Emma Jayne

We headed out to La Trompette this week as a celebration for Jack's new job. La Trompette is a modern British Michelin star restaurant in Chiswick highstreet and is sister restaurant to the well known Glasshouse and Chez Bruce.

Our booking on a Thursday evening 7pm came round and we headed out to chiswick the restaurant has a smart facade with outdoor seating and heaters and a bright light interior. We were shown to our table and presented with the menus. La Trompette has the option of a 6 course tasting menu or a 2 / 3 course a la carte menu. We opted for the tasting menu as we believe this is the option for the restaurant to show off their best dishes. We also opted to have the wine paring. 


Canapés: Venison salami with truffle and a black olive crumb


This had a super gamey flavour a slight hint of the truffle and was overall a very tasty canapé. Looking back however it was a heavy flavour to start the menu with when the majority of the courses were fish based and very light with their flavours. 


Venison salami with truffle and a black olive crumb Canapé 

Course 1: Cured gilt head bream, green mandarin, celtuce, ginger and wasabi
Wine 1: La Hacienda de Dona Francisca, Callejuela, Sanlucar de Barrameda, Spain 2017

The fish in this course was lovely, it was super fresh and you could taste the quality of the ingredients here. It was fresh and creamy with a citrus undertone. There was a mild chilli that gave the plate a slight bite, we couldn’t taste the wasabi but overall the elements went together nicely and the plate tasted lovely.  The dish was presented nicely with a range of colours making it look appetising. The wine pairing, although we felt the measures were small it was a nice sweet refreshing wine that complimented the dish although it wasn’t a stand out glass of wine. 


Cured gilt head bream, green mandarin, celtuce, ginger and wasabi

Course 2: Paignton cock crab, pumpkin, chilli and ginger

Wine 2: Riesling, Pino Gris, Sylvaner ‘Pret-a-Blanc’ Schmoizer & Brown, Whitlands, Australia 2019


This dish was light, not overly fishy as you can have with crab, the pumpkin was really nice and gave the meal a really nice autumnal feel and flavour although this did leave a lingering aftertaste. The little squares of ginger were a nice refreshing burst of flavour however I personally didn't think the chilli came through with any taste - although this addition could have been what gave the meal it’s balance. It was saucy and the foam on top gave it a stark appearance, although not the prettiest dish. The wine pairing was nice, a little sharp without food but with it did cut through the sweetness of the meal with its buttery taste.  


Paignton cock crab, pumpkin, chilli and ginger

Course 3: Italian white sweet potato agnolotti and autumn truffle butter

Wine 3: Gentil du Clos du Capucins, Domaine Weinbach, Kayserberg, Alsace, France 2018


This plate was the highlight of the meal. It was probably one of the best and tastiest pasta meals I have ever had (and I eat a lot of pasta). The texture was unlike anything I’ve had before and it just melted in your mouth to this sweet subtle nutty truffle buttery flavour that lingered just the right amount. The mushroom sauce was light and not overpowering of the other flavours on the dish it was creamy and balanced in every sense of the word the only thing wrong with this dish was that there wasn’t enough of it! The wine pairing with this plate wasn’t anything special, it was another buttery white wine but the meal outshone the wine by a mile. 


Italian white sweet potato agnolotti and autumn truffle butter

Course 4: Option of: Barbecued short rib, potato galette and field mushroom
Wine: Barbaresco, Produttori del Barbaresco, Piedmonte, Italy 2016

I had this main option and it was easily the best of the 2 options. The meat was super tender and fell apart, the potato galette was super crispy which gave each bite a lovely crunchy texture. The barbecue flavour was strong throughout the short rib leaving no guessing that this is the flavour of the meal. Overall a well thought out dish with obviously quality ingredients giving a lovely tasting plate. The wine pairing was again nice, a light red wine that wasn’t overpowering or super heavy for the plate paired with, I personally would have preferred something slightly heavier with this meal.   



