The Hinds Head, Bray

The Hinds Head in Bray is a pub which dates back to the 15th century and was converted into a restaurant in the 1920's. In 2004 Chef Heston Blumenthal purchased the pub and this quickly made it infamous amongst foodies and fans of the TV chef alike. This gastro pub has since come to stand on its own and in September of this year it was awarded its first Michelin star. Needless to say, we were more then excited to see how Hestons usual molecular gastronomy was to be replaced with traditional British cuisine.
Upon arrival and presentation of the menus our host for the evening, David talked us through the variety of cocktails available, their origins and how they are trying to introduce a varied cocktail menu which will incorporate some of Heston's diverse flavour combinations into drinks as well as food.

We decided to try the Savoury Raspberry (9.50), which was a fusion or raspberry vodka, balsamic vinegar and basil strained over crushed ice (£9.50)  which my partner thoroughly enjoyed. The Savoury Strawberry Drupe (£9.50) was far more to my taste and the unexpectedly sweet combination of strawberry, olives lime juice was divine. Our starters arrived whilst we were still enjoying our first drink, I had to give the Heston famed Pea and Ham soup a try (£7.50), which was complete with whole peas and cubes of ham hock, the taste of the flavoursome soup was accentuated by its vivid colour. My partner had the Smoked Guinea fowl and foie gras terrine with spiced apples (£9.95) the gamey taste of the terrine was perfectly complemented by the sweetness of the spiced apple.

After ordering our main courses we moved on to try a couple more cocktails, I chose the Rhubarb champagne fizz which was made with a home made rhubarb and vanilla compote, Chase rhubarb liqueur and topped with Deutz champagne (£12.50) it was delicious and refreshing. My partner tried the Charles Dickens, a sweetened brandy with rum and citrus flavours which was them flamed and strained (£13.50) the cocktail was served in a hidden flask within the centre of a book which made the tasty drink even more charming.

Before we knew it our main course had arrived and the five spiced duck breast (£22.50) which I had ordered looked superb, the pink meat was served with pak choi and a sweet five spice sauce (£22.50). My partner chose the Pure bred Hereford 10oz Ribeye Steak (£28.95) which was tender and flavoursome, served with a bone marrow sauce and triple cooked chips. We also tried the side dish of parsnips, chesnuts and bacon which was simply delish, and sure to be a combination we will be repeating at home this Christmas.

After the perfectly proportioned dishes we comfortably moved onto dessert, I opted for the chocolate wine 'slush' and millionaire shortbread (£7.95) which even came with a card detailing the origins of chocolate wine. The millionaire shortbread was rich and buttery and perfectly completed the sweet chocolate wine. My partner had the chocolate tart with vanilla ice cream (£7.25), the tart itself was equally as rich, but the creamy ice cream made for an excellent accompaniment.

The service during our visit was first class and both the host and sommlier for the evening could not have been more helpful and knowledgeable on the dishes, ingredients and drinks available. Our overall experience at the Hinds Head was enjoyable and interesting and unexpectedly opulent.

Yo! Sushi

Windsor

 Seated in a booth at the back of the restaurant we had a great view into the kitchen, allowing us to see all of the dishes being freshly prepared in front of us.  Surrounding the kitchen runs an authentic Japanese style conveyor belt (known as a Kaiten) which was offering up a variety of tantalising different options for diners to pick from the belt at their leisure.

Along with the changing dishes on the belt, there is also an extensive menu to order particular dishes directly to your table. We started by trying a couple of dishes off the belt (purely for the novelty of it), we picked a Spicy Chicken ISO (£3.00) which was a Chicken Katsu Sauce and Shichimi powder (Japanese chilli) it was delicious, fresh and made us eager to try more.

We then decided to order some dishes from the menu, I opted for the Prawn Yakisoba (£4.00) which was pan fried Japanese noodles in a mildly spiced and tangy sauce with vegetables and prawns. The prawns were perfect cooked and made for an excellent starter. My partner decided to dive straight in and went for the Chicken Teriyaki (£3.50) the chicken was grilled and coated in a sweet, sticky soy based sauce, he accompanied this with some Duck Gyoza and a Moromi Miso sauce (£4.00). The duck dumplings had a crisp coating with a soft tender meat inside which was also cooked within the moromi miso sause. Alongside the dishes we ordered some soft drinks (priced at £2.15 per bottle), however they offered a variety of Japanese Beer's, wine's and juices.

After some contemplation of weather to try something sweet or continue with a couple more savory snacks, we switched on our table light (which lets the staff know that you need their attention) and ordered a couple more savory dishes. I went for the Salmon Dragon Roll (£4.00) which was a sushi roll filled with crabstick, avocado, mayonnaise, schichmi powder and topped with a piece of salmon, the avocado and salmon were delicious together and the dish was so fresh and slight that it made it one of my favorite dishes of the night. My partner opted for the Chicken Tsukune (£4.00) which consisted of a grilled minced chicken breast skewer with ginger, onion and a sweet sticky soy sauce.

The overall experience was fun, tasty and accompanied with some great customer service. The restaurant operates a price per color coded plate, with plates costing between £2.00 for a green plate and up to £6.00 for a yellow plate, the system also makes it easy to calculate how much you have spent.