A gastronomic tour of East Devon

I've spent the last couple of weeks in Devon assisting with the re-opening of the catering services in seventeen schools across Torquay and Exmouth. Last week I ate out at Beefeater... I got bored of the generic bland steakhouse and decided to explore what my options were in terms of restaurants in the local area.  My first search on the internet pulled up Elephant Restaurant, a Michelin starred restaurant in Torquay and I got a little excited. It looked like my search might bare fruit!

The fun began when I started trying to find restaurants that were open. You see, I was in Devon from Sunday evening through Tuesday evening and I discovered that almost everywhere in East Devon is closed on Sunday and Monday. My search continued and I eventually found my Sunday evening dinner spot. It turned out that the Devon countryside, even the touristy seaside, is seriously sleepy. It was me, the seagulls and a couple of locals walking their dogs on the beach... and that was it!

 The Owl and the Pussycat is a quaint little restaurant in Teignmouth. An unassuming decor meets the eye when you walk in as you are instantly greeted by the friendly owner who leads you to your table. Menu and drinks quickly follow, which is nice. The menu was interesting, especially in the mains and it took me a while to decide, but decide I did. I went for the Boudin of Free Range Chicken with Braised Ham Hock, Peas and Pea Shoots and the Creedy Carver Duck Dreast with Red Cabbage, Carrot and Ginger Puree and a Blood Orange Sauce and finished with Sticky Toffee Pudding.

The starter was seriously good. The boudin stole the day for me as it was light and creamy with a delightfully mild chicken flavour mingling with a subtle hint of cream. The ham hock and peas was flavourful and hearty, however when combing the boudin and ham hock together, I totally lost the boudin. I couldn't have that! So I ate the two separate elements on the plate as two different dishes. Not complaining at all as they were both delicious and not at all at odds with each other. The pea shoots added a fresh lightness to the plate which I thoroughly enjoyed too.

My first thought was, "That looks pretty" and then I noticed the duck breast. Slightly over cooked... It still had a gentle pink tinge, so I gave the chef the benefit of the doubt and tucked in. I'm glad I did! The duck was soft, melt in the mouth soft and oh so tasty! Yes, it was a touch overcooked, but that was easily forgiven by my palette as the duck was that good. The blood orange sauce was intense and complemented the duck beautifully, as did the red cabbage. I tried a bit of the cabbage on its own and it was super sweet, but when combining on the fork with the duck, everything melded into one smooth finish. The fondant potatoes were ok, but the revelation was the puree. An explosion of ginger flooded my tongue and I was honestly astounded. Just loved it! I am a fan of ginger, so maybe that influenced my decision. A really good dish and it was very easy to overlook the error in the duck.

First impressions of the dessert was a little disappointing because I was expecting the same elegance in the presentation as demonstrated with the first two courses.  Also, the ice cream was not home made... maybe I'm too fussy! However, biting into the sponge was just lovely. Very soft, warm and moist with a traditionally sticky sweet sauce which juxtapositioned beautifully with the cold creamy vanilla ice cream. A cup of coffee was called for after licking the plate clean, just to wash away all the richness lingering in my mouth.

Night two and a new restaurant. This time I went to Orestone Manor, a fine dining restaurant attached to a small hotel overlooking the ocean. Pity the weather was a bit rubbish as it ruined our view of the sea from our table. I'd arranged to meet up with Andy and Emma, a couple Sheila and I had met whilst on honeymoon in Cambodia. After a drink and a quick catch up, we were shown to our table and orders were placed. I chose the Pan Fried Brixham Scallops, Pancetta, Pearl Onions and Pea Cream to start, Roasted Rump of Hatherleigh, Herb Purée, Spring Cabbage and Braised Baby Vegetables in a Tarragon Jus for mains and Passion Fruit Crème Brulee with Coconut Sorbet and Mango Coulis. Sounds good, huh?

Just beautiful! A very pretty looking plate even with the pea cream poured all over it by the waiter. The scallops were gorgeous, caramelised on the outside and opaque on the inside, perfectly cooked. The pea cream was sweet and the pancetta salty which created a beautifully balanced dish. Seconds please?

First glance and presentation was a little untidy however when I put the lamb in my mouth, it was soft and succulent and very tasty. Nothing else really jumped up and grabbed me though... the herb purée was very bold and earthy in its flavours but the rest was, well... just there, on the plate, making up the numbers. Still, the lamb was gorgeous.

