I have realised recently that any restaurant review I have put on here is positive. This is because I try to put the bad ones to the back of my mind. Of course, that doesn't offer a balanced viewpoint on this blog. Therefore, I will put up reviews of places that I have thought were less than satisfactory. However, this will not start here with Le Manoir. Maybe next time.
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Name: The Manor of Four Seasons (2 Michelin Stars)
Location: Great Milton, Oxfordshire
Owner: Raymond Blanc
As with any visit to a restaurant with two Michelin stars, there is a degree of excitement that mounts towards your visit. This review will go on to explain how we were not let down, in any sense.
After parking, you are required to walk through a beautifully kept front garden with a path towards the Manor. When booking we had asked to have a tour of the kitchens and mentioned this again upon our arrival, it was noted and not much more was made of it.
As we entered we were taken into the lounge area to get comfortable and have pre-dinner drinks as well as canapés. Neighbouring us was a middle aged woman who was clearly well fed, quaffing champagne and talking loudly, using expletives. This immediately relaxed us, as it meant we weren’t required to hush our voices or act overly ‘proper’ to meet the grandeur of our surroundings. This is one of the only benefits of having someone rich and obnoxious in your vicinity.
We ate in the conservatory area of the premises which gave us another great view over the grounds and a spacious, naturally lit room in which to enjoy the meal. The wine menu was extensive with a price range to suit everyone. There was a sommelier in the dining room so we asked if he would like to choose our wines by the glass to go with the starters and main.
Our first course was a beetroot terrine served with a dill flavoured crème fraiche. Simple, perfectly executed and a great way to get the taste buds going.
Secondly we tucked into what looked like a simple risotto of summer vegetables. The vegetables were of the highest quality and every care had been taken in cooking each one to its optimum. The flavour was intense and more superb than I thought it possible for a risotto. After reading the recipe book we found that this was no fluke but through a great piece of preparation. A large sack of tomatoes had been suspended in a muslin bag with herbs overnight. The juices were caught below. This may seem excessive but the intensity and uniqueness of flavour it produced, showed exactly what you can do with the humble tomato, bolstering a simple risotto to two star standard.
Sea bream with a scallop and chanterelles was next. Needless to say it was perfectly executed and lightly flavoured. The wine selected for this course was a white; it was outstanding and opened my eyes to what a white wine can be. It was plummy, so rounded and balanced in flavour. It had very little acidity, which even pricey white wines can tend to have.
Throughout the meal it was clear that everything was timed and calculated exactly. The genius of this however, came with the relaxed and unfussy service that was seen front of house. Even if you watched the waiting staff, it was hard to see the seams of their work.
For our main course we were served a duck breast with char-grilled chicory and a blackcurrant. The duck was lovely and pink but was served without a crispy skin. The skin had colour and was perfectly rendered so this somehow worked. The bitterness of the slightly charred chicory was a lovely pairing with the salty duck and the sweet blackcurrant sauce. The wine selected here was a red of French origin which was once again, delicious.
Dessert was my least favourite offering but only as I am not a great lover of apricots. As far as apricots go, I thoroughly enjoyed them. Slowly baked and served with a floating meringue. As I write this review, the sheer volume of food consumed makes me feel stuffed. Looking back, I did not feel this way. Everything was so light. It did not need to be made rich, as the produce was of such high quality. We left the dining area feeling comfortably full.
If you go to Michelin star establishments to be thrown into a world of wizardry and the unexpected then Le Manoir may disappoint. For me, it is clear that what Raymond Blanc wants to achieve is not in direct competition with the ‘mad scientists’ behind Noma and the Fat Duck. Respecting tradition and nature’s larder in a typically French manor is what is desired and achieved.
After the meal, I requested the wines be written down for me so that I can purchase them at a later date. This was left with the sommelier and I considered the possibility that he might forget.
We were led into the lounge once more for petit fours and coffee, which was more dimly lit this time. The list of teas and coffees was extensive and detailed descriptions accompanied each. Shortly after, my note of the wines came through to the lounge on a postcard of The Manor. How naive of me to think it wouldn’t. Shortly after, the restaurant manager came through and unexpectedly led us through for our tour of the kitchen, which we had simply forgotten about.
Despite a busy service going on we were shown past every section of the working kitchen. The manager laid out all the bare bones of the back of house, quite literally, in the butchery section. There must have been one chef per person in there! The kitchen was huge. It was clear that they prepared as much as they possibly could themselves. Freshly baked breads and entire animal carcasses prepared on site. Vegetables were grown out in the gardens by their head gardener, Anne Marie Owens. The fish preparation area was high tech and hygienic. There was an entire cookery school, also situated out the back.
As an ex-chef, this was all very interesting for me to see. It also impressed me that they were prepared to show you (as a customer) everything, with the upmost pride.
With a bill for 4 (for everything mentioned plus two cookery books), this experience weighed in at just over £150 per head. There is no doubt about it that this is a place to eat in for an occasion, at least for the average Joe. This meal cost far and away what I would normally pay to dine out. However, it wasn’t just a meal. It was a flawless experience from start to finish and one I will remember past the day I can no longer consume solids. 90% of the restaurants I have visited, I doubt I shall remember past my 20’s.
(5/5 Stars)
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