I’ve realised that the delay in writing this entry has only partly been caused by me watching the Olympics (go Team GB!!).  I suspect I’ve also been wondering if I can do justice in words to, hand on heart, one of the best meals I’ve ever had.  But I need to get on and tell you about it because I’ve been back from holiday for a while now, and I’ve already got a backlog growing (one very tasty tapas place in Stockton Heath last week, and a relatively new restaurant in Macclesfield next week).  So, by way of introduction, let me give you the dictionary definition of the word ‘ode’, this being the name of the restaurant in question: ”a lyric poem typically of elaborate or irregular metrical form and expressive of exalted or enthusiastic emotion”.

I’m pretty sure that our emotion was somewhere near ‘exalted or enthusiastic’ by the time we left ODE.  Only open for about a year, this small restaurant in the little village of Shaldon, across the way from Teignmouth in Devon, is already gaining accolades.  The monthly changing menu is fresh, regional, and seasonal.  The chef, Tim Bouget (who came out to talk to us after we’d finished our main course, very nice man he is too!), trained with Michelin-starred chefs including Michel Roux.  And to be perfectly honest, we were astounded to find such a fine quality meal tucked away in such a quiet little place.  But in an unfussy room with about six vaguely rustic wooden tables and chairs we ate a meal which left me grinning from ear to ear, my faith restored in eating out after a truly terrible meal the night before.  (All I’m saying is, if you go to Shaldon, don’t go anywhere near Hunter’s Lodge Bistro – it defies description).  From the ridiculous to the sublime…

We had left ODE to the last night of our holiday.  It had looked a bit quiet on walking past, but we felt the awards stickers in the window might be a good sign and therefore worth the wait.  Again, only one veggie option but to be fair, it’s a pretty small place and the option was Coconut Laksa so it was inventive if nothing else.

Where to begin.  Well, the very sweet waitress was at great pains to explain the menu to us, pointing out that the wine was organic, and that although there are side dishes available, each meal was designed to be a sufficient portion without needing extras.  Very honest, and as it turned out, quite true.

We were provided with some sticks of home made flat bread with black onion seeds, and an olive tapenade to keep us going through the menu perusal.  And while we waited for our starters we were presented with an ‘amuse bouche’ of gazpacho.  Both these little touches were utterly delicious, whetting the appetite and giving a good indication of what was to come.

H’s starter of cream of summer roasted Teign courgettes was a smooth and tasty soup with a vaguely asparagus flavour.  My soused Lyme Bay mackerel was incredible.  They were the most beautiful pieces of fish I’d seen in a long time, with the firm pearlescent skin shining in the juice.  I hadn’t been sure what to expect.  I had a vague notion that soused meant pickled.  Speaking to Tim (you know, our mate Tim, the chef) he explained that it was the same basic ingredients as pickling liquid but the fish was merely placed in the liquid and cooked as it came to a simmer, rather than pickled.  Something like that anyway.  Whatever, it was delightful – juicy, tasty, fresh and a perfect match for the pile of grated beetroot it lay on, with a dollop of horseradish/creme fraiche and raisin chutney.  Apparently it also had orange powder but sadly that didn’t quite come through.

And then the main course.  I’m not sure I can capture how amazing it was.  I had (and I quote from the menu here) – ‘double cooked chump of Somerset salt marsh lamb with thyme, with grilled summer vegetables, olive toffee and warm tomato dressing’.  It also came on a neat mound of mashed potato which wasn’t mentioned.  The vegetables turned out to be slices of salty, smokey grilled courgettes.  These offset perfectly the sweet olive toffee, a sort of black, gluey salt/sweet paste.  And last but not least the lamb.  We’d had a tantalising waft of thyme two days earlier when we’d popped in to book the table and I’d decided then and there that I’d be choosing the lamb.  Turned out to be the right choice - pink, juicy, sweet, soft – I’ve never had lamb like it in my life.  Sorry mum, I think you’ve been demoted!  We even had a conversation with our mate Tim about the lamb, and about lambing seasons and how it all works and how come we could get such incredible lamb in summer and not spring.  An educational meal as well as delicious!

H’s dish was – ‘crisp seasonal vegetables, tangled seaweed and soba noodles, laksa of coconut milk, lime, turmeric and red chilli’.  We’d expected a sort of soupy, sauce-drenched dish, but this was Tim’s individual ‘take’ on the dish.  We heard him tell some other guests that the vegetables all came from his allotment, and you could tell.  The green beans and carrots were fresh and full of flavour, cooked to perfection with a satisfying bite.  On top of the little shaped mound of noodles was a fresh springroll (not deep fried, but raw with a paper thin wrapping) filled with bean sprouts.  H was particularly impressed by the swirl of sauce, with a delicious coriander note and a warming chilli glow that seemed to increase every time he had a gulp of wine!

The desserts didn’t disappoint either.  H’s pavlova with summer fruits and anise was an architectural structure to behold.  The meringue was enormous, with a meltingly soft inside, balanced delicately on a layer of chopped up strawberries and blueberries (and another currant?).  The real genius part though, was with every bite of infused fruit came a subtle undertone of aniseed.  Incredible.

My Montezuma white chocolate and rosehip creme brulee with fruit and nut biscotti was very indulgent, although I didn’t really get the rosehip (not sure I’d know what that tasted like anyway though).  It also came with a little bowl of cooked stalk-on cherries topped with a vanilla pod.  Like all the other dishes we’d had, it was beautifully presented – I felt almost spoiled.

We had nothing but praise for this meal.  It was worth every penny.  Each dish was inventive, with an extra unexpected layer of flavour and perfect cooking that you’d expect from a chef of this calibre.  It felt like he cared personally about every individual dish, cooked in a tiny kitchen with the help of his one trainee assistant.  My only disappointment is that he didn’t open up in Manchester!  Devon’s a long way to go for a perfect meal!

1. Steven
   Aug 22nd 2008

   Mum is going to be very disappointed! Sadly I can’t get Stacey to like Lamb, she thinks they are too cute to eat.

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