Man... untidy, untidy, untidy. Having said that though, my spoon cracked audibly through the sugar and that made me smile. The passion fruit brulee was sharp and sweet and very smooth. Add in the texture of the crunchy caramel and it was delicious. The coconut sorbet was delicious too. It was ever so creamy with a beautiful coconut flavour washing over my tongue with every spoonful. Add a little of the mango coulis to the spoon and I went quiet. Didn't speak again until the end of my dessert. Just a pity about the initial impression... what's that they say about books and their covers?

Impressions? Yeah the food was good, better than the chain restaurant at my hotel, but I felt flavours in the main course and the presentation of both mains and dessert let them down. The starter was a triumph though and the flavours in the dessert were exquisite.

Tuesday evening and I went into Torquay to try my luck for The Room at the Elephant Restaurant. The restaurant is divided across two floors with the Michelin starred The Room on the first floor and The Brasserie on the ground floor.

I walked in and asked for a table in The Room and was politely informed that it was closed due to no bookings. I wonder if I had booked, whether or not they would have opened for me? I was shown to my table and presented with The Brasserie menu. I just couldn't decide what to have... I was toying between the Gnocchi and the Mackerel Pate for starter. Then for some reason I thought, hang on, I'm in a posh restaurant, let's see what they do with common grub.

So I ordered Scotch Egg for starter, Fish Pie for main and Cheesecake for dessert.

I was honestly surprised when what arrived at my table was exactly as promised on the menu. It was a Scotch Egg. I was expecting the chef to play a little and maybe deconstruct it or... Oh, I don't know, I just wasn't expecting a perfectly fried little Scotch Egg on my plate. It was immaculately cooked with the yolk, as shown in the picture, silky soft and oozing out everywhere after my first slice. A little different to the store bought scotch eggs, right? So, a beautiful boiled egg, tasty pork sausage, crispy golden crumb, fresh salad and a creamy grainy mustard mayonnaise. Yeah, all very good, but I still can't help feeling like I was cheated...

The Fish Pie arrived and, yes please, it had been played with! The mash on top was stuffed full of parmesan cheese and very very tasty.The fish was cooked perfectly and was flaky and light. The hot tartare sauce was more of a light parsley sauce and it was a pleasantly light sauce, however I felt it could have had a touch more depth but I loved the mussels, mini capers and cubed egg white in the sauce.

I was really looking forward to dessert. The menu described it as Lemon Curd Cheesecake with a Raspberry and Basil Compote. The dessert arrived and it was certainly pretty on the plate. My first taste was of one of the lemon curd balls on the side of the plate. Yum! Bursting with flavour, it just exploded in my mouth with sweet and sour lemon. The rest of the journey was downhill to be honest... The cheesecake was nicely cheesy and tacky in the mouth but lacked any lemon flavour. The menu led me to believe that the cheesecake itself was lemon curb, but instead it was a standard cheesecake. Moving onto the compote, I was excited to try the combination of basil and raspberry compote (as described by the menu) and was expecting to get a wash of sweet basil and sour raspberry across my palette. Nope, there was no basil that I could taste in the compote. The basil was only artfully arrange around the plate. Disappointed...

Maybe I was expecting more from this restaurant because my mind was set on The Room upstairs. Don't get me wrong, the food was good, well presented, quality produce, etc. but I left feeling let down. We have booked a table for The Room upstairs at the end of May and I will, of course, let you know my thoughts.

Overall thoughts?

I loved The Owl and the Pussycat. Gorgeous food, quaint, friendly staff. Just great. I enjoyed all three courses here immensely, even the basically presented dessert. Orestone Manor let me down on presentation, except for the starter which was fantastic. Elephant Restaurant left me feeling a little flat, yes the main course was brilliant and the starter was pleasant, but the lack of flair and the misrepresented dessert let me down. Remember though, if I had my critic's hat off, the comments for all three restaurants would have been,"Yeah, fantastic, I'd go again!". I'm just being picky for the benefit of this blog.

My favourite courses: The scallops for starters (by a hair over the boudin), the duck for mains (outright favourite dish of the three nights) and the passion fruit brulee for dessert even though it had been thrown on the plate because the taste was superlative.

So, after three fantastic evenings spent out in Devon exploring some of their finer restaurants, I ended up back in London a couple of kilo's heavier but happier for the experience. If you get the chance though, check out The Owl and the Pussycat, it's truly great.