The Angel at Hetton
Sunday lunch for two - 25 October 2020.
Table 2
Ambience: Some might say that the guts have been ripped out of a traditional pub. We were impressed by the uncompromising confidence of a contemporary approach - including a cowshed concrete floor - and the reassuring choice of solid, well-crafted wooden furniture. Open fires add a visual warmth even if you are not seated close to them.
Food: The food attempted to be both thoughtful and playful. But, in too many cases, it was poorly delivered.
Some of the food was cooked really well. ‘Traditional’ beef and lamb roast mains had high flavour definition but slightly sad roast potatoes.
Tongue ‘disguised’ on the menu as “BBQ braised ox” reflected well on the kitchen’s sensitivities towards guests – I wonder when those guests will tolerate the proper description!
Either side of mains, the starters and desserts offered much appeal to the eye but fell down badly in execution and generosity. Worst of all, they failed to deliver on flavour. My much anticipated apple sorbet was a damp, tasteless squib. It was a blessing that this disappointment was delivered with a coffee spoon-sized quenelle which didn’t detain me for long. Soggy granola added to the lack of excitement.
A trio of one centimetre cubes of pineapple failed to impress and ensured that Mrs G’s meal ended with a whimper. And a raised eyebrow. And an audible sigh…
This and other dishes were the equivalent of carpenter’s apprentice pieces. Delightful to the eye, but with underwhelming flavour profiles, they proved to be of little practical use for eating enjoyment.
My ‘Grape’ dessert was a variation of the recipe below first published in 2015. I have made the apple sorbet at home. It was decidedly better tasting than the example I was served at Hetton.
Bilberry, meringue, Granny Smith sorbet and salted granola
Restraint and control are impressive when allied with attention to detail in flavour and texture but the evidence of a carrot starter and both of our desserts prompted the idea that the kitchen had confused a tasting menu with that of a three course approach. It is the first time in such an establishment that I have suspected an element of meanness.
Service: Hetton is surely not enough off the beaten track to suffer from recruitment issues but our Angel experience was punctuated by staff who were unsure of, or ill-versed in the menu. One of our wines proved unavailable but our server’s squirming attempt to explain and justify a perfectly acceptable substitute from a very similarly priced bottle was embarrassingly unnecessary.
A quiet celebration of one more birthday with the woman I love would have been complete with much more attention to their task from kitchen and front of house.
If, as their website says, “…the new Angel is all about great food and great hospitality” we caught the team when they were only a little over half way to their objective.
