There’s much to enjoy here. I even like the name. Note the umlaut. So, the pronunciation is “Urm”. Like in Urmston. Geddit?
The room itself is bright and minimalist modern – if IKEA did restaurant design, this might be it (and I mean this in a good way). Service is spot on – things happen when they should and how they should. And the six course tasting menu plays heavily to British produce (you can pay extra to add a couple more courses but we stuck to six). It’s perhaps not what you expect to find in a neighbourhood restaurant on a mainly residential road out in the suburbs but it’s all rolled together to make it a cracker of an evening for us. . I think that my only criticisms are that it’s an outside toilet – halfway down the back yard, so you get wet if it’s raining (as it was) – and, with a few single steps between your table and the loo, wheelchair users be warned.
I’m never sure whether bread and snacks really count as a course but Örme does count it as one of the six. It’s a mini loaf each, light, soft and flavoured with truffle & chives. It comes with butter, to which black treacle had been added – I found it much too sweet. The snacks, though, were brill. A single bite spring roll filled with the smokiest of smoked haddock and curry flavoured mayo (probably the best thing I’ve put in my mouth this year). And a little dish of a cauliflower “custard” , topped with a couple of slices of bresaola.
For the next course, the kitchen does something clever with beetroot, taking thin slices, dehydrating them to concentrate the flavour, then rehydrating them in beetroot juice. You get a soft but slightly chewy texture and a flavour that’s the essence of beetroot. It comes with nuggets of smoked cheddar and a crisp flavoured with pickled walnut. A small fillet of sea bream follows – perfectly cooked, of course, with a crisp skin. There’s confit celeriac, tiny pickled onions and everything brought together with a celeriac and mussel sauce. It was, perhaps, our favourite course.
And for the final savoury course, there’s Cumbrian chicken breast – moist and full of flavour – accompanied by a mushroom and a zingy tarragon ketchup which worked really well. Served alongside, their take on a chicken and mushroom pie. Leg meat and mushroom formed into a ball, breadcrumbed and cooked till crisp.
The first of the two desserts saw a return of dehydrating. This time it’s with cherries which are subsequently rehydrated in cherry juice. It gives you a lovely soft chewy texture – think wine gums. There’s a scattering of honeycomb and a mascarpone cream. And, finally, a lovely crisp tart filled with forced Yorkshire rhubarb and a cardamom ice cream.
It all really works. The courses flow effortlessly into each other. Nothing jars. And it’s good value at £55.The one of us who drinks alcohol had the wine flight - an interesting and enjoyable selection… Örme’s a place I’m sure we’ll be coming back with some regularity.
