauce, caviar added a nice seasoning and was fairly subtle

Sweetbread, goose liver dumpling, pickled pea, parsnip sauce

Described as a dumpling, but more like a ravioli. Very, very rich. Pickled pea cut through, sauce was luscious

Red mullet, nduja, fennel and green pepper grabiche, lobster bisque foam, saffron emulsion

A modern day version of a bouillabaisse. Subtle aniseed throughout, perfectly cooked fish, great depth of flavour in the foam. Top tier cooking

Lamb and black pudding, summer salad, turnip puree, lamb jus with capers

Stunning lamb, tender yet still had a bite, great flavour. Black pudding was smooth and rich, lamb jus worked well with the capers. Puree didn't add much

The cheese course

Apricot Bakewell, cheese, truffle honey

Soft and delicate Bakewell, worked really well with the melted cheese. Slightly tart cheese, truffle honey added stickiness and sweetness

Desserts

Strawberry sorbet, pandan rice pudding,

Bags of strawberry, very creamy rice pudding with pieces of popping candy as a surprise

Pineapple mousse, strawberry cheesecake and strawberry sauce

Nice flavours but technically not quite there. Such a large piece of biscuit in the middle, that was difficult to break down. Flavours worked but the base made it difficult

The final sweets - all served together

Scone with raspberry jam and woodruff Chantilly cream

Nice scone, tart jam and rich sweet cream

Yuzu meringue tart

A nice "lemon" meringue tart, well made and good flavour

Raspberry and yuzu tea

Crisp and tart, refreshing. Served Ice cold and nice to have at the end of the meal

Champagne chocolate

Really well made champagne chocolate, from their own chocolate shop

Cardiff's only Michelin starred restaurant, had to be on the list for when I visited.

Tasting menu will set you back £135 per person

In summary, there was some great cooking on exhibition here, and a great showcase of Welsh produce. I'd recommend it if you are in the area.

1. Broth from cultured seaweed, bone marrow

Bags of flavour, slightly tart and salty, beefy as well. Got the taste buds going well

2. Buckwheat tart, cured sea bass, turnip cream, pickled turnip, sorrel

Light and fresh, lovely acid hit, tart was crisp and added texture

3. Lobster, chamomile emulsion, trout roe

Good lobster flavour, roe added some saltiness, packed a nice seafood punch with added citrus from the chamomile

4. Potato and garlic bread, local butter with local herbs

A nice bread course, butter well made and flavourful

5. Cured scallop, smoked cream, marigold and fig leaf

Light and fresh, good sweetness from the scallops and fig leaf, slight acidic notes as well

7. Kohlrabi, spruce, laverbread, lovage and pickled green strawberry

Kohlrabi was nice, well cooked and a good canvas for the other flavours. Pickled strawberries added a zip, sauce was deep and flavourful

8. Turbot, white asparagus, elderflower and oregano sauce

Lovely piece of steamed turbot, asparagus added a nice green veg flavour, oregano in the sauce really worked well

9. Pan fried wild sea bass, preserved mushroom sauce, oyster leaf and onion cream

Meaty sea bass, rich sauce with added sweetness from the onion cream

10. New season lamb, asparagus, herbs and mint hollandaise

Had to be lamb at a Welsh restaurant. Tender flavourful lamb, lovely asparagus, rich deep lamb jus, minted hollandaise added a nice element, akin to lamb and mint sauce

11. Salted buttermilk ice cream, egg yolk jam, strawberry and rosehip jam, burnt bay leaf cream

Tart and salty ice cream, sticky sweet fruity jams, bay leaf cream added a lovely savoury edge

12. Oat custard, apple caramel, raspberry jam

A reimagining of a traditional Welsh dessert. Smooth creamy set custard, with a hint of oats, raspberry added sharpness and apple caramel added fruit and slightly bitter sweetness

13. Pear and earl grey jelly. Almond cakes with Welsh honey, and Barra brith sugar for dipping

Sweet, slightly tart jelly, good pear flavour. Almond cakes were stunning, nice sweetness from the honey, Barra brith sugar added crunch and dried fruit flavours

A trip to Cardiff, so popped down to Penarth to dine here.

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James Sommerlin was on the Great British Menu in 2009, and his daughter was on in 2020. All bar one of the staff was related, and having to ring a doorbell to be let in made it feel like you really were dining at someone's home.

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Nothing groundbreaking in terms of flavours or techniques, but everything worked well.

