Restaurant Review: Artisan

I started writing this post before I even went to review Artisan.

You see, I have a small confession to make. I’ve been before.

And to be honest? I wasn’t overwhelmed. I found the prices a little high, cocktails a little sweet. I was a bit disappointed. So I held back.

Given that other bloggers have loved it, I was curious to see what my own reaction would be this time around….

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I headed over to Artisan after a heavy gym session and met my date for the evening, Helen. Helen was a complete newcomer to Artisan, so I was hoping her input would help me reform my opinions.

Heading to the bar first, we opted for a cocktail – myself with a Margarita (I seem to be going through a tequila phase) and Helen chose the Tropical Julep – Southern Comfort, peach liqueur, pineapple juice, lime juice and fresh mint. So far, so good. My Margarita was sharp, salty and delicious, and the Tropical Julep was sweet but refreshing. We were off to a good start.

Our lovely waitress headed off to get us something to nibble on, as we reviewed the menu. I think she realised that I was hungry enough to starting to eye up the table with a mind to covering it with barbecue sauce and scarfing it down.

Our pre-starter (yes, I know. But we were hungry) of houmous and flatbread arrived and this was better than I recalled. The sugar spiced nuts were not unlike dukka and sat atop the houmous and I was thrilled to see a fresh crisp radish amongst the vegetables.

While we demolished the houmous, we perused the menu. Not much had changed since my last visit, but I was determined to throw myself in feet first, opting for the wood roasted sardines for starter and Helen opted for the sticky pork rib with chilli and garlic.

Helen’s rib was enormous, and arrived in a skillet, sticky sauce covering and surrounding this thick piece of meat.

Meanwhile, my sardines looked terribly handsome atop their charred wood, fixed in place with wire and a second helping of flatbread.

Unfortunately it was here that things started to go a little awry.

Helen’s rib was indeed thick and juicy, but the stick sauce was so sweet and there was so much of it,. we both struggled to pick up any pork flavour at all.

My sardines on the other hand were tender, rich and flavoursome. But still covered in scales. I fished scale after scale out of my mouth. Obviously, this issue was reported to the waitress who apologised profusely and reported back to the kitchen.

Determined to not let this sway us, we moved onto the mains and here things improved immeasurably. My pork and duck cassoulet arrived along with Helen’s moule frites and we dived in.

 

The duck was tender yet crisp, the bacon smoky, the beans delicious, the slices of sausage spicy, but the pork was the star of the show. Crisp skin, tender flesh, and plenty of pork flavour. Admittedly, my French friends will (and have) told me it’s not strictly a cassoulet, but from my point of view, I was very happy with the dish in front of me.

 

Helen’s mussels were also just as good. A full dish of tender plump mussels, creamy sauce and a huge portion of chips. And the chips were gorgeous.

Feeling much better overall, it was time for dessert. And given that both of us are fans of vintage, we went for retro desserts.

My Arctic roll was childhood on a plate. The flavours and textures were better, but the overall experience was exactly what I remembered. Of course my mum didn’t put strawberries or raspberries on the plate either.

And Helen’s baked Alaska was gorgeous. Italian meringue toasted to perfection, soft and creamy and still perfectly frozen on the inside.

So the verdict. I can’t dismiss the sardine issue – it’s poor preparation, but at least it’s easy to fix. And aside from this, and the rib being a bit flavourless (perhaps it needs cooking in an alternative manner), the food we had was excellent.

So would I go back? Yes.

Will I rush? No.

This afternoon meal was supplied for free by Artisan. As ever, this doesn’t guarantee a positive review (if anything, I tend to be a harsher critic). In this case, the issues that arose during the meal were raised with Artisan’s staff and I expect them to be fixed swiftly.