Dominiques review by Anon
Though I cannot say this place is bad, most of the rave reviews are coming from, shall we say the real country bloke... I however, a weathered Londoner know my Alain Ducasse from my Pierre Gagnaire.
For a French place the wine list is not all too impressive, I mean when one goes to for a French dining experience, you expect Petrus and Chateau Yquem pouring out of their ears.. not so some half decent right and left bank Bordeaux, plausible Burgundy, I’m talking basic St. Emilions and Fleuris not Pomerols and Montrachets alongside, surprisingly quite an array of other European wines such as Italian. But yet more surprising for a French restaurant was the wide range of New World drain water. Clearly they also want to cater for the less discerning among us! I usually go for a bottle of Chablis and a bottle of Chianti Classico (low and behold, in a French restaurant I am pushed to an Italian wine over French!) Perhaps they had a better wine list before, but decided that it was too good for the bitter drinking English country bloke, how very French of them!
The food is a much better effort, most dishes, and I have been here several times, offer an enjoyable dining experience, steaks are good – hardly Wagyu, but I cannot expect better in the Midlands, and they are always cooked as asked, medium-rare actually equals medium rare… Fish is also decent, monk fish here when on the menu is enjoyable. Once in a while they have lobster as a main course, when I had this it was disappointing. Guinea Fowl is perhaps my favorite dish on the menu, well cooked, prime meat and served well. Presentation, which a lot of brumies will rave about, can I just say to the more discerning among you, if you are expecting Sketch or Nobu esque presentation you have come to the wrong place… its much more like a sprinkling of parsley on the edge of the plate.
As for the starters the Foie Gras is just begging for a great Yqem, shamefully the closest substitute is Muscat, which I will to ruin my taste buds with, so I stick with Chablis. Oysters here are also good, especially considering this neck of the woods.
As for pudding, they have Far Breton on the menu, need I say more, and this is a proper French effort at it, the kind I get a Bleeding Heart or Racine back in civilization. This also goes quite well with either the Muscat or some Paradis Cognac, which surprisingly they have, given the otherwise disappointing wines.
Service is quite good, not Ramsey, but what else is… Its nice to hear non northern accents from those other than my fellow diners while I am up here, the French accents offer some solitude to my brain.
Very affordable.
Thursday, February 09, 2006
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