The Burlington
our review
Built originally as a 17th century coaching inn, The Devonshire Arms Country House Hotel is nestled in the stunning Wharfedale countryside by the picturesque Yorkshire village of Bolton Abbey. It’s ideal for a weekend foodie break because it also boasts the Burlington restaurant.
The Burlngton is a pretty long way from London of course, but any suspicion that the cooking will be inferior is instantly put to rest straightaway. Marinating by the wood burning fire in the bar lounge and scanning the menu, while tucking into the fine nibbles brought warm from the kitchen, you can tell this place means gastro-business. Mind you, diners could get a hernia from heaving the wine list onto their lap. It has to be a good four inches thick and weighs a ton.
We had a bit of a boggle at the prices; £3,500 for a bottle of red? But it was clearly a comprehensive list with over 2,000 wines listed. The cellar itself is down a stone-flagged corridor where within glass walls the wines await their Prince or Princess Charming to wake them from their climate-controlled sleep and get them really drunk.
For the rest of us there is a more compact and manageable wine list and the tasting menu of about nine dishes comes with a glass of wine to go with around five of the dishes, making choice easier still. The Burlington has a Michelin star and the menu reflects this with a range of flavours and textures that show confidence, eclectic choice plus a nod or two to tradition. With three rooms to choose from, including a conservatory looking out over the Italian garden, there’s even perfect choice in seating.
Eschewing (lovely word) the tasting menu knowing I was not going to be able to eat it all, but wistfully wishing I could, we turned to the a la carte. Lightly salted cod on Chinese cabbage with glazed watermelon and baby squid was brilliant. At first I thought ‘lightly salted’ was underplaying it, the salt seemed quite aggressive, but after a few mouthfuls it morphed into being just the right balance after all. The whole melange of textures and flavours was perfect, particularly the stand-off between the buttery soft squid and the crisp, icy, watermelon. Another starter of Moroccan spiced pork belly with langoustines, warm cèpe jelly and caramelised onion purée was equally fine; the pork belly rendered down through slow cooking to a fudge like consistency and the Moroccan spices a rather inspired addition to this underrated meat. The cepe jelly was pure essence of mushroom and went very well with the jammy onion puree.
Given that the fields around the hotel were heaving with sheep, it seemed wrong not to try the lamb. Roast best end of lamb with creamed quinoa, curry scented parsnips, roast cèpes and rosemary veloute did the beasts justice. The lamb was, of course, perfectly cooked and sliced to just the ideal thickness. The quinoa was a clever touch, its bubbly texture tamed by the creaming it was perfect for soaking up the aromatic juices of the lamb and delicate veloute. Pavé of seabass with hand-dived scallops, braised fennel, red wine shallot and roast salsify didn’t bring anything new to the table, but still hit the spot. Well-crisped skin on the fish, lightly carameslised scallops and that mysterious oyster-like like flavour of the salsify - all were just right.
For once I couldn’t resist the cheese; the trolley had rattled past a few times and it was just too attractive. I liked the way that the young waitress, when asked what she would recommend, was positive in her choices. Some local, some French but all juste a point for ripeness. I didn’t get to eat the Vanilla cassonade, cocoa jelly, coconut ice-cream, chamomile foam, vanilla cannelloni,cookie crumble and filo pastry wafers but the person who did was very happy indeed.
The deal at the Devonshire puts room and meal together at one price, so you can wobble back to the bar and then on to dreamland in a unique room. And in the morning there’s the remarkably good Yorkshire breakfast to enjoy, a Spa next door and the gorgeous Dales to explore. Perfect. Find out more at www.thedevonshirearms.co.uk
Nick Harman - November 2007
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