Oddfellows who enjoy lunch – as it should be #Review
Stephen Wundke
23rd July 2018
The third in our series of affordable lunches took us to Oddfellows on Lower bridge St, Chester. Disappointingly it was raining – the first time for so long; which meant we had to eat inside. I only say that because it’s possible that Oddfellows has the best outdoor “Secret Garden” in Chester and we have really enjoyed our Al-Fresco dining this summer. Not to worry, we were seated in the Restaurant and given the luncheon set menu. You can of course have the a-la-carte but this is about our quest to rate the deals on offer and this one looked appealing with 2 courses for £17.50 and 3 courses for £23.
The menu featured, in the pre starter list, some Olives, Vegetable crisps, Bread and Hummus breadsticks in one category and each rated as half a course so you could if you wanted have two of these and then a starter as two courses or a main or a starter and main. We chose from the four starters on offer. Gaile’s selection was the Torched Mackerel with apple, cucumber, buttermilk and dill. It was simply and attractively presented and only lacked for a bit more smokiness on the torching part of the Mackerel to be a really strong dish, she enjoyed it. My choice was the very pretty Summer Salad of Goats curd and smoked lemon. It was well put together, looked lovely and as someone who can find Goats cheese too strong and tart at times this was subtle and yet still tasty and the curd held its own against the other big flavours on the plate, that included just cooked courgette and mixed wild leaves. A very nice start.
For mains, Gaile’s feature was the Pork Tenderloin with a cod cheek fritter, apple, radish and romanesco. It was a very well cooked dish and looked lovely on the plate. A generous serve, which defeated Gaile and meant I was able to taste everything. We both thought it had all the flavours combining well and whilst the vegetables were on the firm side of al-dente, that was to our liking, if not everyone’s taste. (Note to chef – might need a bit more cooking for others). My own main course was the Seam Bream Escabeche. This is a style of cooking that entails using an acidic based fluid, like a vinegar to gently cook the dish after a touch of flash frying. I thought this was very well done as it isn’t easy but I wasn’t entirely sure what it added to the dish. However that didn’t detract from the flavours and it was a very nice piece of bream. The real triumph though was that the bream was sat in a bowl with a deep rich tomato base which was sharp and my initial thoughts were, too strong, that was until our waitress delivered a small jug of consommee’d tomato water and when added to the dish it brought the whole sauce alive. This I loved and in fact when I had finished the dish I asked for a spoon to scoop up the remainder of the sauce (might be worth putting one out with the dish because there must be others who loved it as much as me). Very moorish. My only regret was that the dish was meant to have included Samphire which would have balanced it perfectly and given that salty sea texture and colour, that was missing. Again almost perfect.
If you are reading this series you will know we only get an hour for lunch and yet again this meal was served comfortably, without rushing, within that time frame. Our service was extremely pleasant and as we left the numbers of diners was building nicely. This was yet again a very strong example of a nice place to enjoy a good lunch. Perhaps my only negative is that the restaurant itself just feels a little “caffe-ish” and not overly opulent, not in keeping with the rest of this amazing building with its incredible rooms. I also feel here again is a Chef, his name is Elliot Hill, who with just a few tweeks could be destined for higher honours. He is trying hard and deserves all the support he can get, as people with his skill base are hard to find. This lunch was a very good lunch but not yet a great lunch. It is, however within their grasp and I have no doubt Elliot will achieve it. Great looking food that will deliver at every level.
Ratings : Service 9/10 Ambience and Setting 7/10 Food 8/10 Value for Money 7/10 Total Score : 31/40
Private: Cultivated at Oddfellows Chester
20 Lower Bridge Street, Chester, CH1 1RS
Our inventive Chefs have created playful dishes with integrity inspired by British classics with an Oddfellows twist using seasonal and local produce.
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