It's
fair to say that the event of remembering an unused Living Social*
voucher - which entitles its holder to what basically constitutes a
‘free’ three course dinner - is comparable to finding a tenner
down the back of the sofa! Thus, when the Best Foodie Friend (BFF)
informed me that, on the day before pay day no less, we would embark
on an evening of fine dining at No. 4 Clifton village – which,
situated within a beautiful Georgian mansion, is not typically the
kind of venue that one would associate with the end-of-the-month
money situation, my response was underpinned with a similar sense of
serendipitous joy!
Date
and Time: Thursday 23rd August 2012, 19:15
Name
of Establishment: No. 4 Clifton Village*
Location:
Rodney Place, Clifton
Reason
for Visit: A resurrected Living Social deal
No.
4 Clifton Village is an award-winning restaurant and, as part of an
independently owned and operated venue (which includes the Rodney
Hotel), embodies a timely flair that fittingly adheres to its
prestigious surroundings. Lofty sash windows, ornate ceilings and
solid oak flooring have been married with sophisticated décor and at
both the front and rear of the building are sweeping, well-kept
gardens that both facilitate the many wedding photographs that are
taken within them and provide a pleasant backdrop to the
intimately-arranged (and really rather cosy) bar area. In fact, the
BFF and I initially assumed this very position – nestling between
the abundance of scatter cushions and bagging ourselves a glass of
the Sicilian Borsari Inzolia each which at £5.50 for 230ml, fared
rather well as an aperitif given its crisp citrus notes. And, after
this brief stint in the bar – during which time, we were invited to
peruse the menu in order to whet our appetites for the courses to
come - the BFF and I were ushered into the restaurant where the
continuation of an unfaltering stateliness (plus the subtle
soundtrack playing out overhead) constituted a relaxed, almost serene
ambiance – which, we noted, became less and less apparent as the
evening progressed and the space became increasingly well-attended.
Disappointingly, service was rather nondescript as the girls who
waited our table, although polite and efficient, demonstrated as
little interaction as they could verbally muster which I’m sure for
some, wouldn't have been a problem (preferable perhaps) but to me,
was perceived as stand-offish and at times even a little awkward.
The
menu adheres to the concept of quality over quantity with a small yet
varied selection of dishes which, facilitating local produce and
drawing upon seasonal influences, has a distinctively modern European
slant. To start, both the BFF and I ordered the chunky ham hock
terrine (£6.25) which had been jewelled with carrot and celery; a
technique which besides adding splashes of colour, provided an
innovative contrast in terms of texture and taste. The melange of
soused vegetables were a delicious accompaniment; though the teeny
tiny pickled pickles were almost too cute to devour! The 'home-made
focaccia', billed to arrive in the place of the crisp bruscetta that
had been plated instead, was the object of a little shameless sulking
on my part and, despite proving well-executed and tasty, said
bruscetta didn't quite measure up in terms of what was otherwise
considered a fantastically structured arrangement of edibles! With
plates polished, we moved on to the main event; the slow cooked belly
of pork (£16.50) for the BFF and the baked breast of chicken for me
(£13.95) – both of which were beautifully presented and generously
portioned. I was duly informed that the pork was melt-in-the-mouth
delicious and the crackling offered admirable crunch, minus the
danger of teeth-shattering tenancies! I found the chicken to be a
little on the bland side and although the skin had been crisped to
perfection; it lacked the presence of a much-needed sauce or marinade
which would have perhaps added that necessary dimension of
morishness. The rosti potato with its herb-infused drizzle was the
real star of this ensemble however, with its deep, smoky undertones;
flavours which seemed to appropriately compliment the sweetly glazed
Chantenay carrots that the BFF and I had opted to share between us.
Whilst we're on the subject, side dishes (at £3.00 each) are
undoubtedly a good move given that main courses are not plied with
vegetables as standard - the green beans for instance are
particularly tasty – served al dente in a butter accented with
garlic and shallots – yum!
 |
| Ham Hock Terrine |
 |
| Breast of Chicken |
Finally,
let's move on to the hotly anticipated dessert course and the epic
indulgence of the white and dark chocolate croissant pudding (£4.95)
which, although sounding a little like a Sunday Lunch slop-it-and-see
special, was an absolute triumph. Yes, this was unprecedented pudding
porn in all its glory and with the swirled ying-yang effect of the
chocolate, an intricately layered and surprisingly light disposition,
not to mention the undeniable attention to detail whereby a delicate
(though almost undetectable) Bay Leaf Anglaise secured its appeal, it
was deemed visually delicious before even one bite had been taken,
(to be fair I’m not sure why I expected anything less given the
calibre of the courses thus far). The BFF ordered the Key Lime Pie
(£6.50) which she was bemused to find had been flourished with what
can only be described as a salad leaf – yet, despite this
mismatched garnish fail, she enthused that her dessert was as
refreshing as it was delicious – the flavours well-balanced and
pronounced – hence, perfectly paired with the fluted Prosecco that
(as part of the deal) had been served to conclude the proceedings.
 |
| Key Lime Time! |
In
conclusion, I thoroughly enjoyed my evening at No. 4 Clifton Village
– the juxtaposition of what is clearly a top-end dining
establishment with a refreshingly laid-back ambiance as well as the
presence of an unmistakably high level of culinary expertise made
this an ideal venue for a classy catch-up with the BFF. I’m not
sure that this is somewhere I’d choose without a money-off voucher
in tow however as, smack bang in the heart of the village equals that
unparalleled Clifton-style mark-up, thus placing it (for me at least)
securely within the ‘special occasion’ remit. Nevertheless, do
not let this put you off...for, if you have the pennies, this is an
ample outlet in which to part with them!
And
now for the second opinion....
The
BFF gave No. 4 Clifton village a rating of 9/10 and in three words,
chose to describe it as, 'intimate', 'elegant' and 'refined'.
References:
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