I was approached by Emma Cheal, Matt's wife and asked by her to come and sample the food one Sunday lunch time, I took my mum along and after seeing amazing things on Twitter and other social media platforms, my mouth was watering at just the thought.
Its a beautiful old building on Henley High Street and as soon as I walked in it had a lovely atmosphere, it was bight and light. The waiting area had two gorgeous leopard print seats in it and they even have a television where you can watch the chefs hard at work from the cameras. We were shown to our table by a very welcoming server, with a very impressive moustache! He was friendly and knowledgable throughout my visit and the service was faultless.
It wasn't overly busy, but I can imagine this style of restaurant is more suited for a Saturday evening and they actually explained to me that they were fully booked every Saturday night until January, which is fantastic news as they had only been open 3 weeks.
We were given 2 menus, a £30 set one and a £50 set one. Both sounded delicious, I was informed by Matt that I could choose from the £50 one but my mum decided to go for the £30 one, at least I could see the differences between the two and we could try each others!
Snack
Crab Croquetes with Five Spice
We were firstly given a little snack to try whilst we were looking at the menu. The croquettes were delicious, it was soft, bouncy crab wrapped up in a breaded crust spiced with five spice, it was delicious. The small bite packed so much flavour and I could've eaten 10 of them. A great way to start a meal.
Olives & Bread
Next, they bought out a small plate of olives and a basket of bread over to us, the bread was sourdough and crusty, the buns even had a 'C' on them, which I thought was a great added touch. The bread was homemade, fresh and with the salted butter, it was delicious. Who knew bread could taste so good?!
Amuse Bouché
Passion Fruit & Parmesan Foam
After they had taken our order, the waiter bought us out the Amuse Bouche which was they explained to us was Passion Fruit & Parmesan Foam, which was served warm. I was very unsure about this at first as I don't usually like mixing sweet and savoury flavours together but, this was an unexpected surprise, I really enjoyed it! The passion fruit coulis was sweet and tangy but when the parmesan foam hit my throat, it gave the drink a savoury and bitter taste, both combinations worked so well together, which surprised me. It just goes to show the skills that Matt and his team of chefs have to combine such unusual flavours together but make it work, and boy, did it work!
Parmesan Sticks
The Amuse Bouche was served with some Parmesan Sticks, which were crispy and full of flavour and went really well with the drink. After sampling these snacks, I couldn't wait to try the rest of the meal.
Starter
Lobster & Salmon Ravioli, Fennel, Caviar
Starter
Mackerel, Cucumber, Horseradish, Nasturtium
I went for the Ravioli and mum had the Mackerel. Both looked delicious on the plate, they were presented beautifully and I loved how mine was search with the clear cloche over it and, both dishes were as delicious as they looked. My ravioli was well cooked, tender and soft and had a generous filling in the middle of the dumpling style pasta. The lobster and salmon were both perfectly cooked and full of flavour. The caviar was placed on top of the pasta with a string of fennel, a lovely added touch and gave the dish that extra bit of flavour. I really enjoyed this and it was the perfect size.
Mums starter, the Mackerel was also delicious. It was so fresh tasting the piece of Mackerel was flaky and full of flavour, with a crispy outer skin. The cucumber was a refreshing touch and the horseradish gave the dish a slight hint of spice to it, which complimented the fresh flavours of the Mackerel and cucumber perfectly. I wasn't sure what Nasturtium was but the server informed me its an edible flower, this not only looked good on the plate, it tasted very good. The combinations of flavours worked so well together and we were both thoroughly impressed by our starters.
Main
Duck, Blackberries, Lentils, Beetroot, Kale, Juniper
Main
Cod, Brown Shrimps, Broccoli, Wild Rice, Seaweed Sauce
Again, both dishes were beautifully presented and almost looked too good to eat ... I said almost! My dish was the duck and I certainly was not disappointed. The duck was perfectly cooked, pink and so tender and juicy. It was actually a very big portion too, which is unusual for fine-dining but I was glad of it, I much prefer portions sized like this than tiny little portions. It was a hearty meal, perfect for a Sunday afternoon. The lentils were perfectly cooked, the beetroot was cut into pieces and gave the dish a bitter taste, which went so well with the rich, hearty duck, the lentils and the sweet, tangy blackberries. The kale was crispy and perfectly al-dente and the juniper berries helped bring the whole dish together with a fruity and peppery taste. I loved this dish and I would like this every Sunday please!
Mum went for the cod, which she absolutely loved. She loves fish and green vegetables, so this was perfect for her. I tried a fork full and even a little taste packed so much flavour. The cod was flaky and well seasoned, the brown shrimp gave a stronger flavour to the dish, the broccoli was long-stemmed and somehow, they managed to make broccoli taste SO good, now that is a skill! The wild rice was cooked well, well seasoned and complimented the dish very well. The seaweed sauce was salty, tangy and so delicious, the sauce helped to bring the dish together and it was so delicious. We both loved our main courses and they left a delicious taste in our mouths.
Dessert
Blackberry & Valhrona Chocolate 'Bombs'
Dessert
Frangipane & Pear Tart, Almond Milk Ice Cream
I decided to go for the dessert from the other menu as it intrigued me and my weakness is chocolate. I had to ask what Valhrona was as I did't know and they explained it is a premium chocolate brand from France, the team were very knowledgable and helpful. When this dessert came over to me, it was shaped like a dome, and then the server poured hot blackberry sauce over it caused the bomb to melt and it revealed the ice cream and sauce in the middle. This was the definition of eating with your eyes, it was so impressive and I couldn't wait to dig in! The chocolate 'bomb' was so smooth, sweet and had such a strong chocolate flavour, which is fantastic for me. Inside the 'bomb' was blackberry ice cream, which was creamy, fruity and sweet. The blackberry sauce was a yummy added touch and the dessert was delicious from the first mouthful to the last. I have no complaints about this dessert, I loved every bit of it.
Mum went for the Frangipane Tart, which again looked very good on the plate. The frangipane tart was was tender, sweet and you could really taste the almonds. The pears helped to make the tart very moist and fruity. The almond ice cream was a lovely added touch, it was creamy, nutty and full of flavour. We both loved our desserts and they were so tasty and rich. What a great way to end a perfect meal.
With our desserts we got given more food, yes more!
Salted Caramel Macaroons & Ale Truffles
These little treats were bought out to us with the bill, the salted caramel macaroons were delicious, the caramel was sweet and creamy and was covered with a moist macaroon shell and the truffles were actually made with real ale but they were so good, I could taste the beer a little bit but surprisingly, it went really well with the chocolate truffle taste. I loved both of these little treats - a box please?
Over all, what a fantastic experience at Cheals in Henley. I even got to meet Matt at the end of the meal, he came and introduced himself to me and we had a chat about the restaurant and the food, which was great. The interior is beautiful, they explained they got all their furniture and cutlery from Spain. The food was served on such amazing plates, this added to the experience. The service was perfect from start to finish, the staff our knowledgable and helpful but, what really stood out to me was the food, all local and fresh ingredients, the menu is inventive, the food is full of flavour and so , so tasty, I loved every course I had and it the food was actually perfect. Cheals, you have won me over and I think you may of become my favourite restaurant! Thank you for a perfect afternoon.
*My food was complimentary thanks to Emma & Matt Cheal, mum paid in full for her Prix Fix Menu.
No comments:
Post a Comment