GNER 17:33 King’s Cross to Bradford 16th December 2005
Julius and I like to do regular checks on this restaurant but, like the royal family, we never travel together in case of accidents – who would continue the blogg tradition if we both perished? Julius has found GNER lacking at times.
Hors d’oeuvre I went for the salmon and was glad I had done so. A fair sized portion of fresh and fragrant salmon laid over diced beetroot and potato salad in its own cream sauce with additional horseradish cream sauce. Very good. I could eat it right now.
Entrée The fillet steak, cooked medium, by default as I had eaten my way though the rest of the menu on previous journeys. Is there a message here about changing the menu more often? Yes. The fair-sized steak was tender and tasty and cooked according to my request. No real argument to pick with the meat itself but a blue cheese coating is added at the last minute and this detracts from the full meat flavour, as does the hint of chilli in the bed of succulent and juicy slices of celeriac upon which the steak is served. New potatoes; I still can’t get over how we so casually accept new potatoes in December and sometimes think we would benefit from returning to the days when vegetables were only seasonally available – would we appreciate them more? Mange tout peas. Both vegetables cooked slightly al dente: I can’t help feeling this was by accident but I like vegetables like this so can’t complain. Both butter coated were good-sized portions.
Dessert Egg custard served with rhubarb compote. Both lovely tastes – nicely balanced and even “fragrant”. Appropriately textured compote (so easy to stew this isn’t it?) and a good size for this portion too. The dish is decorated with the tip of a sprig of mint; I wonder what happens to the rest of the sprig? And the plant?
With a half bottle of the Chilean Merlot (Central Valley). A strength of GNER’s wine cellar is this soft but luscious, evenly balanced red wine that never disappoints. Recommended.
Coffee & chocolate – the usual GNER brand, which is not unacceptable in moderation, and a white chocolate. I hesitate to put the two words “white” and “chocolate” together and my misgivings are borne out by this sickly sweet example. A white praline enrobed in white chocolate. Both good textures but I have misgivings. Is the praline really nuts ground with cream or milk or is it some form of alternative? It tastes good enough to be the former. And the covering – what is it really?
At £34.70, a fair price under the circumstances (i.e. the food is good, there are no other restaurants to go to and you eat at 125 mph)
Hors d’oeuvre I went for the salmon and was glad I had done so. A fair sized portion of fresh and fragrant salmon laid over diced beetroot and potato salad in its own cream sauce with additional horseradish cream sauce. Very good. I could eat it right now.
Entrée The fillet steak, cooked medium, by default as I had eaten my way though the rest of the menu on previous journeys. Is there a message here about changing the menu more often? Yes. The fair-sized steak was tender and tasty and cooked according to my request. No real argument to pick with the meat itself but a blue cheese coating is added at the last minute and this detracts from the full meat flavour, as does the hint of chilli in the bed of succulent and juicy slices of celeriac upon which the steak is served. New potatoes; I still can’t get over how we so casually accept new potatoes in December and sometimes think we would benefit from returning to the days when vegetables were only seasonally available – would we appreciate them more? Mange tout peas. Both vegetables cooked slightly al dente: I can’t help feeling this was by accident but I like vegetables like this so can’t complain. Both butter coated were good-sized portions.
Dessert Egg custard served with rhubarb compote. Both lovely tastes – nicely balanced and even “fragrant”. Appropriately textured compote (so easy to stew this isn’t it?) and a good size for this portion too. The dish is decorated with the tip of a sprig of mint; I wonder what happens to the rest of the sprig? And the plant?
With a half bottle of the Chilean Merlot (Central Valley). A strength of GNER’s wine cellar is this soft but luscious, evenly balanced red wine that never disappoints. Recommended.
Coffee & chocolate – the usual GNER brand, which is not unacceptable in moderation, and a white chocolate. I hesitate to put the two words “white” and “chocolate” together and my misgivings are borne out by this sickly sweet example. A white praline enrobed in white chocolate. Both good textures but I have misgivings. Is the praline really nuts ground with cream or milk or is it some form of alternative? It tastes good enough to be the former. And the covering – what is it really?
At £34.70, a fair price under the circumstances (i.e. the food is good, there are no other restaurants to go to and you eat at 125 mph)
posted by Jean-Paul Sartre at
8:07 pm
