Menu of the Year

Bohemia, St Helier, Jersey

Unless they are under the stewardship of a certain London restaurateur, hotel restaurants, it seems, struggle to make a name for themselves. Footfall is limited to guests or the odd business lunch, while passing trade is something their managers can only dream of.

Not so at Bohemia in St Helier, Jersey, where head chef Shaun Rankin has raised the 40-seat restaurant to destination status since it opened in 2003. Cleverly, the Club Hotel and Spa, which the restaurant will be part of, is not opening until this summer, a strategy which has allowed the restaurant to build a reputation for itself first.

Rankin obviously feels it was a ploy that paid off. "It takes two years to let a restaurant settle down," he says, "but now we are really going for it." Earlier this year the restaurant was awarded its first Michelin star. His menu is a contemporary version of Frenchinfluenced fine dining. It certainly stretches beyond the more classical country house hotel cuisine you might expect to find on the rest of the island. As well as cooking at the island's previous Michelin star holder, Longueville Manor, Rankin, a Durham boy by birth, has also done a stage at Charlie Trotter's in Chicago. This strongly influenced his appreciation of how to bring ingredients together.

"It's about marriages and combinations," he says, "as long as you don't forget about textures and consistencies." Pairings on the plate include monkfish and Parma ham with braised oxtail; grilled local scallops and crispy lamb's tongue; and pork belly and langoustines.

The judges praised the menu's ability to whet appetites and tempt diners to make the journey across to Jersey.

Judge and winner of the 2003 Menu of the Year Catey Sat Bains said: "He uses seasonal ingredients and classic combinations well, like duck and orange and asparagus

Much is made by Rankin of the local Jersey catch, and he gets a constant supply of fresh fish from day boats: red mullet (abundant much earlier than it is for the mainland, thanks to the warmer water) and sea bass, as well as diver-caught scallops, crabs and local squid. That connection with local food also impressed the judges. "There is lovely fish on the menu," said fellow judge David Mulcahy, "and you can tell he's proud of the Jersey produce. When you eat at a lot of places you feel you could be anywhere."

The judges were also impressed by the value of the menu: £35 for three courses at dinner or a generous £17.50 for three courses at lunch. They also praised Rankin's willingness to get the most out of his ingredients. For a starter of scallop ravioli with a crab velouté, Rankin bolsters the velouté's flavour by braising the skirts of the scallops that will themselves be made into the ravioli's mousseline. "The techniques he uses show he's someone who cares," said one judge.

Although Bohemia stood out from the rest as the winner of the 2005 Menu of the Year Catey, the judges were quick to applaud all the menus shortlisted for the title. "People seem to be aiming much better at their target audience," said judge Annie Schwab. "The marketing is getting much, much better."

Bohemia has certainly won over the hearts of Jersey's diners. And now it has won over our judges, too.

The judges

• Sat Bains, chef-proprietor, Sat Bains Restaurant with Rooms
• Charles Boyd, chief executive officer, Chester Boyd
• David Mulcahy, food service and craft development manager,Compass Group UK & Ireland
• Michael Raffael, food writer
• Annie Schwab, co-proprietor, Winteringham Fields

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