Hazel

7.5/10 on Tuesday 21 January 2020. 

THE SCENE

The Walrus:  Nice space. Careful if your seat is against the wall as the window sills arent placed in the best positions (you may end up with one in your back!). 7/10

The Carpenter: A fantastic, open space with classically high ceiling and a very cool refurbed steel window and door composition. 9/10

POTATIONS

W: Kicking off with our standard martini. The selected gin was a saffron infused number which went well and was a good recommendation. 8/10

C: A lovely Case Head old Raj w Saffron gin martini - a blended gin made under secrecy by a named distillery (although we don’t know the name). Makes a nice martini.. 9/10

ENTREE

W: These are all about what goes well on bread/toast. Anchovy butter was very nice. A good charcuterie board and a duck liver pate with pickled cherries that was delicious. Overall, very tasty. 9/10

C:  Sourdough crisp with french onion dip. An excellent take on a backyard chip n dip.

Anchovy butter and bread. Strong, clean flavour.

Charcuterie with pickle, pork hock, salami. Very tasty

Duck liver pate on toast with pickled cherries. An absolute standout. Perfect crisp toast. 9/10

MAIN

W: . I went for a pasta dish. Was ok, nothing special. 6/10

C: Duck. Alot of duck. Big pieces of duck. Nicely cooked - wood fired, very tasty. Surprisingly too much duck. Fantastic char grilled corn on the cob with ginger butter. Very delicate. Paired with a delicious french something. 9/10

DESSERT

W: Couldnt go past the creme brulee. Raspberries accompanying with a smooth texture. They took their eye off the dessert when caramelizing the top and it was overdone (read burnt) so had an acrid aftertaste that let the dish down. I just removed the top and ate the custard underneath. Not a good attention to detail though. 6/10

C:  A creme brulee with raspberries - the texture was perfect. Sadly the top was a bit too burnt. 6/10

STICKY

W: Dessert wine was nice, but lets be honest, they just have to pour it into a glass for us. 8/10

C:. Lovely sticky. 9/10

SERVICE

W: Service was good. Staff are keen to deliver you a top notch experience. There is a noticeable variation in experience between staff members though. Some are safe hands whilst others are still learning.   8/10

C: Very good service. Excellent pairing. 9/10

OVERALL

W: A good setting, staff are energised and the restaurant is certainly aiming high….they just havent found their groove yet.   7.5/10

C: Really enjoyed the vibe of this place. Good lofty ceilings and open space. Great food that was lacking a few minor refinements that would lift the experience.. 8/10

THE CAP

W: Nothing on the night.

C: No cap tonight. NA