The last time Mrs G and I visited the fine
dining restaurant at the Celtic Manor, just over a year ago, it was named Crown
at the Celtic Manor. In the interim period, the end of a tie-up between Celtic
Manor and Crown at Whitebrook has resulted in a name change
to Terry M (after the hotel’s billionaire owner).
Still in place since our previous visit are
head chef Tim McDougall and a familiar front of house team. As such, little has changed; service was
warm yet not overbearing and the classically prepared food was mostly very good.
Mrs G and I ordered from the tasting menu (6 courses for £70). Also available was the a la carte (3 courses for £49.50).
Whilst Mrs G savoured a pre-dinner
champagne cocktail and I begrudgingly sipped on a designated driver’s ginger
ale, we were brought a selection of canapés. Mushroom en croute, confit salmon with
beetroot, ham hock terrine and a chicken consommé were all tasty but none
delivered bags of flavour.
Having migrated to the dining room, I devoured
a handful of textbook white and walnut & date rolls served with salted
butter.
A good amuse bouche combined airy lentil espuma with sweetly spiced curry oil.
A kaleidoscopic salad of warm earthy
beetroot, creamy Ewe’s milk curd and refreshing apple was a light start to the
meal. I think, however, it could have done with a bigger kick of the
advertised horseradish.
Next up was an excellent double-decker pate
served with toasted brioche. Smooth, rich duck liver pate surrounded coarse, meaty
ham hock. A smear of zingy parsley puree sliced through the richness of the
dish.
The top-notch fish course delivered an
absolute gem of a scallop served with 50 shades of cauliflower – puree, pieces
of romesco and a moreish deep fried cauliflower filled beignet. A subtle hint
of truffle added extra opulence to the plate.
What should have been a superb main was simply
good due to a couple of elements. Whilst all the flavours were precisely
balanced – sirloin of beef, velvety truffled mash, fennel compote, burly bone
marrow jus and earthy wild mushrooms, the meat’s lack of tenderness and the thinness
of the sauce let the side down.
First up on the dessert front was chocolate
bavarois. A refreshing blood orange salad and sharp grapefruit
mousse complemented the richness of the chocolate well.
A proud plum soufflé was one of the stand-out
moments of the night. The fluffy soufflé, Winter-spiced pain d’epices ice cream
and palette warming crystallised ginger were all superb.
Lastly, a belt-loosening proportioned
selection of petit-fours rounded off the meal. Highlights included a wafer-thin
cinnamon biscuit, a wobbly strawberry jelly and a rhubarb macaron.
Like my previous 2 visits, we had a cracking meal at Terry M. It is a little pricey but the express lunch menu, which offers 3 courses for £31.95 including half a bottle of wine, looks like a bit of a bargain.
I was invited to Terry M as a guest of Celtic Manor. All food and drink was complimentary.
The details:
Address - The Celtic Manor Resort, Coldra
Woods, The Usk Valley, Newport, NP18 1HQ
Telephone - 01633 413 000
No comments:
Post a Comment