Subject: L'Enclume, Cartmel Author: Cecilia Campbell Date: 7/9/2009 Body: RATING Total 23 Great atmosphere 4 Home cooked fresh food 5 Plenty of flavour 5 Good value for money 5 Service with a smile 4 Telephone: 015395 36362 www.lenclume.co.uk Original review: Dinner, June 12, 2009 I have to say I find it very hard to know where to begin summing up our experience at L'Enclume. We went for the 13 course tasting menu. There is no á la carte menu, you choose between 8, 13 or 17 courses at £50, £70 and £90 respectively. I have given value for money top marks, because with the variety, quality, presentation and creativity of the food you get, the menus are undisputably a great deal. I won't go into the details of all the dishes – you have to go there to go through the journey of discovery yourself. I will say a few things though. First of all, the presentation of the food is absolutely fabulous - exciting even, down to the actual plates. The dishes were very varied, with lots of exotic and unusual – as well as delicious – ingredients. With 13 courses, I liked some more than others, and Martin and I had quite different favourites. I prefered the lighter dishes, which included lots of herbs and flowers and were just stunning. Martin was really sold on the Chick'oHake (a perfectly cooked small piece of hake with a piece of crispy chicken skin "glued" to it by some method) and the Surf and Turf, which included eel and pork belly among other things. I adored the eucalyptus ice cream, after which I literally felt like I could start eating the whole menu over again. What I was less fond of – and of course, this is where a review is so difficult, because it's such a personal preference thing – was when they'd isolated flavours and presented them in textures such as these gelatinuous balls, which sort of burst onto your tongue when you bit into them. So, to sum up. L'Enclume undoubtedly provides extraordinary eating experiences, and whatever your preferences you will definitely come across dishes you'll absolutely love. To boot, the meal is visually stunning. For me the real bonus was that Simon and his chefs really challenge my ideas about food, what I like, how I like it and why. By Cecilia Campbell   Cancel