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. 

 

Make sure you are following this blog so you can keep up to date with our restaurant reviews. 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 Eats

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 I’m sure you all know by now I love a good brunch and have been reviewing the places I go. This review from a few weeks ago was when we went out for a late lunch to Bread Centrale.

We had been wanting to here for a few weeks and finally found the time so walked down the river – which was also really nice, and headed in. first impressions are that this isn’t much of a place with it not being obvious from the outside and then the décor inside being slightly dated, but this didn’t put us off. The menu is good and I was drawn to the ‘build your own brunch’ as in this you can put together your perfect brunch with a range of breads, eggs, meat and sauces. I went for sourdough, poached eggs, bacon, sausage, and avocado. Jack however decided to go for a BBQ Asian Chicken pizza as we did go pretty late for brunch terms.

Rules Restaurant is the oldest restaurant in London having been opened in 1798. It is on Maiden lane (Covent Garden) and serves a range of traditional British cuisine and game. It has a strong claim to fame having a staring role in Downton abbey and James Bond Spectre! (How exciting!). I was lucky enough to be taken here for my 25th birthday meal and was so impressed I just had to write a little blog post review about our time there. 


We booked a table for 2 about 2 weeks before our visit on the 30th March and even then they were nearly fully booked so we had to have an early dinner at 5pm, this was perfect for us as we wanted an earlier meal so wasn’t an issue, but of you are hoping to eat a little later I would suggest booking even more in advance. 

When we arrived it was lovely, there was a very smart and kind doormen to let us in and then the host greeted us and took us to our table. We were sat in a corner by the window, a lovely table and I was immediately in awe by the décor. Now the rules interior won’t be to everyone’s tastes but as someone who is a fan of the National Trust and tradition I LOVED it! There were an array of impressive deer heads and antlers, multiple photos as well as huge silver trophies and a beautiful ornate mirror. Everything is a deep dark red with very traditional patterns. 

The Interior 

The Menu while we were at Rules


Once we were seated we both ordered a cocktail (special occasion and all), I had the Kate Middleton’s ‘Royal 29’ a very strong Gin and vodka based drink while Jack had a Black velvet served in a silver tankard – a nice extra touch! The waiting staff were all really nice, friendly and very professional and were on hand at any moment. We ordered fairly quickly and everything came out promptly and we didn’t feel that we had to wait particularly long for anything.


Kate Middleton's 'Royal 29'

To start, we had an oyster each which were great! – I have only ever had one before and this was a significant improvement! I then also had the Duck Rillette, a pate style starter while Jack had the Sea Trout Gravadlax special. Both were so flavoursome and very much enjoyed! 

Duck Rillette

Sea Trout Gravadlax


Now to mains, I wanted to have something a little different so went for the Rabbit leg while Jack stuck with the seafood theme and chose the seared Diver Scallops. Both were again delicious and I can honestly say there was so much flavour in the rabbit dish that I was so impressed by it – I would highly recommend this if you ever get the chance to go. With our mains we also decided to have some wine and went for the Volnay 1er Cru Robardelle, a very smooth fruity red. We really liked that there was the option to have certain wines by jug as a bottle can sometimes be a bit much!
Seared Diver Scallops


Rabbit Leg

Now onto the dessert we both had the Chocolate Tart with Vanilla Brulee Centre and this was honestly a showstopper! There was GOLD on it! GOLD!!!! Not only did it look amazing it was delicious too! While on the topic of dessert as we had already gone all out we thought hey let’s get some dessert wine, so we did! I had a glass of the Taylor’s Quinta de Vargellas and Jack had a glass of the Tokaji Aszu 6 Puttonyos Patricius and this has got to have been the only thing in the whole evening that I got a little bit of food envy for - after trying both wines I did prefer the one Jack had picked, it was slightly sweeter, lighter and tasted like melted honey, much more up my street than the darker one I had picked – but don’t get me wrong they were both delicious!! 

