I have posted here from time to time in response to the odd request for information or restaurant.
As my wife and I like to eat out regularly I plan in future to impose on you all comments on the places we visit which are worth recording. Planned outings in the near future include Monsieur Max and RSJ and a visit to Bruges. However I thought I would commence this series with a record of a recent visit to
Chavignol
This has been open about a year and is our first visit to the new site. We had previously visited "Lovells at Minster Lovell" which Mark Maguire used to run and I have to admit it was a favourite of ours. Mark, his wife and the chef moved to Chipping Norton and have created a nice ambience with this restaurant.
Visitors are welcomed to wander round the cellar looking for suitable bin ends, we didn't - my wife who was paying treated us to a superb bottle of Zero One - a rather good red wine from California but more expensive than either our normal standard or what you need to spend here. The list is extensive - Mark's cellar must be growing all the time.
The main purpose of any restaurant is the meal and here the tip I would give is that this restaurant serves a menu which is not on the published menu! It is a seven course extravaganza and I recommend that all visitors should spend the entire evening devouring the special menu. Mark gives a run-down prior to the serious business starting.
Commencing with a pre-meal appetizer (welsh rarebit and chutney) we then moved to our table and the initial (artichoke with a truffle glaze) soup is brought in a tea cup - we have never worked out if we should use the spoon or simply drink it - it tastes the same either way - excellent A fish course of turbot and pasta preceded the main course - duck. Breast of duck together with a superb confit which was about the best duck we have ever had. Duck confit has been very popular in the last few years but this is the best we have consumed.
As with Lovells the piece de resistance (for us) is the cheese course - seven ripe cheeses served with Mark's instructions on the order in which they should be consumed. Unlike Michael Winner's comments on this practice I have no objection to being told in which order to eat cheeses
- they are complementary and the guidance is gratefully received {and for those who might argue that it makes no difference then I welcome the opportunity to meet you at this restaurant (so long as you are paying) to discuss the matter}.
The sweet (Banana ice cream, chocolate fondant mousse in a brandy basket with sour orange compote and warm plums) was an artistic triumph as well as a pleasing end to the meal.
We failed to consume all of the petit fours which came with the coffee.
Mark had also arranged the accommodation in a nearby B&B (where the breakfast was enormous) and transport to and from Chavignol (which has a Michelin star I understand).
With a more cautious eye on the wine than we applied a meal for two would be a little over £100 I would guess. These days that is excellent value for money given the meal described. We went on Saturday night and the restaurant was (as far we could tell) full.
A much enjoyed meal and evening.United Kingdom