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8 courses for £145 per person

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1. Lime, cucumber, chilli

Light, zingy and fresh, with a hint of chilli. A nice palate cleanser

2. Snacks

Warm smoked cheese gougere

Pastry parcel with taramasalata and caviar

A version of a Takoyaki, filled with smoked bacon and guinea fowl mousse, black garlic and tarragon

Croustade of beetroot with tarragon emulsion, goats cheese

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The first two snacks were lovely, the cheese and the taramasalata were allowed to shine, without anything overtaking them

The takoyaki was good, subtle flavour. Slight sweetness cut through the rich mousse

The croustade was ok. Tarragon worked well, goats cheese added some saltiness

3. Double dragon beer bread with cultured seaweed butter

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For a fairly standard bread, this packed a punch. Great crisp crust, nice malty flavour. The seaweed butter was nice and salty.

4. Isle of Wight tomato tart filler with cheese custard, semi dried tomatoes, tomatoes dressed in tomato Ponzu and finished with a basil and aged PX vinegar dressing

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Super short pastry, rich cheese custard, nicely complementing the tomatoes without overshadowing them. Basil and PX vinegar cut through all of the dish nicely

5. Smoked pork chawanmushi, smoked pork consume, smoked pork butter, seasonal veg, some of which were pickled

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A subtle smokey taste, compared to the smell from this. Beautifully balanced, some pickled veg to cut through. Very impressive cooking

6. Sea bream tartar, curry leaf emulsion, lemongrass sauce

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Great depth of flavour in the sauce, added fragrance from coriander and rocket. Sea bream carried the flavours well

7. GBM 09. Liquid pea ravioli, crispy serano, crispy sage and parmesan emulsion

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Amazing dish. Perfect pasta, great pea flavour in the ravioli filling, sage and serano added texture and depth of flavour, emulsion added an extra creaminess and savoury edge.

8. Sea bass and mussels, globe artichoke, curry sauce and lem****ongrass

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The fish cooked perfectly, and went well with the lemongrass and curry sauces. Mussels added a depth, and Glo e artichoke went well

9. Local corn fed chicken breast, truffle mousse, asparagus, mushroom puree, black garlic with a vin jaune sauce

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Lightly poached chicken, great flavour in the mousse and the asparagus. Sauce velvety smooth and nice flavour

9b. Crispy fried thigh, red pepper, black garlic and courgette

Served just after the chicken main, meant to showcase using all of the chicken. Batter was great, moist tender chicken. Sauces added a nice hit of flavour without being overwhelming

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10. Cherries - fresh, macerated, chocolate aero, almond delice, cherry snow

Inspired by Georgina Sommerin's GBM dessert. Light and fresh, great cherry flavour, backed up by the almond and chocolate

11. Cinnamon roll with Madagascar vanilla custard

Intentionally served without any cutlery (apart from a fork to dish out), as who eats a cinnamon roll with a knife and fork! Soft sweet bread, great crispy top fresh out of the oven. Lovely sugary cinnamon flavour, with a solid custard for dipping.

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Having been a fan of Michael Caines for some time, it was good to see him open a restaurant in London, which made it easier for me to be able to visit.

Awarded 1 star by Michelin earlier this year, after opening late last year, the restaurant at The Stafford had all the opulence you'd expect from a 5 star hotel. Service was top notch, friendly yet remaining professional

Snacks

Chicken liver parfait with blood orange

Light parfait, nice bitterness from the blood orange

Truffle gougere

Super rich and creamy filling, lovely cheese and truffle flavour. Light crisp gougere

Parker house roll with caramelised onion, Lincolnshire poacher and thyme.

A nice bread, recommended to keep some for the sauces to come.

Scallop ceviche

Light and fresh, nice sharp clean flavours. Scallop wasn't lost, caviar added a nice pop of salt

Duck

Nice terrine, with good duck flavour. Pickled apple needed to cut through, and worked well together as a dish

Turbot

Perfectly cooked turbot, contrast on texture with the mousse was great. Deep flavour in the mousse, both mushroom and scallop.

The sauce was deep in flavour, well balanced and went well with the fish (and the bread)

Pigeon

Confit leg was good, nicely cooked and had a good flavour. The breast was tender and subtly flavoured, and went well with the sauce and puree.

Stand out was the fillet, tender and flavourful

Lamb

Beautifully cooked best end, great herb flavour in the coating and the accompanying puree. Belly added richness, as did the Boulanger potatoes. A lovely showcase of lamb

Strawberry - Strawberry mousse, strawberry jelly, strawberry sorbet, vanilla foam.

Lovely balance, sweet and fruity, with nice vanilla. Herbaceous notes from the lemon balm

Confit orange

Rich chocolate spiked with orange. Confit orange sorbet added sharpness. A lovely end to the meal

Petit fours - Chocolate and hazelnut financier with salted caramel, Coconut marshmallow

Both well made and flavoured well

Fairly expensive for one star, at £185 without drinks, service or additions, but a lovely experience and great cooking