Chocolate Tart With Vanilla Brulee Centre

Now We have talked about the food I wanted to quickly chat a little about the atmosphere as it was really relaxing and calm, the other patrons were of a variety of business men and friends catching up over dinner, so we did not feel out of place. I did notice that we were some of the youngest in there, however this didn’t make any difference, it was just something that I did notice.


Once we had finished it was time to pay, and this is my only little warning about Rules, we knew the price range going into this meal so were not surprised that a 4 course meal with cocktails and wine (and the gratuity charge) came to £250. So this is an expensive place to eat, however we had a lovely time celebrating my 25th birthday and I could not recommend Rules highly enough for a special occasion or as a more luxurious place to eat. We would love to return to Rules in Grouse season as neither of us have ever tried Grouse. Rules have their Grouse season from August - December so I'm sure we will find an occasion to visit during this time as we really enjoyed our visit. 



You can book a table online on the Rules website or by calling +44 (0)20 7836 5314. 

Let me know your thoughts on Rules in the comments below. Have you ever eaten at Rules? What would you order? Also let me know your favourite restaurants in London, I am always looking for new places to try. 

Make sure you are following this blog for a new post every Monday 10am, you can follow by subscription (put your email in the box on the left hand side) 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 (new) Facebook page. 

Until next time

Emma Jayne

xxx

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Welcome back all! Today's post is probably one of my favourite types – FOOD!! I love eating out and have put a little mission on to blog about more of the places I go to let you all know my thoughts and if you should also check it out!

So while I was in Dubai for Christmas Jack and I escaped family life and headed out to Peir 7 at the Dubai Marina to eat at Fume. We arrived for an early dinner at about 5.30 and were taken to a lovely table overlooking the Marina. Were were given plenty time to decide on our drinks and meals before the waiter came back. I picked the spiced Pina Colada type drink and Jack had an 'Ultimate Gin and Tonic.

Jack with his Ultimate Gin and Tonic

Me with my Pina Colada

The food didn’t take long to come, we started with what is described as ‘Sourdough Bread with Smoked Butter and Lava Salt’ - sounds fancy right? So we were little shocked when some standard toast arrived (I think we were expecting fresh rolls), however is was alright. 
Onto mains I chose a huge Angus Rump Burger and Jack had a Beef Cheek Rendang with Pitta Bread and both meals were lovely. Once we had finished however it look a long time for anyone to clear our plates and at times it felt as though there were no staff at all while others were not being observant and clearing our table. 

The Angus Rump Burger

However, once we had finally had the mains cleared we went in for dessert. The dessert choice was great, possibly the best part of the menu! I went for a Banoffee Parfait and Jack went for the Foot-Long (YES FOOT LONG!!) Nutella éclair. Now these were easily the showstopper portion of the meal, both were beautify presented as well as tasting amazing and we finished them off in a matter of minutes.

It again took a little while once the desserts had been cleared for the bill come (we asked for it when the waiter took the plates) so that was a little disappointing as we were ready to head back home, however as Jack and I enjoy each others company it wasn’t the end of the world.
The Banoffee Parfait

The Foot Long Nutella Eclair

Now onto the price. Fume is reasonably priced for Dubai standards with a main meal costing between 55-85aed (~£12 -£20). The desserts were also reasonable (for Dubai) with each coming in at around 35 aed (£8). We were lucky enough to have a ‘The Entertainer’ voucher that took the price of one of the main meals off bringing the whole cost of the meal down (YEESSSS!!!) making it very palatable and pleasant.

Overall I think I was expecting a little more from Fume with it being in the prestigious Peir 7 complex, however it was very much a no fuss eatery with good wholesome food and a lovely location. I would recommend for a easy eat with family, but possibly not for that special event or occasion.

Let me know in the comments below if you have eaten at Fume and what your thoughts are? Also where are your favourite places to eat in London (we are back home now) – I am always looking for recommendations.

Make sure you are following this blog for a new post every Monday 10am you can follow by subscription (put your email in the box on the left hand side) 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 (new) Facebook page. 

Until next time

Emma Jayne
xxx


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