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the secret is out
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Blandy’s Bistro at
Inglewood House
should be on
every foodie’s list
of places to dine
says HILARY
SCOTT
T
here is a bistro in the area that is a
very well-kept secret. But it really
doesn’t want to be – nor does it
deserve to be.
Let me introduce Blandy’s at Inglewood – a
charming place set in Inglewood House, a
country mansion now an Audley retirement
village.
Now, hold on there – stop imagining what that
could be like and listen here.
Inglewood is a very pretty converted pile and
to get to Blandy’s you walk into a reception
area that could be any upmarket hotel, you turn
along a corridor filled with stunning artwork
and antiques and turn into the bar and bistro.
Very swish and elegant.
You can sit at the well-stocked bar or take your
G&T on to the sun terrace surrounded by lovely
gardens.
At our table we had views out of the arched
Georgian windows on to the wooded grounds
and plenty to look at inside with some stunning
paintings on the walls.
And the food – well here’s a place with refined,
polished offerings at one course for £17.50,
two for £24 and three for £29.50. A real bargain
for the quality.
Take our starters – a seared mackerel fillet
delivered that morning with confit red, green
and orange tomatoes, crispy squid ink tuiles
and a drizzle of basil oil.
The yielding mackerel flesh could not hide its
freshness and the confit tomatoes submitted
to a gentle push from the knife and burst into
sweetness in the mouth.
The confit technique was also used in my
guinea fowl roast and leg, which sparkled with
sea salt and sat atop a silky sweetcorn purée
with popcorn and a wedge of a corn cob.
We were impressed – how would our mains,
lamb and skate wing live up to this good start?
Very, very well it turned out.
Four thick slices of lamb rump sat on a rich
lamb jus and crushed marjoram peas and
came with griddled baby artichoke hearts,
Parisienne potatoes (balls cooked in butter)
spiked with black pepper and a daddy of all
anchovies splashed with lemon and coated in a
crunchy batter. It all worked so well.
I had food envy though at my guest’s skate
wing – cooked classically in butter it was
surrounded by plump sultanas, capers so tiny
they looked like green lentils, but which added
a sharpness to contrast the sweet sultanas,
fine green beans and lemony cubes of roasted
potatoes. It too sang with freshness and skill.
The service too was good – our waiter
could not have been more attentive without
smothering us.
The lightness of touch used by Blandys’ South
African chef Gert Pienaar meant we did not ask
for an over-long wait before dessert and anyway
we were so impressed by the first two courses
we could not wait to try our final course.
The dark chocolate tart was a revelation –
using 64 per cent dark chocolate meant it did
not have that lip-puckering bitterness that some
dark chocolate has. It came with a nougatine
ice cream sandwich and a gloss you could use
to apply your lipstick.
Pictures: Dijana Capan
Blandys Bar and Bistro
Inglewood House,
Audley Retirement Village,
Templeton Road,
Kintbury RG17 9AA
T: 01488 208173
www.blandysbistro.co.uk