It is perhaps somewhat befitting that the menu of AG is visually represented as an autumn tree leaf 🍁 – downward looking with starters at the top, near the base and desserts at the bottom, near the palest most juice deprived part. It is almost the opposite of what I would imagine a tasting menu at a high end restaurant would be – instead of building up to a great climax through the meals, it opens up unbelievably high and then just slowly goes downward from there.
A bit like a TV who-dun-it gone wrong – an amazing pilot episode followed by a confusing, fizzling out plot where you stick to the last episode devout of any real interest only because you have already invested too much of your time going through the first 6 installments. 🤨
The non-descriptive ‘Snacks’ and ‘From the Kitchen’ starters are out of this world – both in terms of taste and presentation and set the scene unbelievably well. 😋💫
Salmon and artichoke broth are still amazing (even though I am not a fan of artichoke) – broth is surprisingly pleasant in both taste and texture, followed by an equally good cauliflower with an interesting addition of almonds.
Things start to fall apart somewhat at meal 5 – the pork belly – ironic as it is, given that the other – casual – restaurant in Alexander House (called Reflections) offers perhaps the best pork belly I have ever had (separate review to follow!) 🐽
Meal 6 – the brill (that’s a type of fish apparently 🐠 ) recovers some of the lost plot with the best squid ink I’ve had this side of Venice.
But meal 7 represents the moment in the proverbial who-dun-it where you finally realise that despite the high gloss cinematography, chic settings and amazing cast, that production is not up to expectations. The taste combination is bizarre (deer 🦌 + honey and what is all this other extra stuff, too?), the deer is somewhat chewy, the meat lacks that “melt in your mouth moment”.
The deer is somewhat chewy, the meat lacks that “melt in your mouth moment” 🦌
The first dessert 🍮 (meal number 9) is equally confusing. The small cup appears full to the brim with brown caramel-looking goodness and some nuts with that, too! But much like a disappointing plot twist, dipping your spoon into it leads not to a warm gooey brown inside (much more befitting a winter dessert!) but to a thin green lonely looking layer of pine and basil at the bottom.
The second dessert is much better 🍨 , but at this stage, this only serves as a nice wide parting shot of the amazing scenery surrounding the town at the end of the final episode of a somewhat “less-than-what-was-expected” series.
