Marco Pierre White Meet and Greet – Cadbury House
Posted on: 2017-06-07
Our rating:
I’m pretty sure I’ll have to try MPW’s Steakhouse for the third time… just to be sure that it's consistently good. *cough* just want to go for good food again *cough*.
People say that you should never meet your heroes. They moan that you’ll be disappointed as they won’t be the same in person. Those people are wrong and have never met Marco Pierre White. Being an avid fan of both his cookery and the fact he made Gordon Ramsey cry, there was no way that I could not take this opportunity to sample some of his food and meet the man himself.
Cadbury House, on the outskirts of Bristol, played host to a visit from Marco, as he had come over to show off his latest book and, I can only imagine, inspect the standards of his steakhouse bar & grill within the mesmerising grounds. I and my fellow MPW enthusiast James pulled up and immediately saw the great food fanatic, Marco, enjoying a glass of wine outside. We were both like little school girls, forgetting we had a three-course meal to come.
Cadbury House’s wait staff were, yet again, incredibly attentive. Making sure we didn’t have to wait around at reception and showing us straight to the bar while the prepared the table for us. In my previous review of Cadbury House, I praised (check out the Cadbury House Sunday lunch review here) the staff on their professionalism and friendly informal manner, this was no different and it was amazing to see that they don’t drop standards at different events.
We sat down at our table, bringing our beers from the bar, followed swiftly by a complimentary glass of champagne, and started to browse through the menu. Giving ourselves plenty of time to ponder through the options over some bread and a variety of olives, I opted for the Rillets of Duck Au Poivre Vert, whilst James went for the Brandade of Smoked Mackerel. I couldn’t wait to see if MPW being present made the chefs a little nervous, or made them up their game.
The duck, which just so happens to be an option in the Smorgasbord on the Sunday lunch menu, was as near perfection as it could have been. The rillets had an incredible texture, perfectly balancing smoothness with a small amount of the shredded duck to let you know it is there, and when mixed with the toasted sourdough and pickles it was, it gave you the much-needed crunch and acidity to cut through the richness of it all. The green peppercorns on top of the rillets also added a little burst of flavour and gave a little nod to the classical French Au Poivre style.
The smoked mackerel packed a serious amount of flavour. It had so much going on that my palate almost imploded. I don’t mean that in a bad way. It was one of the best mackerel dishes I have tasted in a very long time. The creamy texture mixed with the crunch of the accompanying melba toast was simply sensational. The mackerel had such a subtle flavour. At first it doesn’t hit you straight away, but instead lightly builds to create a real delicate flavour, which is hugely impressive to do with mackerel. A brandade is traditionally a winter dish, but, in all honesty, if something is this tasty I refuse to eat it seasonally.
.JPG "MPW - Meet and Greet at Cadbury House - Brandade of Mackerel")
After a positive start, we moved onto mains. I couldn’t come to MPW’s steakhouse and not have a steak! So I went for the, 35 day aged, 8oz Rump Steak, which came with roasted vine tomatoes, tripled cooked chips and a béarnaise sauce. James went for the Roast Rump of Lamb á la Dijonnaise, haricot verts, dauphinoise potatoes and roasting juices. James being a big Welsh lad, and me being Northern Irish, meant we also had to order the cabbage and bacon as a side. It would be sacrilege not to.
I was disappointed with my steak in all honesty. I had ordered it medium rare, but as you can see from the photo it was far closer to medium well if not nearly well done. The chips and vine tomatoes were indeed tasty, but not the best or worst I’ve ever had. They stood just above average really. I felt deflated because of this. You’d expect being in an MPW restaurant, with him present, there would be exacting standards and this was a bit of a shame. The cabbage and bacon combination was a delight on the side, it had a real depth of flavour and had a saltiness to it that flavoured other parts of your dish perfectly.
The lamb, on the other hand, was perfect. I have never had lamb that I was confident I could cut with a spoon. The flavour was intense, combining perfectly with the roasting juices. The dauphinoise was creamy and packed full of flavour. The potatoes still had a bit of bite to them, which pushed them away from being a mushy mess on the plate.
After and up and down main, it was time for desert. I went for the Sticky Toffee Pudding, whilst James went for Cambridge Burnt Cream. Both dishes were incredibly well put together. The sponge for the sticky toffee pudding was decadent but still managed to maintain a nice lightness and the butterscotch sauce was nicely put on the side with a smooth vanilla ice cream on top.
The burnt cream was also a very rich dish and perhaps there was a bit too much on the plate, however, the rich taste and paper thin caramelised sugar on top was very much more-ish.
After the food, it was on to the main event. Getting a quick chat in with MPW. We tepidly walked over, being handed a copy of his new book, to get a squiggle, a chat and a picture. I can’t say that usually, I am star-struck, but the man is a cookery God. A quick chat soon settled my nerves and he seemed like a quite genuine and nice person. He seemed stern, the kind of stern whereas if I had told him my steak was overcooked he would have made me cry like he did Ramsay so many years ago. You can tell just from his presence he has forgotten more about cookery and being a restauranteur than I’ll ever know. I refrained from telling him about my steak and instead asked for a picture, chatted about the rustic themes of his latest book and thanked him for an overall delightful evening. A nice chat and truly an honour to meet an icon of the cookery world.
I have to say overall I was very impressed with Cadbury House and the MPW Steakhouse yet again. For three courses, a signed copy of his latest book between 2 and the chance to have a chin wag with MPW himself, I’ll happily pay £30 per person or £55 per couple for this experience. I’m pretty sure I’ll have to try MPW’s Steakhouse for the third time… just to be sure that it consistently good. *cough* just want to go for good food again *cough*.
For any further info on Cadbury House visit their website at - cadburyhotelbristol.co.uk.
Food 3
Value 4
Atmosphere 4
Service 5
Article by:
Matt, originally from Belfast, has only lived in Bristol for a year now and is studying Media & Journalism at UWE. He wants to concentrate his writing and media skills in Bristol's culinary culture, delving into what fine feasts the city has to offer and where the best places to go for food really are. Along with an aspiration to interview some of the influential people shaping Bristol and some who are simply passing through, Matt really is trying to make Bristol his new home! For any other info check out his Facebook or Twitter.
