La Cachette (Take Eight)

Another delicious meal once again from what I think I can now safely say is my favourite restaurant. I visited home the other week and I felt like the occasion needed to be celebrated with a meal at La Cachette. The menu has changed once again which I was please about as it means that I get the chance to try out some new things. Without further ado let's jump into it!

For starter I went a little bit out of my comfort zone and had a French Onion Tart. For someone that loves onions and pastries I'm surprised that me and this dish have never crossed paths before but I'm sure that after this we will again. I find that whenever I have onions at a restaurant they have a tendency to be pretty crunchy which I'm not a fan of but this wasn't the case for this dish. They were soft, sweet and very well caramelised and everything was delicious together. The inside was like that of a quiche so it was all very soft which contrasted very well with the crisp, buttery pastry. One thing that I wasn't overly keen on in this dish was the parsley salad as the flavour of parsley was a little bit too overwhelming. I did however like the red things (sorry I have no idea what they are but they were really nice, tangy but sweet).

I tried something I've never had before again for my main and had Hare Fillet with Cabbage and a Hare Leg Hot Pot. This was amazing! I didn't know what I was expecting but whatever it was it was surpassed! The fillet was a mix of liver and steak, cut like butter and melted in the mouth but still had a little something about it. I am in love. The leg in the hot pot was divine as well and was cooked to perfection. The potato on the top of the hot pot was amazingly buttery and crisp as well, I could have eaten twenty more! The cabbage was cooked to perfection and went really nicely with everything else on the plate. If I had one downer it would be that the hot pot was a tad orange-y but that is literally so minor in comparison to everything else which was stunning. My new favourite dish!

La Cachette! (Take Five)

Guess who's back, back again! You know you love it and just because I go to the same place doesn't mean I don't try to have different things, I do try! This time round there were some particularly yummy things on the menu and it was quite hard to choose what to have.

For starter I went for scallops with asparagus, jersey royal potatoes, a bacon crumb and a hollandaise sauce. I'm always loathed to go for the scallops because on the early bird menu it's a £3 or £5 surcharge I can never remember which I think is a bit excessive. But when I have it I'm always glad when I do because they're so delicious! This time round I got three huge scallops which were cooked beautifully and were soft and tasty and the bacon crumb was delicious as well and went really nicely with the scallops. I don't like jersey royals so I left those but the asparagus was nice and I like the fact that they were thin sticks as I normally have big, fat pieces of asparagus. The sauce was incredible! Creamy and tasty and it really brought everything together. Portion size was perfect and I couldn't fault it, other than the potatoes which isn't really a fault just because I don't like them.

My main was lamb epigramme with dauphinoise potatoes, pea puree, pimento and capers. This was super delicious but I think that I'd have preferred it as a starter rather than a main, I don't know why but I just do. The epigramme itself was like a fishcake but with lamb, shredded lamb coated in breadcrumbs. It was really nice but a little dry so I'd have preferred a thicker sauce to go with it. The potatoes were delicious! Crispy on the top but soft and buttery and they went really nicely with the lamb and moistened it up a little bit. The pea puree was very good and the was plenty of it. I've never properly tried pimento (pimentos, I have no idea) before and I was a real fan. They were vinegar-y and added a different flavour and texture to the dish which went well with the lamb.

Chocolate moooooousse! Loved this! To give it its full name it was a chocolate and salted caramel mousse with creme fresh jellies and roasted banana. The chocolate mousse was really creamy and full of chocolate flavour. When you hit the centre there was a soft salted caramel centre which went perfectly with the chocolate and there was just the right amount, except there was more mousse than one person could handle. If it was half the size then the portion would have been perfect. The banana was sweet and it had crystallised on the top so it had a crunch. The texture of the jellies was interesting and I liked the inclusion as it was a fresh yet creamy. I'd definitely polish this off all over again!

La Cachette! (Take Four)

Another day, another trip to La Cachette. What a surprise! But when the food is this good it's hard to stay away. So without further ado let's get on with it.

For my starter I had a special of oyster fritters. I've never had oysters before, and to be honest I wasn't 100% on what they were, but I decided to take the plunge and boy was I glad I did. The fritters were crunchy on the outside and soft in the centre from the oysters. They weren't at all slimy or too greasy that it made me thirsty. It came with a cucumber yoghurt type thing which was very tasty and a cooling contrast and a curry sauce like thing (why is everything a thing). The curry sauce was so good, tasty, not spicy but it still had heat and went really well with the fritters. I would totally eat this all over again and would be one happy girl if it made its way onto the normal menu.

