Cook it: Channel Island gold
Back to Guernsey, this time not for hospital food
I was so upset by my recent horror trip to Guernsey that when I was offered a return visit I leapt at the chance. I had so wanted to enjoy and revisit the place that was such an important part of my youth, and in the end I spent it in a hospital intensive care unit – not fun in any sense.
My return with friends Ms G de V and Mr M was a far more exciting affair and I am glad to say that I was at last able to sample some of the fine fare on offer there.
On my first visit I managed only one meal, at Le Petit Bistro, a fine place serving deliciously tarditional French bistro dishes that warmed my heart and my soul. I could eat that kind of food any day of the week but would, it has to be said, probably end up back in hospital, this time through over indulgence. It is very good indeed.
On our return we wanted to sample some of the other food on offer and especially the menus that are part of their annual Tennerfest.
The Tennerfest started in the days when £10 would buy you a good three course meal; it is now the starting point for a month of food offers from participating restaurants across the Channel Islands.
On our first evening we visited The Hook, a smart and fairly new restaurant that overlooks the harbour in down town St Peter Port. This stylish spot has a good cocktail menu, which we tried out before going upstairs to the dining room. The menu features grills and sushi, a good combination, and we didn’t take long in deciding which dishes from the three course evening Tennerfest menu to try.
We also ordered a half dozen local oysters which were truly superb, sweet, fresh and plump. My sushi starter was delicious and generous too, great seared tuna topped with crispy shreds of potato and my braised ox cheek was stunningly tender and packed with deep flavours. Mr M had a platter of sushi as his main and was very impressed, again by the freshness and sweetness of the fish. Ms G de V is vegetarian and declared her dish good but not amazing. I could not resist having a dessert of local delicacy Gache, a fruit bread that was toasted and served with a fruit sorbet and cream – yummy!
The next evening, having met many local foodies for meetings, we booked, on their advice, into La Nautique. La Nautique is French with a German chef, and again it overlooks the harbour which on our second night was overflowing onto the road, as there was a seasonal high tide. It added to the drama and made us very aware of our island location.
La Nautique is smart and this time we shunned the Tennerfest and went a la carte.
Mr M started with more of those amazing local oysters, this time from the small island of Herm. Again they were huge beasts, plump and sparklingly fresh. Ms G de V had a dish of aubergine that she loved and gave full marks to.
I saw squid, and ordered. I love it, and after this dish I fear that all other squid dishes will disappoint. It was huge too, a lesson to those chefs and restaurateurs who serve the tiniest portions in the name of style. Here I had two roasted squid tubes stuffed to overflowing with buttery white crab meat and topped with a fresh salad of quality roquette. It was bliss, no other word will suffice. The squid as tender as chicken breast, the crab sweet and punchy, I could not have been happier.
Mr M moved on to lobster, well why not, and he made light of the large and perfectly prepared and presented crustacean. I looked on with a certain amount of envy – until my massive platter of local fish arrived, so many kinds and again generous to a fault. There is little fault in generosity to be honest, so that phrase is somewhat redundant. I ate the lot but at the cost of the side orders of vegetables that we did not do justice to, and as for puddings, not a hope in hell, far too full for that – but I will be back!
Le Petit Bistro, 56 Lower Pollet, St Peter Port, Guernsey, GY1 1WF, +44 1481 725055 www.petitbistro.co.uk
The Hook, North Plantation, St Peter Port, Guernsey, GY1 2LQ, Guernsey, +44 1481 701373
www.thehook.gg
Le Nautique Restaurant, Quay Steps, St Peter Port, Guernsey, GY1 2LE, +44 1481 721714
www.lenautiquerestaurant.co.uk
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