Barbecued short rib, potato galette and field mushroom
Course 4: Option of: Grilled Turbot, coco beans, Torbay shrimps and seaweed butter

Wine: Meursault ‘Vielle Vignes’, Maison Buisson Battault, Burgandy, France 2017


Jack had this option on the tasting menu, and although he enjoyed it, it did not match the tastiness of the rib. Overall the fish was interesting and the beans weren’t the most exciting element of the dish. The wine pairing was more of the same of what we have already had during the evening with an easy drinking buttery white being served. Overall this plate was disappointing and there was a lot of food envy towards the rib dish. 


Grilled Turbot, coco beans, Torbay shrimps and seaweed butter
Course 5: Lemon curd, passionfruit and clementine

This pre desert in my opinion was a little sharp and tart with very little sweetness coming through. It was hard to tell if this was aiming toward being a sorbet type palette cleanser, but it left a tart lingering aftertaste. 


Lemon curd, passionfruit and clementine

Course 6: Bramley apple crumble Soufflé, buttermilk ice cream

Wine 5: Edes Harmas, Attila Homonna, Tokaji, Hungary, 2017


This was an impressive dish with the Soufflé being served with the buttermilk ice cream being forced into the centre of the Soufflé at the table. It looked very appetising and the bramley apple flavour came through very strongly towards the bottom of the Soufflé however the rest of the desert tasted very eggy. I know Soufflés are made predominantly from eggs so it could be that this is the normal flavour for this dish I was just expecting something different. The Tokaji served was delicious as is standard from this dessert wine - it’s been our favourite for a while now it was possibly a little too sweet for the Soufflé though. 


Bramley apple crumble Soufflé, buttermilk ice cream

Overall we were actually a little disappointed in the food having been to both Chez Bruce and The Glasshouse where we had exceptional experiences at la Trompette it felt that the service was rushed from both the waiters and the sommelier and although there were some standout plates the overall flow and combination of the menu didn't quite work. There were a lot of fish on the menu making a number of the plates not particularly stand out from each other as they had similar tasting notes. It would have also been nice to have had the option for some different wines rather than the range of whites served with the fish courses. Although we had a lovely evening out of the 3 sister restaurants we would opt to venture back to the Glasshouse or Chez Bruce over La Trompette. 


Have you ever been to La Trompette? Let me know your favourite London restaurants as we are always looking for new places to try. We would love to hear some of your recommendations. 

 

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Until next time

 

Emma Jayne Eats

A couple of weeks ago I was lucky enough to be treated to a date night with Jack to Berners Tavern. We had meant to go a few months ago, but when our reservation came round I'd had an allergic reaction and was feeling very sorry for myself and was struggling to eat. So we re-booked and went on a Saturday night.



For those who have not heard of Berners Tavern it is a stunning restaurant attached to the London Edition Hotel in Soho and is Led by Michelin-starred chef Jason Atherton. It has become one of London’s most sought-after restaurant reservations, famous for a space that marries historical charm with modern sophistication, it offers all-day dining with a menu of seasonal, contemporary British cuisine - also known as a bloody nice place.


We had a 5pm reservation (as we are really oldies at heart and don’t like being out too late) and had booked through Opentable we had a confirmation call a few days before our booking which made a nice touch. When we arrived I was blown away by the impressiveness of the restaurant, there were these incredibly detailed and intricate high ceilings, with the walls covered in paintings and art work it was really a sight to behold and so much to look at. 


We were taken to our seats, our coats were taken and menus brought over. We were then brought the Champaign trolley (I need one of these in every restaurant I go to!) and were offered a ranges of glasses of bubbly. We had a glass each of a very delicious Brut while we perused the menu. We both ordered some cocktails, I had the Rum crumble which comprised of rum, apple sherbet, biscuit foam, gingerbread bitter, rum and apple sherbet mixed with spiced biscuit foam. This has got to have been the best tasting cocktail I have ever had it also looked impressive. Jack went for the loggers camp, which comprised of whiskey, blueberry shrub, grape must verjuice, cranberry, bacon flavours and berries, and again this was so delicious. 


