But for once there was an actual occasion at home - my beloved D's birthday (no, the beloved is not ironic. Stop laughing). And we booked a two night stay at The Gilpin, a gorgeous country house hotel situated just outside Bowness, way back at the beginning of the year. A different time, when booking a hotel and a restaurant still seemed like an odd (or certainly optimistic) thing to do. We actually stayed there before, many, many, years ago, back when it was called Gilpin Lodge and the restaurant produced the kind of lovely, elegant, slightly unassuming food served in many a country house hotel up and down the country. And very nice it was too. But it's had a bit of a revamp since then and now boasts two restaurants: Hrishi, the Michelin starred flagship, and Gilpin Spice.
The current head chef, Hrishikesh Desai, was apparently recruited via a BBC 2 programme. Although that is not to say that he is a wannabe Masterchef contestant - this chap's CV is STELLAR. An adjective which could certainly be applied to the food that he is producing through both of his outlets.
Gilpin Spice first - we first read about this in a Jay Rayner review and have been wanting to visit ever since. It is fusion food as it should be - which is to say that while it draws from diverse culinary influences (most notably Indian and Chinese) everything tastes as if it belongs, perfectly, indubitably, inevitably, together. D was obsessed by the pani puri, tiny crispy cups filled with chickpeas and spice and tamarind:
Whereas for me, I couldn't decide whether the torched salmon in a delicate sauce of coconut and mustard seeds and turmeric was the star of the show:
Or the fabulous Singapore Paneer fry which saw the bouncy paneer thriving in a slightly sweet, slightly chilli-hot sauce alongside lots of crunchy vegetable friends. I want to re-create this at home.
Minor gripes: it's quite difficult to order the right amount of food, which is often a problem with restaurants that do sharing plates. We had two snacks, two small sharing plates and then two large sharing plates with another small plate (aloo tikki: delicious crisp-fried balls of spiced potato) in lieu of a side. This was about in line with what they recommended and it felt like too much. A pork belly large plate was just too big a portion which is not something that I say very often when it comes to pork belly. It's a shame, as it meant skipping dessert. Another thing that I do not say very often.
Also, I can't comment much on the restaurant interior because we were seated in a side room away from the main dining area and open kitchen. We felt a bit out of the way, which I am sure was not the intention; many people would have preferred the intimate space. But if I were to go again, I'd want a seat closer to the action.
The following day we (wo)manfully managed a light breakfast but then made a tactical decision to eschew food for the rest of the day which I would recommend if you are foolish brave enough to try and tackle both restaurants in a single trip. Especially if, like us, you decide to spend most of Saturday reading and drinking coffee in the hotel lounge rather than yomping up hills. Look, it was raining, and in my wing backed arm chair, novel in one hand and delicate china in the other, I felt like a character in an Agatha Christie novel.
Hrishi is, basically, a cross between Gilpin Spice and the aforementioned unassuming country house hotel fare. It was beautifully presented, very refined but with hints of spice and fusion creeping in, sometimes in unexpected places. Pani puri made a re-appearance, this time reimagined with cured cod, soya, honey and lime. (I suspect that D would have eaten far more of these if given the chance):
A scallop dish which served up the mollusc, both seared and ceviche, bathed in an orange, ginger and chilli dressing full of zing and allusions of spice. This was a firm favourite - I particularly loved the addition of the toasted hazelnuts and will steal this idea the next time that I cook scallops.
But the undoubted star of the show was the chicken with Chetinnad sauce and a gorgeous crispy package stuffed with leg meat, fruit and nuts. It's quite unusual to see chicken as a main course, but it rose magnificently to the occasion here, the perfect vehicle for the stunningly spiced, rich sauce, the welcome sour of the tamarind gel providing a perfect additional dimension.
I must also note here that the wine tasting menu, although costly, was one of the most interesting that we have had for a while - lots of unusual choices including a Romanian Feteasca Regala which we adored. It's never cheap to go for matching wine, and sometimes it just isn't quite worth it, but I'd definitely recommend pushing the boat out here. With the complex spicing going on in some of the dishes, it's well worth having an expert guide you on good accompaniments.
Again, the most minor of gripes: our waiter seemed genuinely put out when we asked for a cheese course. It didn't appear to be the done thing here at all. And the cheese itself was fine but not the most exciting offering in the world - I think that the restaurant has other priorities and that is fair enough.
A fabulous two days worth of food and drink then - and all in the nicest, most civilised of settings. It's always exciting to eat the food of a chef who is creating a style that is entirely his own, and I look forward to stalking the Gilpin Spice menu and Instagram to steal ideas for dishes to recreate at home. The competition for The WW Foodie Dish of the Year (a prestigious award indeed) remains hot stuff.
Crook Road
Windermere
LA23 3NE
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