Back To The Orangery At St Elphin's Park To Try The Autumn Menu
Published On Sunday 24 Oct 2021 by Sticky Beak
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Thanks to the pandemic, it’s been quite a while since The Man Bird and I last visited The Orangery at St. Elphin’s Park at Darley Dale. We were really pleased, then, to be invited back (by Lindsey) to sample the new seasonal menu that Chef has created. There were additional safety measures in place (it is a retirement complex after all), protecting the health of the residents as much as possible as the restaurant welcomes non-residents through its doors once again. His Nibs and I doused our hands in sanitiser at the main reception entrance and donned our face masks until we were seated at our window table.
The pandemic clearly hasn’t dampened the spirits of St. Elphin’s residents; the restaurant was nice and lively, with several tables already occupied as we walked through the space. Every seat had the cushions plumped and not a thing was out of place - the house-keeping staff are clearly very diligent in keeping the restaurant spotlessly clean.
Lindsey got us sorted with some chilled water for the table, as well as a Peroni for The Man and a large glass (is there any other kind?!) of Malbec for yours truly, and left us to inspect the menu for a few minutes to decide what we fancied. I have to say, there are some banging dishes on offer; as well as the usual crowd pleasers there were plenty of plates laden with seasonal vegetables and spices to warm the cockles.
I settled on the Duck Leg Terrine with Spiced Bon-Bon, Beetroot, and Blackberry Jus (£6.50) and I would’ve put money on The Man opting for the Seared Scallops but, no, he threw a curve-ball and went for Crispy Pork Belly with Baked Apple Purée, Celeriac, Carrot, and Cider Cream (£6.75). As you would expect with food cooked fresh-to-order, there was a little wait for our dishes - but nothing out of the ordinary.
My Terrine was beautifully chunky in texture with a superb hint of herbs and seasoning, and this flavour was echoed in the Bon-Bon’s centre. Speaking of the Bon-Bon; I loved how crisp and crunchy its outer was – there was an audible crack as I cut into it. The Blackberry Jus added a splash of colour to the plate as well as a hefty dollop of taste, with its sweet/tart duality standing up to the Duck’s more robust flavour very nicely. Another layer of taste came via the thinly sliced Ruby Beetroot, and I sank into its earthy notes happily.
His Nibs’ Pork Belly was gorgeously creamy in flavour with an equally soft texture that melted in the mouth, and both of these elements contrasted brilliantly against the ultra-crisp skin. Both the Carrot and Celeriac had been cooked to retain some bite and imparted their own character to the flavour chorus. Seasonal orchard fruit got its moment in the spotlight too, courtesy of the delicate Cider Cream and the heartier sweetness of the Baked Apple Purée.
For main course we had Blade of Beef, Pumpkin-smoked mashed Potato, Girolles, Artichoke, and Red Wine jus ( my choice, £15.95) and Venison Loin, Fondant Potato, Baby Turnip, Cavolo Nero, and Chocolate Jus (The Man, £19). For sides we chose the Fine Beans and Shallots, and Honey-roasted Root Vegetables - both £3.50.
It isn’t often I can’t finish my meat, but the Blade of Beef was so big that I ended up giving about a third of it to The Man Bird, who was incredibly happy as you can imagine! In all honesty, I have to admit that I was pretty miffed that I had to share because the Beef was utterly divine; melt-in-the-mouth, tender as you like, and with a superb flavour to it. The merest threat of cutlery going near its fibres saw it come apart in ribbons, so this was certainly a no-effort cut of Beef. I really liked the mashed Potato; it had a subtle whisper of smokiness to it and was glass smooth in texture. The Artichoke had been puréed and its intensity rather took me by surprise, not in an unpleasant way either; I really liked the earthy yet nutty taste of it. No surprise when I say that the Girolle Mushrooms hit the spot with me; you all know that I’m a sucker for any kind of Funghi. The Red Wine jus was beautifully sweet and rich and was the perfect accompaniment to this dish; bravo, Chef!
