Cornus

I have written previously about the background to Cornus, and also about its very good wine list. Today we sat out on the open-air terrace as the weather was lovely. We had the tasting menu, which was priced at £210 each. You can eat for much less than his, with the three-course set lunch menu being £60, or £80 for a six-course lunch menu. There is an a la carte menu also.

The meal began with an aged Comte gougere with a topping of shaved aged gruyere. The choux pastry was stuffed with Gruyere fondue and brushed with beurre noisette. This was lovely, with plenty of cheese flavour; the only thing that would improve it was if it were possible to serve it warm. A potato galette had Orkney scallop tartare with peach on crisp potato, garnished with N25 Oscietra Caviar. This was excellent, the texture of the potato lovely, and the luxurious caviar and scallop a good foil to the humble potato. Squid ink crackers were made from prawns, squid ink, tapioca flour and prawn consommé. These were topped with taramasalata, espelette pepper, lemon zest and langoustine powder. These were good, though perhaps the least exciting of the canapes. Finally, there was crispy pigs head croquette with pickled walnut, smoked bacon and fennel pollen. This was terrific, having deep flavour and good texture (canapes average 17/20). 

There were two choices of bread. Ancient sourdough from Flourish bakery was made with rye, barley and wheat. Sourdough foccacia was baked in-house and had excellent texture. Focaccia can so easily become hard if it is not made fresh, and this was very fresh indeed. Butter was Au Bon Beurre made by Oliver Martin in Northern France using cream from 3 different breeds of cattle (Jersey, Holstein and Normande).

Next was a signature dish of the restaurant: crab and apple. Handpicked large Devon crab from Kevin Bartlett of Top Catch was slowly cooked at 75 degrees (half roasted, half steamed) until it is translucent. It is then chilled, picked over, then mixed with wasabi mayonnaise, spring onion, nashi pear, chives, lime juice and zest. The dish is topped with Hass Avocado puree, quenelle of green apple sorbet, and a disk of green apple jelly. It is finished with dots of Avocado puree, finger lime, coriander shoots and shiso flowers. This is a superb creation, the crab and apple flavours harmonious, the acidity of the lime balancing the natural sweetness of the crab, the gentle touch of wasabi just lifting the dish (18/20).

This was followed by a stuffed courgette flower. Cornish lobster was bound with a scallop mousse and placed inside a courgette flower, with courgette blossom, Zerbinati melon, lardo di Colonnata and N25 Kaluga caviar. The courgette flower rested in a bisque sauce. This was a superb dish, the lobster very tender, the courgette flower being a pretty way to present it, the bisque sauce having deep seafood flavour. The caviar added some salinity, though the dish would have been just fine without it (18/20).

Next was a foie gras terrine. Hungarian foie gras was salted and cured, then marinated in Tokaj sweet wine. This was studded with English artichoke and pressed. As pointed out by my knowledgeable dining companion Dr Kian Lee, this dish essentially follows a Guy Savoy recipe. The terrine was served with Loire Valley green beans, Australian black truffles, and a side of sourdough bread that has been fried in chicken fat. This was a pretty exclusive fried bread, the chicken fat being from an Arnaud Tauzin bird. This was another example of old school cooking, the terrine having excellent texture with the foie gras having been skilfully deveined. The truffles brought their distinct aromatic richness to the dish, and the beans balanced the richness of the liver (17/20).

This was followed by John Dory. This was from a  3kg fish, served with end-of-season Loire valley white asparagus, baby English peas, Scottish girolles and hazelnut pesto. John Dory is a fine fish, and this was precisely cooked, the sauce from the cooking juices excellent and the peas very tender (17/20).

Roast chicken sounds a humble dish until you consider the provenance of the bird. The farm of Arnaud Tauzin, from St Sever in the Landes region, has been family-run since the 19^th century. It produces arguably the best chicken in the world. The cou-nou (naked neck) chickens are fed with corn grown on the farm itself. It has a flavour that I prefer to the more famous Bresse chicken, which has a delicate, mild flavour. The Tauzin bird, to me, has a deeper chicken flavour. This chicken was perfectly cooked and was served with croustillant of smoked ham and asparagus, Australian black truffle and a sauce made from the chicken heart and gizzard. This was a superb dish with glorious, well-balanced flavours (18/20).

We had a few cheeses at this point, all in very good condition. Baron Bigod is a Brie-style cheese from Suffolk, made by farmer Jonny Crickmore at Fen Farm. St Felicien is a double cream cow milk cheese from the Rhone-Alpes, and was suitably ripce and runny. There was also excellent 36-month aged Comte and 48-month aged Gouda, all served with oat cakes. Cherry Bakewell was served with almond milk custard and Amarena cherry ripple ice cream. This was very enjoyable, the ice cream silky smooth and the cherries having good flavour (16/20). Coffee was from Difference Coffee. 

Service was superb throughout the meal, and the bill came to £309 per person including corkage. You could of course eat for much less than this if you opted for the three-course lunch, which seems to me very good value. If you chose the short lunch menu and shared a modest bottle of wine then you could get away with a bill of perhaps £120 a head with water, coffee and service.  Cornus is a delightful restaurant, using top class ingredients and showing a high level of technical skill in the kitchen. The open-air terrace in good weather is a nice bonus, and the staff are genuinely welcoming.

Further reviews: 22nd Jan 2025 | 20th Dec 2024 | 08th Nov 2024 | 16th Aug 2024