22nd June 2008
A café in disguise
We’ve lived just a few minutes' walk from this restaurant for years, but it wasn’t until my friend Sue suggested meeting up there for dinner recently that we actually ate here. Hard to believe, considering that the prices are reasonable for the quality, and the style of cooking is just the sort of thing we enjoy.
By day this is little more than a greasy spoon café, but on Friday and Saturday evenings (and only on those two) it is transformed into a good-quality restaurant, with a short but tempting three course menu prepared and presented by owners who clearly know their stuff and, most importantly, enjoy sharing it with the diners who fill the fairly small space.
Talking of the space, the everyday café is only thinly disguised. There are candles on the tables, but otherwise the Walpole is short on atmosphere and style – not somewhere to bring a romantic date or to celebrate a special occasion, perhaps. But if you want good food at reasonable prices, you should find it here.
Before ordering you will be introduced to that evening’s choices in some detail by the enthusiastic owner, Wendy. We were even presented with an example of exactly the sort of tomatoes that would be adorning the starter of tomatoes on toast, should any of us have chosen it (we didn’t, despite her efforts!)
Instead I ate an interesting starter of juliennes of zucchini, deep fried and served with a dip of honey mayonnaise. These were likened by Wendy to whitebait, but I must admit lacked a little something for me (taste perhaps!) though the mayo was delicious. Chris’s asparagus, served with hollandaise sauce, was more successful. For mains, I had the confit of duck, served with good Jersey Royal potatoes, nicely cooked greens, tangy redcurrant sauce and a rich gravy. The redcurrant was a great foil to the otherwise strong flavours. Chris and Alex seemed to enjoy the venison (though one of these was a bit over-cooked in part) and Sue enthused about the Romney Marsh lamb. To finish, despite not really having room, I had a blackcurrant sorbet – very sharp and refreshing. Chris’s chocolate pot was deliciously rich (70% cocoa), and the bowl of truffles and Turkish delight shared by the others also looked great. Portions here are large, by the way, and doggy bags actively encouraged.
We also had a great bottle of Barolo, and with that, two bottles of water and an extra glass of wine, we paid £74 per couple with service. The menu itself costs £17.50 for two courses, £23.50 for three.
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