Auberge Du Lac

Despite a racy owner, the recent tenure of an almost destructively passionate Chef, and critical interest from - perhaps appropriately - car insurance peddling cholestosaurus Michael Winner, Auberge du Lac retains a sense of quiet charm and relaxed dignity...

The brick dolls house of a former hunting lodge is set, as its name suggests, lake view, amongst weathered statues within the softly undulating sculpted golfing slopes of the Brocket Hall estate. Once the residence of 'Lord Charlie', 3rd Baron Brocket, the main Hertfordshire pile is now a residential conference centre.

'Recklessly passionate' former Directeur de Cuisine, Jean Christophe Novelli drove Auberge high on the culinary map from '02-'05, leaving under ambiguous circumstances.

On paper, Brocket and Novelli have similar characters. Both reportedly charming men have a taste for supermodels, television and being recognised as celebrities through it. Both have dramatically failed in business. And Brocket and Novelli are car fanatics. According to The Telegraph, Novelli 'used to do the trip from Charles de Gaulle airport ... at 150mph'. Lord B. notoriously sliced-up and buried a fraction of his classic car collection (three Ferraris and a Masserati), fraudently claiming their theft to financialy aid his falling kingdom...

But enough of the past. Now in the hands of a young Chef with a winning smile - Phil Thomson - Auberge feels settled, although considering most of its clientele are geriatrics, perhaps the pressure to innovate is gentle. It is to Michelin lambent rather than luminous, recognised in the '08 guide as being in the ascendant - a 'Rising Star'...

Under low winter sun, this idyllic location suits a leisurely lunch, which is reasonable, ample and cleanly and patiently executed. Evidence of this last attribute came from the fact that the lanky South African Maitre d', badgered perpetually by a pleasant but boring couple about GPS technique - '...when we asked our TomTom for a nearby restaurant, it used to guide us to MacDonald's, but the ViaMichelin has far better taste...' - never flinched ironically.

After brittle pastry sticks and briney Manzanilla in the beamed lounge where wafts of an open fire hung snugly, lunch was served in the bright conservatory downstairs. Accompanying a moreish selection of warm, fluffy, thoughtfully flavoured breads, I had prettily flecked (skin side up) delicately fried mackerel. The main course: seared then very slowly roasted pork loin, the perfect way to ensure a thick crackling crust. The desserts were attractive, but lacked poignancy of flavour. Maybe a traditional establishment like this is fearful of upsetting octogenerians with flash puds? Overly dense dark chocolate truffles followed with coffee too high on the caffeine Richter scale.

Lunch included two glasses of fairly banal wine from rising D.O. Murcia, with a chance to 'upgrade' to Fairview Sauvignon Blanc and Puglian Aglianico for a few extra £s. The main list read like a fastidous collector's cellar however (all first growths being represented). Highlights include Dom Pérignon by the flute (£19), various renditions of Grange, some tempting Greek, Austrian and USA bins, and a substantial interest in Super Tuscans.

Guado al Tasso ('Badger's Ford'), comes from the estate of another aristocrat. In Marchesi Piero Antinori's Cabernet, Merlot and Syrah blend, Syrah is initially Sherpa. From the Bolgheri amphitheatre of vines comes courgette, bitter cocoa flakes and sweet coconuts on the nose. On the fiercely expressive palate rounding tannins still necessitate sinewy shank. Perseverance yields additional notes of aubergine, a sprinkling of muscovado and capsicum. An impressive Ferrari of a wine which would benefit from a few years burying in the cellar. Identifiably Italian but lacking depth at this time.

Incidentally, the restaurant has its own smokehouse used for the Home Smoked salmon.
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Douglas
Overall rating
Food 7 | Service 7 | Atmosphere 9 | Value for money 6
Monday, February 18, 2008

