Food and Drink Reviews
This review courtesy of Limited Edition (www.lemagazine.co.uk)
Angling for success
By Sandra Carter
IT'S all change at the Compleat Angler, where the large panelled dining room has been made smaller and the neighbouring conservatory larger. But this is not about floor space. The redesign is to give this lovely old hotel an intimate fine dining restaurant run by chef Dean Timpson. The conservatory becomes the hotel's main restaurant, now called Bowaters.
The restaurants have two of the most splendid views on the Thames - Bowaters overlooking Marlow's suspension bridge and church with a constantly changing vista of swan and boats passing, while the new Dean Timpson restaurant looks out over the weir. Such a setting demands superlative food and Dean plans to provide it.
His new restaurant, launched on April 12, is quite different from its darkly formal predecessor: it's bright and airy, with lots of cream and some beautifully patterned wallpaper, and pots of fresh herbs on the white napery adding a touch of fresh green.
Dean has long experience catering for the hotel's weddings, breakfasts, sandwiches and everything else a hotel kitchen must supply, but is he up to the upper echelons of cooking? I went along to try his Tasting Menu, which can challenge any chef to execute a string of dishes that keep the interest up but the appetite unfazed.
I loved it. It was exciting without being over trendy, avoiding the temptation to put together a string of whacky items just to impress. It was also well balanced so that we kept happy and expectant to the end.
My downfall almost began right at the start with the bread basket. My slice of walnut and sultana bread was so fresh and delicious I could have made it my evening meal, with a chunk of cheese, but before I could grab a second slice the goodies starting rolling in.
advertisementFirst, a cheese beignet, light and fluffy, followed by amuse-bouche of pea mousse with truffle foam. Great start: the flavours of spring shining through.
This, like all the dishes, was delightfully presented (Dean's obviously been out and about snaffling up trendy dishes to add to the ambience).
The next two simply sang of spring sunshine. Cornish crab and crayfish with mango puree and curry oil, yellow beetroot and a scattering of herbs and flowers was all golden colours and fresh flavours. It was followed by goats cheese terrine with beetroot sorbet and a watercress dressing, which reminded me of June roses with the bright red of the sorbet, white terrine and bright green dressing. But it wasn't only visually appealing: the flavours complemented each other perfectly.
Fillet of turbot (beautifully cooked) with morel mushrooms and peas was followed by roast suckling pig where Dean showed his interest in using all parts of an animal: we had little portions of shoulder with crackling dust, pork belly stuffed with home made black pudding, and a tiny cutlet, offering four quite different textures and flavours on a plate.
The pre-dessert was a tiny ball of delectable summery flavours: strawberry crumble with rhubarb sorbet. Then came pud proper, a lychee bavarois with gingerbread pain perdu (unusual and greatly appreciated by my dining partner), with caramelised mango.
All this comes with exceptionally pleasant service from the waiting staff and sommelier, who have the knack of being friendly yet sensitive, and there's a choice of some very fine wines. You can have a carefully matched wine with each course if you wish. The Tasting Menu costs £65 plus service charge, and there's also the option to add a selection of cheeses (£5) and coffee (£4.00) which comes with a big tray of innovative and decorative petits fours to choose from.
It's open from Tuesday evening until Sunday lunch, with a la carte available at lunch and dinner, and a Market Menu each lunchtime with three courses for £24.50.
The Dean Timpson at the Compleat Angler has all the ingredients for success - relaxed setting, super views, a skilled chef and professional and friendly team. Watch this space for wider recognition.
Customer Reviews
By Stanley Dove
Dear Dean Timpson,
I had lunch at your restaurant last Saturday and felt the need to drop you a line.
The food not only tasted to perfection but was beautifully presented and served.Thank You!
I would add that I have a delicate digestion that mostly gets disturbed by having a full meal out. My stomach was immaculately behaved after your so enjoyable meal and the only time I can remember the same has been after a meal at Blanc's Manoir.
Again thank you and I will be back.
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By Adam Dickinson
Dear All,
I came with better half last weekend to your new dinning room. I would just like to send my thanks for a great evening. Having been before in 2006 I was expecting quite a different dining experience.
From the outset the staff were great, relaxed and professional. The work spent on every facet of the decor, cutlery, and of course the food did not go unnoticed.
Already a number of my colleagues have booked, with the first to arrive next weekend - Charles Thomas and a large French party to follow.
Best of luck for the future, and when I struggle to book a table next time I hope you remember me.
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By K A Newman
Good morning,
Just to say thank you for the wonderfull lunch we had on Thursday. We come to the Compleat Angler once a year to celebrate our joint anniversaries and this is the first time since you have changed the restaurant layout. The service we received from the manager and all the staff was first class and the food was as good as always.
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By Claire Goulding
I just wanted to say thank you to all the staff that looked after us at our lunch on Sunday. We all enjoyed the food immensely and everyone made us feel very comfortable and helped create just the right atmosphere for my dad's 60th. We were especially grateful that they were able to provide a lunch for my brother and sister-in-law (who were delayed due to an expected hospital visit) - we were aware that this went beyond usual service.
We'll definitely be recommending the restaurant to our friends and family.
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By Steve Pammenter
I'd like to just drop a quick line to say how impressed I was with the food and service at Deen Timpson . We have now been back a couple of times and will be sure to keep coming back. Dorothie and the team run a fantastic restaurant and we would not hesitate to recommend it to others.
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By Mrs S Brown
We have just experienced an incredible meal in the restaurant today. The food was delicious, especially the monkfish, and the service was outstanding. Thank you so much for the enjoyable experience. We will certainly be dining there again soon and spreading the word to all our friends.
Please thank everyone who served our table this afternoon.
