Grilled Cornish Mackerel with a view of the Thames, by Boulters Lock, Maidenhead There's a tradition that Tuesday night in our house is "date night". Between running Purple Teeth events, coaching, dancing, friends and so forth, it's becoming rarer and rarer for Mr Purple Teeth and I to be home alone together during the week. So, we try to keep Tuesday nights clear. And, if I can remember how to cook, I usually rustle something up to match whatever wine I fancy drinking. Quite the opposite to how most people plan their food and wine matching, I'm sure!
Now and again though, it's nice to go out. Though I often bemoan the wines by the glass in local hostelries. Perhaps I'm getting old.
So we found ourselves in Boulters Riverside Brasserie just before we jetted off to Ecuador and were delighted to find that the restaurant has introduced a new concept called the "daily menu". It's a completely set menu, so the only choice is 2 courses (£15.95) or 3 courses (£19.95). The temptation for a 3 course meal on a Tuesday night was too much, and all the dishes sounded delicious so we jumped straight in for the 3 course deal.
Mr Purple Teeth is a huge fan of mackerel and we both really enjoyed the medley of different beetroots served alongside the super-fresh fish. The horseradish added a real zing and we became even more excited about the rest of the menu.
Now and again though, it's nice to go out. Though I often bemoan the wines by the glass in local hostelries. Perhaps I'm getting old.
So we found ourselves in Boulters Riverside Brasserie just before we jetted off to Ecuador and were delighted to find that the restaurant has introduced a new concept called the "daily menu". It's a completely set menu, so the only choice is 2 courses (£15.95) or 3 courses (£19.95). The temptation for a 3 course meal on a Tuesday night was too much, and all the dishes sounded delicious so we jumped straight in for the 3 course deal.
Mr Purple Teeth is a huge fan of mackerel and we both really enjoyed the medley of different beetroots served alongside the super-fresh fish. The horseradish added a real zing and we became even more excited about the rest of the menu.
Confit Duck Leg with Salardaise potato, spinach, confit garlic & mustard sauce with Terra Andina Pinot Noir As usual, selecting the wine was up to me. To pair with an oily fish and a confit duck leg, I selected a Chilean Pinot Noir from Terra Andina. From memory, it was about £23. I seemed to recall that we'd enjoyed this wine in another restaurant some months before. It fit the bill, being ripe, fruity and fully of enough juicy acidity to cut through the somewhat, let's call them "non-low-fat" dishes we had coming.
The Confit Duck Leg, Salardaise potato and spinach with Confit Garlic was, perhaps a tiny bit over-seasoned, but eating a full head of garlic was a delicious treat (it's okay to eat garlic on date night if you're both having it.) The duck was crispy and moist. Again, a hit with both of us.
The Confit Duck Leg, Salardaise potato and spinach with Confit Garlic was, perhaps a tiny bit over-seasoned, but eating a full head of garlic was a delicious treat (it's okay to eat garlic on date night if you're both having it.) The duck was crispy and moist. Again, a hit with both of us.
Finally, the dessert. How could we resist a soufflé? And the combination of orange with a warm chocolate sauce and chocolate ice cream just added to the temptation.
I've had lesser soufflés in Michelin starred restaurants. We were glad we'd given into the third course. Light, fluffly orange melted as the sauce was poured in creating a hole just the perfect size for the ball of ice cream. Of course the Pinot Noir didn't pair well with this dish, so luckily we'd polished it off. A glass of something sweet alongside may have made the whole experience even better, but then, even if it was "date night", it was a Tuesday. We saved the dessert wine for another day.
Overall verdict, good value for money, decent wine, local establishment, nice surroundings = we'll be back.
I've had lesser soufflés in Michelin starred restaurants. We were glad we'd given into the third course. Light, fluffly orange melted as the sauce was poured in creating a hole just the perfect size for the ball of ice cream. Of course the Pinot Noir didn't pair well with this dish, so luckily we'd polished it off. A glass of something sweet alongside may have made the whole experience even better, but then, even if it was "date night", it was a Tuesday. We saved the dessert wine for another day.
Overall verdict, good value for money, decent wine, local establishment, nice surroundings = we'll be back.
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