I’ve said it before but it’s always worth repeating – of all the restaurants we visit with some regularity, No 4 is the one we’d most miss if it was no longer there. So, a very fitting visit for what will probably be our last meal out of 2025. The menu changes seasonally but there’s always a festive slant in December.
A salad starter was a joyous seasonal affair. Crumbled Stilton, pear poached in red wine, crunch from walnuts and apple, the sweet earthiness of beetroot, all set off with a grain mustard dressing. Smoked salmon often appears as part of our food at home round this time of year. Always indulgent and here it comes in a generous portion. There’s a warm potato pancake – crisp exterior, fluffy inside – with some spinach leaves and crème fraiche spiked with lemon.
For one of us, the main course was a take on the classic Christmas lunch. A thick slice of turkey ballotine, stuffing, roasted carrot, unctuous confit potato (but it could have done with more than the single spud served), pig in blanket, a spoonful or two of cranberry compote and really good gravy. A take on steak and chips uses beef featherblade, long cooked so you could almost pull it apart with a fork. Chips were everything you want a chip to be – including being a generous portion. And cauliflower cheese was similarly spot onfor both texture and flavour. The peppercorn sauce was perky but without an over use of the pepper dominating.
Rice pudding is pretty much always on the dessert menu. And rightly so. It’s so comforting and always comes with some sort of fruit compote. Yes, it’s a take on the jam you stirred into rice pud when you were a lid. It’s currently “brandy boozy plums” – probably the best seasonal offering Paul serves with the pud. And, sticking to the festive theme, there’a lovely Christmas pudding surrounded by a lake of brandy custard. Just delish.
Another lovely evening and No 4 sent us off out into a cold and very wet evening with a little gift – half a dozen homemade mince pies. .
