Supper Club at Old Town Hall House, Cley-next-the-Sea
I always try to plan a little treat for my birthday and unsurprisingly, this mostly involves food. Due to life's other complications (the 9-5 being a common and very annoying one) these birthday treats don't always fall on the actual day but hey, I like to celebrate for the whole month. Last year, I had a wonderful and fairly drunken meal at Titchwell Manor (which I reviewed here) and this year, after reading the review in the Guardian's travel supplement, I managed to book a couple of places at the new supper club in Cley-next-the-Sea during our week in Norfolk.
The Old Town Hall House is a new addition to Cley having opened in September 2014. The large Victorian house, sitting on the tight squeeze of the High Street and with views over the marshes has been transformed by the owners, James and Jennie Walker, into an elegant and airy guesthouse offering bed and breakfast accommodation. Additionally, on Friday nights, they offer a supper club for 10-12 keen and eager diners, welcoming both locals and other guests as well as those lucky enough to be staying in one of their three en suite rooms.
As supper club 'first timers' I was rather apprehensive of what to expect (guests sit around one large table and eat together). It didn't help that the night itself was rather wet and stormy so it was impossible to assume a protective shield of sartorial elegance and we arrived in bright and practical waterproofs. Any worries evaporated as the front door opened and we were met by Jenny with a friendly smile. Ushered into a room lined with endless cookbooks (at last someone who has a collection to match mine!) we were greeted by the other guests and introductions shared. We all had in common a love of the Norfolk coast and a healthy appetite so there was plenty to talk about.
There is no license so it's 'bring your own' but an email giving recommendations is sent in good time (although having to drive there meant being sensible). On arrival our chilled bottle of white was whisked away to be opened, poured and neatly adorned with a tag to declare ownership. As the conversation flowed whilst we sipped our chosen drinks, Jennie delivered large platters of olives, radishes in varying magenta hues with fleur de del, crispy fried cubes of polenta with pesto, buttery 'melt-in-your-mouth' asparagus and Parmesan tarts, rich and spicy crab and harissa crostini and slices of garlicky salami which disappeared quickly to many 'mmmms' and 'ahhhs'. When nothing remained but small heaps of olive stones, we were invited to take a seat in the cosy dining room, twinkling with candle light.
The first course of chilled tomato consommé, burrata and spiced avocado was a feast for the eyes and for me, the best dish of the night. Each small glass soup bowl was decorated with pretty edible flowers, the consommé arriving separately in Made in Cley jugs, to pour over the other ingredients. It was quite simply stunning, the heady flavour a pure essence of summery tomato making the urge to lick my bowl clean very hard to resist (fear not, I managed...just).
A quiveringly fresh portion of line caught hake, poached in seaweed butter and sitting atop a truffled potato gallette with asparagus, morels and a swirl of pea puree provided a seasonally perfect second course. The conversation slowed as plates were scraped clean. After a polite pause, a slate bearing a oozing slice of Gorgonzola and Moscato grapes appeared and wine glasses were topped up from our tagged bottles.
The dessert, Sicilian lemon meringue pie, refreshing sharp passion fruit coulis and bitter chocolate 'earth' varied slightly around the table to accommodate dietary requirements (discreetly and with no fuss, please note expensive London restaurants). Finally tea and coffee accompanied with a small dish of rich and aromatic rosemary and olive oil chocolate truffles were delivered by the chef himself to a round of spontaneous applause from the appreciative audience.
This was a fantastic meal of superb quality and for £30 a head, also exceptional value. Part of the enjoyment was the shared experience with our fellow diners which despite my initial trepidation was actually rather wonderful. Friendly and easy conversation flowed and the end of the evening came around rather too quickly. I will definitely be returning, next time to stay so that I can also sample the delicious breakfast (we had listened with gluttonous envy to the choices offered to our fellow diners who were staying) as well as visit the local Pinkfoot Gallery and antique shop owned by our fellow guests. Having had such a lovely evening made our return to the dark and stormy night to find our car so much harder, clutching our unfinished bottle of wine as the rain poured down. My one piece of advice to you, book early...oh and bring a torch to find your car, it's certainly dark out there on the marshes.
