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Reviewed
July 2004
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On a mild Tuesday evening, the outdoor dining area of the Old Parsonage
looked a picture. White canvas umbrellas, the first barbecue of the
season sizzling away in the corner under the watchful eye of the head
chef, hardly an empty table and no one in a hurry - what more can one
ask of a summer evening's dining?
After drinks in the bar adjoining the ridiculously opulent indoor dining
area (the walls adorned with so many pieces of art that it would have
taken at least another hour to look at them all), we were escorted to
our table (it having been left to us to decide whether to eat outdoors
or in). The most noticeable feature at this stage, and that which characterized
the whole affair, was the quality of the service. Extremely attentive
- as you might expect from a fairly small restaurant with a relatively
high per person spend - and genuinely cheerful; our waitress evidently
knew her stuff.
To start, we chose two appetizers to share: black olive tapenade with
crostini and a half dozen quail eggs with celery salt. Quail eggs are
always a rather silly treat, being only normal eggs in a prettier, bite-size
portion - but as such there were certainly no complaints, only the celery
salt being remarkable (in that it came in the form of large brown flakes).
I was less fond of the tapenade, but then, I didn't have to eat it all!
To start (yes, we really did have appetizers as well as starters, main
courses and desserts) we shared a half lobster, and this was excellent.
Being a vegetarian (an increasingly bad one), I have only eaten lobster
on a handful of occasions, and shied away slightly from the business
of claw-cracking - which is evidently fun if you like that kind of thing.
It was certainly the best of the few lobsters I have eaten, and, like
everything else, beautifully presented.
My main course was a shredded free-range chicken salad with baby spinach,
almonds, basil, quail eggs (can't get enough of those little speckled
things) and mustard, and was the gourmet equivalent of a bowl of crunchy-nut
cornflakes - I could have eaten another whole one, but I would have
exploded. It was delicious. My friend had a lamb brochette and cous-cous
with which she was mightily pleased, declaring it to be very well cooked
and interesting (not always easy with lamb). Both the lobster and the
lamb were chosen from the Parsonage's Grill menu, which has been added
to their regular list for the summer. This is quite fun, as not only
do you get a greater choice of lovely things to eat, but you can also
watch the chef at work. Live jazz will also be on offer on Friday evenings,
which should really add to the atmosphere.
Attempting to stuff myself to the max, I finished the whole experience
with a crème brulée, which was (I'm afraid to say) a little
disappointing. Perhaps it was just that this was the last straw in terms
of stomach capacity, or perhaps it just wasn't cooked quite enough,
but this did taste like excessively sugary set custard (something I
am informed that the correct cooking process should trick you into thinking
you are not eating). My friend had a tarte tatin, which she found delicious,
although, she said, purists might miss the slight bitterness that it
can sometimes have.
The crème brulée aside, I was extremely impressed with
the Old Parsonage, which formerly I had not even really known to possess
a restaurant open to the public. Presented at last with a bill for two
for around £70, which incidentally included 2 glasses of white
wine (the cheapest glass on offer - a chenin blanc at £3.80 -
and the most expensive, a semillion at £5.95 - the price difference
being reflected clearly in the quality) and a bottle and a half of sparkling
mineral water, I was shocked at how reasonable the whole thing had been.
Proper vegetarians should bear in mind that there are only two main
courses for them - the Caesar salad and the spaghettini, both weighing
in at around the £10 mark. The menu is quite restricted, but I
suspect that no dish on it offers much of weak point for criticism.
All in all, the Old Parsonage seems to offer an opportunity for relaxed
fine dining on a less scary budget than would usually be required for
the quality of goods you receive. Their produce is of very high quality,
with fresh fish flown in straight from the Channel Islands and beef
from a specialist butcher. The service is of a very high standard but
relaxed and un-intimidating, and the setting is really lovely. What
better way to while away two and a half hours of a summer evening?
Su Jordan / Susie Cogan
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