Restaurant Sat Bains,Hotel de Clos, Nottingham
There are areas of Britain - London, the Lake District, Ludlow and the Cotswolds, say - that are recognised as centres of culinary excellence. Nottingham, up to now, has not been one of them. One man, however, doing his very best to reverse that is 31-year-old Sat Bains.
Over the past three years Bains has built such a reputation for the restaurant at Hotel de Clos that last year the hotel's owner, Daniel Ralley, renamed it Restaurant Sat Bains.
Bains, though, wanted to ring the changes even more. In a radical and brave decision he replaced the … la carte and set-price menus at dinner with a series of d‚gustation ones.
Quite a move, and one that might have made Restaurant Sat Bains a controversial choice for Menu of the Year, especially when this year's shortlist (picked from the cream of this year's Menuwatch features appearing in Caterer) offered such strong competition. But the judges had no difficulty explaining their decision: "If the customers trust the chef they will go back again and again. That's what is happening with Sat Bains," said judge Annie Schwab of Winteringham Fields, Lincolnshire.
After an amuse-bouche of, for example, hot butternut soup poured over a cold Parmesan sorbet and topped with a shaving of white truffle (what you read on the menu is only half what you actually eat), diners are invited to embark on a further seven or eight courses.
A dish that has been a favourite with Bains for some time, but which has evolved more recently, is ballotine of foie gras, cherries, citrus fruits, rocket, candied nuts, pain d'‚pice and banyuls syrup.
"The combination of foie gras and pain d'‚pice is a classic and we play on the fattiness of the foie gras by adding cherries (poached in lemon) and citrus fruits (wild lime, pink grapefruit and blood orange). When you eat it you get a massive burst of flavour," he explains.
Such is the success of his cooking that in January Bains became the only chef in Nottinghamshire to hold a Michelin star.
Food writer Michael Raffael praised his approach, the accessibility of his menu, and the superb flavours. "It's so easy to get carried away and think that being creative is doing what no one else is doing - but what is really creative is taking what other people have done and doing it differently, and doing it better," he said.
The judges were unanimous in their verdict, citing the top produce and balanced flavours on the menus as evidence of Bains's skill, plus the business success that he has achieved. The fair pricing - £45 for seven or eight courses - was also praised.
Menu of the year shortlist
The Samling hotel, Lake District
Zuma, London
Mustard and Punch, Honley, Huddersfield, West Yorkshire
The Garden Room restaurant, Chipping Campden, Gloucestershire
Holbrook House hotel, Wincanton, Somerset
The West House, Biddenden, Kent
Floriana, London
River Walk, London
Longridge restaurant, Preston, Lancashire
Hustyns, Wadebridge, Cornwall
Sevens, Truro, Cornwall
Judges
MAIDA BIJAVICA-THORP Buyer, City Centre Restaurants
CHARLES BOYD Managing director, Chester Boyd
PETER JOYNER Craft training executive, Sodexho
MICHAEL RAFFAEL Food writer
ANNIE SCHWAB Patron, Winteringham Fields
Previous Winners:
2002 Bruno's, Kildare Street, Dublin
2001 Five Bells
2000 Idaho, London
1999 The Glasshouse, Kew, London
1998 The River Station, Bristol
1997 The Star Inn, Helmsley
1996 The Canteen, London
1995 The Design House, Halifax
1994 Number Twenty Four, Wymondham
1993 The Box Tree, Ilkley
1992 Le Soufflé, Hotel Inter-Continental, London
1991 Calcot Manor, Tetbury
1990 Le Méridien, London
1989 Castle Hotel, Taunton
1988 Grand Hotel, Eastbourne
1987 Three Swans Hotel, Market Harborough
1986 Le Talbooth, Dedham
1985 The Savoy, London
1984 Waterside Inn, Bray
Sponsored by: Quorn
Sponsor message:
Quorn is delighted to be supporting the Cateys for the first time this year, and is proud to be sponsoring the category of Menu of the Year.
This prestigious Catey is awarded for a balanced, stylish menu that demonstrates true skill and flair, and uses a range of ingredients to produce an appropriately priced menu that is truly suited to the restaurant's customers.
Quorn fully recognises the creativity and dedication that is required to create a successful menu, and this award poses the opportunity to give due recognition and praise to those restaurants that have excelled in the field of menu development.
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