Le Manoir Aux Quat Saisons, Oxford (6th May 2010)

I have long heard about Raymond Blanc’s extravagant mansion/restaurant in Oxford, and having lived in Oxford for almost 20 months, I have not yet visited this 2 star Michelin “palace” as it is not very accessible unless you have a car. Anyhow, I finally had the chance to visit the place thanks to a friend’s birthday where my girlfriend and I were invited for dinner.

We were told that the mansion is quite a place, and would be worth getting there an hour early to have a quick stroll in the beautiful gardens and explore the different varieties of food ingredients that are grown on site. And it was worth it. We were impressed by the range of different vege and herbs that they grow and used for preparing their daily menu (not all the ingredients are home grown of course, but they try their best to use what they have on site)

After touring the gardens, we were invited to chill and snack in the lounge before dinner was served (the cheesy popcorn was tasty). The waiter then led us to the main dining room, which felt very cosy and relaxed. There was just enough distance between tables, which made me feel at ease during the meal. Personally, I really do not like some restaurants that make diners sit elbow to elbow, trying to push for that extra area per customer. Also, this was the first French/Michelin restaurant that I have visited which does not run the usual strict dress code. Having glanced at the menu, we decided to go for the sumptuous 9 course tasting menu – given Raymond Blanc’s reputation, what better way to experience the cooking?

While we were chating, the waiter brought forward a tray and showed us the different varieties of bread – bacon, sun-dried tomato, beer & mash potato, mini- baguettes and many others which I could hardly remember, given the choices. The bread was superb – crunchy on the outside and chewy inside. The bread was so good that we went for the 2^nd and 3^rd round, but contained ourselves given that we still have a feast to come. Below are my comments on the feast in the order that was served:

1^st course: salad of pot-caught Cornish wild crab, mango, Oscietra caviar (8/10) - the crab salad with mango was very refreshing which got the feast on a good start. Sadly, couldn't quite taste the caviar...

2^nd course: confit of “Landais” duck liver, ginger biscuit, citrus marmalade (6/10) - The combination of the liver and citrus marmalade was good but I don't think the duck liver was rich enough. The salad was very cruchy and fresh.

The brioche to go with the pate

3^rd course: plancha-seared hand-dived Scottish scallop, cauliflower puree, curry oil (6/10) - The scallop was overcooked and am not convinced with the cauliflower sauce to go with it. Curry oil probably goes better with the scallops. The little deep-fried meat-stuffed ball was very good however.

4^th course: white loire asparagus, soft fried free-range Bradmoor farm hen’s egg, our garden greens, pancetta bacon (9/10) - superb! the dish captured a varieties of texture, the seasonal white asapragus and other ingredients were finely cooked.

5^th course: slow-cooked wild Cornish line-caught sea bass, bok choy, bonito broth and tapioca pearls (9/10) - at the first look this looked very chinese and made me wonder if all the french chefs have started embracing the oriental touch in their cooking. I had the big doubt before tasting this dish and wasn't really expecting much from it to be honest. But eureka! it was fab! the sea bass was cooked and seasoned to perfection, and so was the pok choi. I don't know if I was homesick or what, but this dish really reminded me of the steamed fish that you would always get in traditional chinese weddings.

6^th course: slow-roasted loin of Limousin veal, new season garlic, Madeira jus (5/10) - I had high expectation for this course, but it was an disappointment. The veal and pork was simply over-cooked.

7^th course: Gariguette strawberry with Szechuan pepper and its own marshmallow, jelly of fresh mint and basil, cream cheese crème glacee (10/10) - Simply the best dessert I have ever had! Each flavour was so distinct to the palate when taken in a big mouthful and everything worked in perfect harmony with each other.

8^th course: exotic fruit “ravioli” with kaffir lime leaf and coconut jus (8/10) - another sublime dessert but shame that this came after the previous one. The sorbet was very light and complements the fruity ravioli. The only shortfall is the texture of the ravioli can be more springy.

9^th course: “Macae” 62% chocolate marquise with Tonda hazelnut and lemon butterscotch sauce (8/10) - Delightful dessert with contrasting textures of the creamy ice cream, crispy butterscotch and the spongy base. The surprising thing was that it was not as dense as expected for such as dish composed of chocolates, cream and butterscotch.

Special/extra course: a theme on “Gariguette” strawberry (8/10) - This we got as a special bonus as the head chef was an acquaintance of my friend and also because it was my friend's birthday. The pastry team apparently won some competition based on this - it was complex : several layers of different strawberry themed pastry with different textures. The surprising thing is the bottom layer was gel based rather than something that is solid.

After the 4hr mega feast, we were given a detailed tour of the kitchen - unfortunately we didn't take photos. The kitchen was much bigger than most of the michelin starred kitchens that I have visited and a lot more staff as well. I dont know if it was over-staffed/inefficient, but at least the kitchen was very organised and everyone seemed to be busy. The unique thing about this kitchen was that it was not noisy at all - no one shouting or arguing. They had their own system where everything is clearly written on a big white board, which served as the medium of communication in their kitchen. Another thing that impressed me was how much they value sustainability and their training programme - apparently each new intake is given the chance to work in different sections of the kitchen on a rotation.

Having finished the kitchen tour, we retreated to the lounge for the petit four over some tea while waiting for our taxi. The waiter then brought us a small gift, which was a brochure of the Maison and hardcopies of the dinner menu(s) sealed in an envelop.

Overall, I think the restaurant deserves its two star accolade and the service was impeccable - truly sets the standard for others to follow. The only thing I would recommend to the restaurant is to improve its main courses, as for me, the puddings totally outshined the mains (which is rare in my experience). To be honest, I was rather dissapointed at the end of the mains as I thought the pre-dessert dishes were only worthy of a 1 star Michelin at best. If only the mains are on the same level as the puds, there is no doubt that Le Manior would be worthy of a 3 star Mich and probably the best restaurant for me.