I had a moment of food envy when Lindsey placed His Nibs’ Venison before him; the duo of Loin slices smelled absolutely amazing, and I could see that they had been cooked exactly as I would have wished for! Chef serves the Bambi (Venison) rare and in the very centre it was distinctly glossy; those bits got passed over to me and they were mesmerizingly musky in taste and so, so soft. The Fondant Potato was perfect; golden brown on the outside with a lovely squashy middle and a lovely flavour to it. Not to be outdone, the baby Turnips came on-stage and performed their role brilliantly, giving the palate all their sweetness with gleeful abandon. Surprisingly, the Cavolo Nero was gently sweet with a satisfying ‘bite factor’ (not toughness) to it, and so it was up to the Chocolate jus to provide the real depth to this dish and match the Venison in its fervent taste.
Both the vegetable sides were excellent; all the veg were cooked perfectly, and the honey added a superb stickiness and sweetness to the earthy roots – especially the robust Beetroot. I get a weird, perverse pleasure when Green Beans ‘squeak’ against my teeth when I bite into them, so I was grinning happily when I heard that unmistakeable sound. Thinly sliced Shallots added a pleasantly sharp tang against the beans’ gentler flavour, as well as being nice and crunchy.
Lindsey had been checking on our progress throughout the evening and was happy to hear how pleased we were with the dishes each time she asked; she wasn’t surprised when we answered ‘yes’ to her enquiry as to whether we’d like dessert or not!
The Man Bird had got his dessert pegged pretty much straightaway: Chocolate Fondant with Baileys Cream, Chocolate Soil and Cherry Sorbet (£6.50), whereas I was struggling to choose between the Star Anise Panna Cotta (£6.25) and the Spiced Pumpkin Cheesecake (£5.95). After much deliberation I decided on the Cheesecake with White Chocolate Ice Cream and Cranberry Coulis. We also ordered a couple of black coffees to come after dessert.
For those of you who have reservations about a vegetable Cheesecake, all I can say is cast those inhibitions aside and try it; I was pleasantly taken aback by how well this worked. Pumpkin is sweet enough when cooked, and combined with slightly sharp cream cheese, the two integrate to produce a very well balanced, creamy texture topping for the (in this case, ginger biscuit) base. The warming spices used in the Pumpkin mix danced brilliantly with the punchiness of the Ginger and I was happy to discover that the base wasn’t so hard that my cutlery twanged noisily against my plate, nor too crumbly that it disintegrated when cut into! Balancing out the spices was a gorgeously mellow White Chocolate Ice Cream that coated my tongue silkily, and for a fruity encore was the marvellously zingy Cranberry coulis, which certainly bounced on the palate.
Chocoholics will rejoice, as The Man Bird did, when they see the molten chocolate centre of the Fondant ooze seductively over the plate when allowed to escape from its cocoa-laden sponge confines. Bouncy, airy Bailey’s cream added a touch of decadence to this already luxurious dessert; this isn’t the choice for those prone to angst or guilt when they succumb to the sweet trolley’s temptation! However, if you do need to justify your choice to that nagging inner critic, then seek comfort in the fact that the Cherry Sorbet must surely (?!) count as one of your 5-a-day. The contrast in temperatures between the warm Chocolate Fondant and the chilly Ice Cream stimulated the senses further and brought His Nibs’ gastro journey at The Orangery to a delightful conclusion.
With our tummies most certainly filled, we sat back in the super-comfy high backed chairs and sipped our rich-roast coffees lazily. From start to finish, the whole Orangery team at St. Elphin’s Park in Darley Dale had looked after us amazingly well, ensuring a faultless experience yet again. Hot Wings happily awarded here, and we shall certainly be returning soon - with Mummy Bird, if she behaves!
One last thing: YOU DON’T HAVE TO BE RESIDENT AT ST. ELPHIN’S TO DINE AT THE ORANGERY!! You would be advised to book ahead and reserve a table though, just in case the restaurant is closed for a residents’ event.
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