Since my
stepdaughters have moved to Brighton, my wife and I had a few enjoyable trips
down to visit them. The weather on the south coast is typically less grim than
up north and it’s been great to check out new places to eat – meals at places
such as 64
Degrees, Chili
Pickle and Silo
have been fab. Heading south has also enabled us to visit Michelin starred
places such as The
Sportsman and The
Pass where I’ve wanted to eat at for ages!
The downside
of visiting these places is invariably the travel. We’ve had a few lucky runs
down but have also been caught by traffic jams and road closures – on one run
we’d set off about 9pm but due to a section of the M6 being closed and then the
same on the M54, on which we’d been diverted, we didn’t make it back home until
gone 2am.
On our last
trip, with the M25 at standstill and both needing a toilet break and something
to eat we had two options as I saw it. Option A – keep crawling along the M25
at snail’s pace until we found a drab motorway service station with filthy loos
and greasy food or, Option B – come off at the M40, head to Marlow and see if
we can get in at Tom Kerridge’s “other pub”, The Coach. Guess which one we went for…
Bursting, I
dropped my wife off at the door of The Coach while I went to find somewhere to
park. Relieved, she soon fired off a text to me saying she was sat in their ‘holding
pen’ with a glass of champagne and that we’d have a table in about 30 mins. Result!
No
reservations, sat at a counter style bar, with a menu of small plates and slightly
larger dishes, The Coach reminded me of a pub version of Barrafina. I approved!
So it seems
to Michelin who recently awarded it a Bib Gourmand “Tom Kerridge's second pub offers a casual modern approach to dining.
There are no starters or main courses, just flavoursome 'Meat' and 'No Meat'
dishes that arrive as they're ready and are designed for sharing. Rotisserie
dishes are a speciality.”
All dishes
ordered were a delight – my only quibbles being the “deconstructed” piccalilli
with the pig’s head in lieu of a “proper piccalilli” and the rye cracker with
the tartare, which I found too rigid. The trice cooked chips were, of course, excellent;
although I’d have made use of more of the delicious béarnaise. The surprise favourite
of the dishes ordered was the celeriac, which came delightfully festooned with mustard
seeds and a well judged use of honey.
It was
certainly the best place we’ve stopped for a wee and a bite to eat.
Crispy Pig’s Head with Piccalilli
Mushroom “Risotto” Claude Bosi
Buttered Hispi Cabbage
The Coach Chips with Béarnaise
Steak Tartare with Fried Quail Egg & Rye Cracker
Chicken Kiev with Cauliflower Cheese
Rotisserie Celeriac with Honey & Mustard Seed Glaze
Banana Custard with Dates & Honeycomb
Lemon Tart with Raspberry Sorbet
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OMG.....How good do those chips look ? Worse when im on a silly diet. The whole meal looks lovely.
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