The Old Town Hall House is a new addition to Cley having opened in September 2014. The large Victorian house, sitting on the tight squeeze of the High Street and with views over the marshes has been transformed by the owners, James and Jennie Walker, into an elegant and airy guesthouse offering bed and breakfast accommodation. Additionally, on Friday nights, they offer a supper club for 10-12 keen and eager diners, welcoming both locals and other guests as well as those lucky enough to be staying in one of their three en suite rooms.
As supper club 'first timers' I was rather apprehensive of what to expect (guests sit around one large table and eat together). It didn't help that the night itself was rather wet and stormy so it was impossible to assume a protective shield of sartorial elegance and we arrived in bright and practical waterproofs. Any worries evaporated as the front door opened and we were met by Jenny with a friendly smile. Ushered into a room lined with endless cookbooks (at last someone who has a collection to match mine!) we were greeted by the other guests and introductions shared. We all had in common a love of the Norfolk coast and a healthy appetite so there was plenty to talk about.
There is no license so it's 'bring your own' but an email giving recommendations is sent in good time (although having to drive there meant being sensible). On arrival our chilled bottle of white was whisked away to be opened, poured and neatly adorned with a tag to declare ownership. As the conversation flowed whilst we sipped our chosen drinks, Jennie delivered large platters of olives, radishes in varying magenta hues with fleur de del, crispy fried cubes of polenta with pesto, buttery 'melt-in-your-mouth' asparagus and Parmesan tarts, rich and spicy crab and harissa crostini and slices of garlicky salami which disappeared quickly to many 'mmmms' and 'ahhhs'. When nothing remained but small heaps of olive stones, we were invited to take a seat in the cosy dining room, twinkling with candle light.
The first course of chilled tomato consommé, burrata and spiced avocado was a feast for the eyes and for me, the best dish of the night. Each small glass soup bowl was decorated with pretty edible flowers, the consommé arriving separately in Made in Cley jugs, to pour over the other ingredients. It was quite simply stunning, the heady flavour a pure essence of summery tomato making the urge to lick my bowl clean very hard to resist (fear not, I managed...just).
A quiveringly fresh portion of line caught hake, poached in seaweed butter and sitting atop a truffled potato gallette with asparagus, morels and a swirl of pea puree provided a seasonally perfect second course. The conversation slowed as plates were scraped clean. After a polite pause, a slate bearing a oozing slice of Gorgonzola and Moscato grapes appeared and wine glasses were topped up from our tagged bottles.
The dessert, Sicilian lemon meringue pie, refreshing sharp passion fruit coulis and bitter chocolate 'earth' varied slightly around the table to accommodate dietary requirements (discreetly and with no fuss, please note expensive London restaurants). Finally tea and coffee accompanied with a small dish of rich and aromatic rosemary and olive oil chocolate truffles were delivered by the chef himself to a round of spontaneous applause from the appreciative audience.
This was a fantastic meal of superb quality and for £30 a head, also exceptional value. Part of the enjoyment was the shared experience with our fellow diners which despite my initial trepidation was actually rather wonderful. Friendly and easy conversation flowed and the end of the evening came around rather too quickly. I will definitely be returning, next time to stay so that I can also sample the delicious breakfast (we had listened with gluttonous envy to the choices offered to our fellow diners who were staying) as well as visit the local Pinkfoot Gallery and antique shop owned by our fellow guests. Having had such a lovely evening made our return to the dark and stormy night to find our car so much harder, clutching our unfinished bottle of wine as the rain poured down. My one piece of advice to you, book early...oh and bring a torch to find your car, it's certainly dark out there on the marshes.
Comments
Post a Comment