Onto our meals, for starters I had the Pork Pie, which came out as a whole log where the waiter cut off a slice and then dressed it with an assortment of pickles and condiments to make it possibly the best dressed pork pie I have ever seen. Jack chose the beef tartar and they were both delicious, and came out in a good amount of time. The pork pie was so tasty with such a good quality pork used and a lovely pasty (there was not a soggy bottom in sight). Jacks Beef Tartar was a lovely rich, rare beef complemented by hazelnuts and horseradish. Once we had finished the table was cleared promptly. 




For mains Jack chose the Mac and Cheese with the Beef Blade. This came out looking huge, there was so much tender beef and the mac and cheese used big pasta with such a creamy cheese sauce! It was comfort food heaven! I went for the Highland Partridge which was so beautifully presented. The meat was so flavourful and the bacon ragout made such a difference to the meal. It was super tasty and we cleared our plates in no time. I always think the mains is a good place to discuss the service. The service we received was top notch every waiter was so nice, polite and attentive, all smart and uniformed, but also not rushing us or being too present it was the perfect balance. 



Finally onto desert we decided to share and have the chocolate and hazelnut flaming Alaska which was more than just a desert. This was a show in itself. The waiter came out with all the ingredients, Poured the flaming alcohol onto the Alaska before pouring on the crumble and custard. Now this was incredible. I have always been a dessert person, but this was another level. It was like every little aspect added to the overall experience with the crumble being a particular favourite of mine. We managed to polish the dessert off pretty quickly. With dessert we ordered the recommended desert wine each and these were very nice, not too sweet and perfectly complimented the desert a great recommendation.



Now onto the final aspect of our experience, the bill. This is an expensive place to eat and we were aware of this before booking so it wasn’t a shock when the bill came. of course a few pounds cheaper and it would have been a whole lot more enjoyable, but this is the kind of restaurant that unless you are some kind of millionaire a visit is likely to be a planned occasion so you will be aware of the price range. You are also paying for so much more than just the food and for the whole experience the price was worth it. Despite that though the whole evening was very delightful and I would highly recommend a visit to Berners tavern to anyone and we would love another visit sometime in the future. 



Have you ever been to Berners Tavern? Let me know your favourite London restaurants as we are always looking for new places to try. And would love to hear some of your recommendations. 

Make sure you are following this blog for a new post every day during November at 10am, you can follow by subscription or follow me on bloglovin. You can also keep up to date with what I’m up to over on my twitter and Instagram profiles, or if you fancy come and chat over on my Facebook page. 

Until next time

Emma Jayne

xxx


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So this review is one that I have been meaning to do for ages and it's actually from my favourite restaurant - Sticks 'n' Sushi. I have now been to the Covent Garden site, Canary Wharf, and most recently, and the time this review is based on, in Wimbledon. Jack and I went to celebrate my new job starting and we had a lovely evening out. We booked a fairly early dinner at 5.30 and after having a few drinks elsewhere in Wimbledon we headed in and were greeted and lead to our table by the lovely man on the host desk. 


As the sun finally starts coming out and we start seeing warmer days (this week its been hitting 29 degrees!) it’s time to get yourselves to the pub or out in the garden with a drink in hand enjoying those rays of vitamin D. If you know me you know that I’m not a particularly big drinker as in I don’t enjoy going out and getting smashed every weekend and I certainly don’t enjoy the hangover that come with that. So you could say I’m much more of a light casual drinker having a drink every now and then, and with that I therefore like to enjoy my drink a lot more.

Usually in the summer my go to alcoholic drinks are either Malibu or Cider as they have a very distinct taste that I love. This year however I had tasted a sample of a different brand rhubarb gin and couldn't get the delicious taste of it out of my head. As I couldn’t remember the name of that brand I scoured the internet and started to sew photos of the Warner Edwards Rhubarb Gin online. This then led me to ask for it at every occasion in bars (not very many stock it), then realising I love the the taste, and that it's not stocked in many supermarkets. I however planned to buy it online until I saw it in Waitrose this week and stocked up immediately.

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