Had a great lunch at Auberge du Lac on Saturday. The three course set menu comes with two glasses of wine and coffee and petits fours for a fabulous £28.50 a head- unbeatable value at such a serene and beautiful location. A pre lunch snack of mini croissants with a cream cheese style dip was lovely and the bread selection was fabulous- the rosemary and cream cheese and chive bread is heavenly. I started with potted shrimps and melba toast which was a retro nod to the old classic- the muslin wrapped lemon half added the necessary piquancy to cut through the buttery shrimps- delicious! My main course of chicken with wild mushrooms and polenta was rich and hearty- I didnt need any additional side dishes. My dining companions had the trout with ginger and coconut rice and all three proclaimed it excellent. The only disappointment was with the desserts- which is strange seeing as they are purported to be Novelli's forte. The poached pear on sponge was well poached and tender, but the sponge was rather soggy and did not complement the soft texture of the pear. My pistachio cream and chocolate marquise type affair was rather bland- and came with pistachio ice-cream which, although good, added nothing to the taste dimensions of the dish. Minor quibbles aside however we had a fantastic time and had our coffee and petits fours (fantastic nougat) on the terrace overlooking the lake...could have sat there all afternoon- and there was no pressure from the staff to leave. For the four of us the bill came to just over £120.00. There is no greater bargain to be had and a further visit will be planned soon.
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Gemma Slade
Tuesday, September 20, 2005

By far some of the best food I have ever tasted in a restaurant in this country, we both had the tasting menu and was worth every penny. In fact by the time we had ordered an extra sweet, The wife wasnt keen on Bananas, sampled some fantastice cheese's and pre dinner drinks the bill of £260 went unnoticed as the whole evening from start to finish was excelent. The loadmouths in the corner could have spoilt it, If your children used to go to the same school as the Beckhams, so what! the rest of the world do not need to know. Oh and an extra special mention for the staff, all fantastic and just the right ammount of attention, with the young somelier a great guide to the whole experience.
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Mark Wellman-Riggs
Thursday, September 15, 2005

Auberge-Du-Lac is in a beautiful setting and despite the drizzling rain we had a fantastic time.

We started with some champagne in he downstairs bar area and when we were seated at our table on the ground floor we started with an amuse bouche of chilled tomato gazpacho. This had a good flavour but was slightly too acidic for my liking. My friend and I both followed with Salmon ceviche with crushed mustard potato and fennel- a fantastic combination of subtle flavours and textures. They had a wonderful selection of breads on offer and the cream cheese and chive bread- so soft and delicate- was some of the best bread I have ever been served at a restaurant.

Our main course of Sirloin of beef, herbed Yorkshire pudding, honey roasted parsnips, fondant potato and red wine jus was beautifully cooked to order- mine well done and my friend's medium rare. The only disappointment was the lack the of honeyed parsnips! Upon enquiring about this we were told that the chef had burnt them and did not have time to prepare any more! Personally I would have been prepared to wait but their honesty was refreshing and we did have a laugh about it!!

We were served with a tiny pre dessert amuse bouche of fresh lime jelly, lime cheese and lemon froth- which was a nice cleanser- although the jelly was citric to the extreme! Luckily we both like sour flavours but the small amount was just enough! My dessert of peach trifle with white peach sorbet was good- although a little disjointed- rather like two different desserts. The peach trifle being served in a small shot glass would have been better if it had been deconstructed and served alongside the sorbet. My friend’s pavlova with poached strawberries was good- but neither dessert were that impressive- strange considering Novelli's predisposition to excellence in the dessert arena!

The petits-fours served alongside the tea and coffee were fair but only two different types- perhaps I have been spoilt elsewhere!

All in all we had a wonderful time on a Sunday afternoon- the menu is an excellent price of £35.00 for the three courses including coffee and on a sunny day I cannot imagine any better location.

One last memory- that made us chuckle all afternoon- the Menu for Auberge-Du-Lac states on the front "This menu is available, signed for a small fee." Both my friend and I thought this was hysterical!! We never did get to ask our fantastic waiter with dreadlocks how many people take them up on the offer!
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Gemma Slade
Wednesday, July 27, 2005

Having eaten at Gordon Ramsay's, at Le Manoir and Foliage, I knew that it would take a lot to impress me however I was amazed at how good the food was.

The food was out of this world being bold and adventurous, the service was impeccable with the staff being very helpful without being over-bearing, the atmosphere was relaxed with me not wanting to leave at the end of the night!

Jean Christophe-Novelli is a gastronomic genius and if you go to any one restaurant make it this one as it will not disappoint.
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Kos Costa - View all reviews by this user
Tuesday, June 07, 2005