My main was venison with a vegetable samosa and creamed corn. The venison was definitely was the star of the dish and was soft, tender and full of flavour. The samosa was nice too as it had a nice indian-y flavour and went really well with the meat. The creamed corn was good but I'm not the biggest fan of sweetcorn and the broccoli was nice but there was a lot of it. The only thing that this dish could of done with was a nice thick sauce because the one it came with was just a little bit and it was thin whereas I'm a big fan of a good thick sauce, but maybe that's just me. It also came with this jelly type thing but the flavour was fruity and strong and personally I found it a bit strange. Overall very good!

You know the drill by now, sticky toffee pudding is the king of desserts, or at least one of. If you want to know my thoughts then read this post where I go into more detail on my love for this little beauty.

La Cachette! (Take Three)

Another trip home means another visit to La Cachette and another great meal! You know the drill let's just get into it. For a while now I've been meaning to try the rabbit pie but because I've been having the Beef Wellington for main I left it, so today was the day. This was so delicious! The rabbit was tender and melted in the mouth and went perfectly with the sauce. There were chunks of carrot underneath which were nice and sweet and the pastry was thin and not overtaking. Perfect portion size, gorgeous flavours, what more can you ask for?

Next up for main I had partridge which I chose because I've never tried it before. This was one of the best mains that I've ever had, not just here but anywhere. It came with creamed cabbage, chorizo and fried polenta. The polenta was to die for, crispy on the outside but soft in the centre and the creamed cabbage was out of this world. It was so tasty, seasoned to perfetction, and the fact that the creaminess was just right made it even better. The partridge was delicious as well and everything went really nicely together. I wasn't too bothered about the chorizo as I found it hard to cut but the flavour was good and I'd definitely have it again.

Finally onto pudding. By the time it'd got to dessert I was stuffed so I went for one scoop of almond and praline ice cream. It was really tasty, sweet, not too almond-y and the little chunks of almonds made it super great. I'm never normally an ice cream person but I really enjoyed this, a little something to end a fantastic meal on.

La Cachette! (Take Two)

Another La Cachette post coming at you today, can you tell it's one of my favourite places for food. Let's get straight into the starter and I had smoked salmon with a crab risotto ball and an orange sauce. This is one of the best starters I've ever had, and I know that's a bold statement but it was simply delicious. The salmon was soft and melted in the mouth and was full of flavour. The orange sauce complemented everything beautifully and was sweet but had a little bit of tang. The star of the dish however was the crab risotto ball. Crispy on the outside and soft in the middle, it was full of crab flavour and melted in the mouth. One was just enough but I could've eaten a bowl of just these. The portion size was perfect and I'd have to say it was an all round perfect starter!

Being the boring so and so that I am, I went for exactly the same main that I had last time. I can't help it, beef wellington just sucks me in! If you want to see my thoughts on this dish then I wrote about it in my last La Cachette post here.

I've always wanted to have a proper tarte tatin so I jumped at the chance when I saw it on the menu. The extra 15 minutes cooking time was definitely worth the wait and it was super delicious. The apples were soft and sweet and the pastry was thin and crispy yet soft and sticky. The creme freche sorbet went well with the rest of the dish, sweet but light. So my dream was fulfilled and an overall success!

La Cachette

It's my birthday week, wooo, and what better way to spend it than with good food! Me, my mum, dad and brother went to La Cachette, a restaurant in my 'home town' (I always think that saying is really cringe but that's where it is) and I couldn't wait. Let's get straight to it! For starter I had the scallops, which was on the pricey side at just under £10.00, and they were insane. The scallops themselves were perfectly cooked, soft and tender, which went perfectly with the slightly spicy chorizo. The little fondant potatoes were divine, I've never had potatoes like this before and it won't be the last time. There were two sauces, a puree and maybe a pesto (I don't exactly know what they are, well done Abz) both of which were delicious. The portion size was a little small for the price but was perfect in terms of setting you up for the main course. Everything went perfectly and I'd definitely have it again!

For may main course I had beef wellington, which is a personal favourite of mine, and it was spot on. The portion size was spot on and although it's not much to look at there's no extra veg needed, it's beautiful just the way it is (so deep). The steak was perfectly cooked and melted in the mouth, while the pastry was crispy on the outside but softer where it touched the steak. The spinach was perfectly cooked and the mashed potato was just how I like it, buttery and smooth, with the truffle oil giving it a lovely flavour. The sauce tasted like a very posh gravy and although the flavour was quite strong I was a fan. I can't speak any more highly of this dish. Definitely one of, if not THE, best beef wellington I've ever had.

Treacle tart. What else is there to say? This will forever be one of my favourite desserts and I'm happy to report that I wasn't disappointed. The pastry was crumbly and buttery, the filling was sticky and full of lemon/treacle flavour and the ice cream was creamy and tasty. What more do you want from a dessert.

Overall huge birthday success and La Cachette will always be one of my first choices for a nice meal out.