Casamia

"What is so impressive about Casamia is not just the combinations of ingredients producing visually attractive and novel taste experiences, but also the way dishes that have had similar predecessors are brought up to new, even more striking gustatory levels by the clever intensification of various elements. There is an excellent wine list and a well-chosen selection of wines by the glass on which you get expert advice from Tom, the sommelier. The menu is brevity itself, giving no clue as to the clever interaction of the main, listed, ingredient and its supporting cast, which contrasts with the sometimes over-populated descriptions found elsewhere, and is more than compensated for by the detailed, helpful, explanations from the chefs who serve their own work or the equally qualified front of house staff led by the amiable expertise of Joe, the restaurant manager. A clever snack of 36-month old Parmegiano tartlet made with 12 year old balsamico led into a delightful prawn meringue with coriander leaves and then beef tartare with mustard and nasturtium leaves and a chilli punch. Trout mousse with fish belly, spiced roe and yuzu, light but striking came next, and then a second trout dish, loin and Chinese winter truffle, trout skin crisps and trout dashi with contrasting lime. Beautifully lightly cured Cornish cod on a buttery champagne sabayon with a generous portion of winter truffle followed. Lamb with its stock, egg and spice provided a pre-main to superb low temperature slow-roast lamb perfectly rested and lavishly accompanied by chestnut and mushroom purée and fantastic rendered fat, black garlic and sauce. Another adventurous approach to the traditional main course. The palate cleanser - sweet lemon sorbet on dry caramelized sugar overlying smooth custard made for quite amazing contrasts and then it was into the restaurant’s take on millefeuille which just dissolved on the tongue to give a lovely vanilla match for the Yorkshire rhubarb reduction. The finale to this outstanding meal was the restaurant’s trademark superlight madeleines. Top class as usual, with the one slight negative for us being the increase in the volume of the background music, and this in the name of “deformalisation”. Quite unnecessary! Dining experience rating: 18/20"

"Dining at Casamia provokes a new wave of enthusiasm every time we visit. What is so impressive about Casamia is not just the combinations of ingredients producing visually attractive and novel taste experiences, but also the way dishes that have had similar predecessors are brought up to new, even more striking gustatory levels by the clever intensification of various elements. There is an excellent wine list and a well-chosen selection of wines by the glass on which you get expert advice from the sommelier. The menu is brevity itself, giving no clue as to the clever interaction of the main, listed, ingredient and its supporting cast, which contrasts with the sometimes over-populated descriptions found elsewhere, and is more than compensated for by the detailed, helpful, explanations from the chefs who serve their own work or the equally qualified front of house staff. A clever snack of 36-month old Parmegiano led into a delightful seaweed meringue with sweet Cornish prawns and then Yorkshire pudding à la Casamia with steak tartare and mustard and nasturtium leaves and a slight kick from a touch of tabasco. A trout skin wafer came with trout mousse, all lightness yet standing strong, and then a second trout dish - a fish canvas with firm but yielding roe and a marvellous dashi jelly bringing it all together. Even more trout was then matched in formidable fashion with subtle Exmoor caviar and an intense langoustine bisque before we moved to superb Cornish cod on a buttery champagne sauce providing a devastatingly good nose to match the well-dosed lemon oil on the fish. Lamb with its stock, capsicum and Japanese yuzu gave us a good approach to brilliant lamb with its fat and deep juice accompanied with Hungarian truffle, mild cucumber and welcome bread to soak up the juices. A suitable palate cleanser in the form of lemon custard and sorbet with a lemon crisp was followed by the restaurant’s take on millefeuille which just dissolved on the tongue to give a lovely vanilla match for the strawberry reduction. The delicious meal was rounded off with superlight madeleines in bowls made of sugar. Wonderful stuff!"

"My 2nd visit. The food was beautifully cooked and personally presented by the chefs. One disappointment though. My previous visit was 4 months previously and the menu looked like an old friend - unchanged. Though there were a few changes to the 14 dish menu, some dishes were identical, others slight modifications. Even for food of the first order, I don't want to keep eating the same thing. For that reason, not a place I would quicky return to."

"A long-overdue review on this channel. I have dined twice at Casamia, once at the old location and more recently to celebrate over lunch my father's 80th birthday. The meal, service and ambience made a perfect occasion. What else could one write to describe a 100% wonderful experience."