Lumiere

Right in the centre of town, next door to an Indian takeaway, and a mere stones throw away from the horrors of Vodka Rev's and Yates', sees Cheltenham's hidden treasure. With its modest signage, you'd be forgiven for missing it, but you really don't want to; this restaurant is a gem. Its ability to camouflage itself, like platform nine and three quarters in Harry Potter, makes it seem like some sort of secret dining experience, and the fact it only has 10 tables, adds to its exclusivity.

We'd been before, and instantly fell in love with the place; three perfect courses made us vow to return to try more. A little over two years later, here we are, though this time opting for the nine course tasting menu - a selection of chef Jon Howe's latest and favourite creations. Now, when it comes to eating out, I can be a bit of a control freak; I tend to completely disregard the 'big chain' restaurants, and insist on going to independant foodie faves, which I've probably researched weeks in advance and know the menus inside out. So having only seen a few sample dishes on the website, and not even looking at the menu when we arrived, our evening at Lumiere promised to be an exciting and unknown affair. After all, who doesn't like surprises?

Whilst browsing through the well stocked wine list, our appetizers arrived, a mini cheese scone and what I'd describe as a posh Quaver, topped with a gorgeous edible flower... Before I carry on, you'll have to excuse me for not remembering every little detail; there really were a lot of aspects to each dish!

The waitress brought round some freshly baked bread, of which there were four varieties to choose from. I went for the most unusual sounding one, celeriac and raisin, then out came our first course of the evening; a sweetcorn velouté with pancetta, so sweet and salty, light but flavorsome. A majestic scallop followed - diver caught from Oban - nestled with a piece of pork belly, and decorated with a caramel shard, carrot and cumin puree, and 'pork scratchings'. Next came another fish course of sea trout, with its super crisp skin and still rosy flesh, it sat on a bed of citrusy quinoa, cucumber, salmon roe, and topped with smoked eel. It was such a fresh dish, which led perfectly onto the last starter; a chicken terrine, with truffle, girolles, watercress, sweetcorn, and a langoustine. Without even swooping in for a sniff, you were hit with the aroma of truffles, and with a structural scattering of a sweet/sharp 'pickle powder', it made for an interesting dish, and one which I would never normally have chosen in a restaurant otherwise.

Now halfway through, we were given our 'refresher' - a take on a Tequila Slammer. There was a salty sugar crisp, that was to be eaten first, then a tequila sorbet, which tasted like a margharita. It was 'washed down' with a lime-y lozenge; a delicate jelly case with a punchy sour syrup in the centre that exploded in your mouth when you bit into it.

Quite often, when going for a 'fancy' dinner, I find that I get enchanted by all the savoury flavour combinations in the starters, then when it comes to the main course, I feel a little uninspired. Lumiere ousted this preconception by serving a main of goat.. Yes, goat.. In a British restaurant. As the waitress was explaining the dish, I was so eager to dig in. A goat loin wrapped in parma ham and a croquette of braised goat, with a hasselback potato of sorts, fennel/artichoke (to be honest, I don't remember) and goats curd. Pretty much anywhere you go, you will find goat's cheese on the menu in some form, so it was a nice surprise to have the rest of the animal being used rather than just it's milk. I guess I would associate it more with Caribbean cuisine - goat curries, etc - but it was so tasty not disguised in a tonne of spices that I'd recommend giving it a go just as it is.

Still none the wiser as to what was coming next, we were presented with Pimms, though not in drink form; an almost savoury cucumber sorbet, a bite-size strawberry meringue, Pimms flavoured mousse, and finished with sprigs of mint and apple. Then came a stunning strawberry dessert, which seemed like a nod to the classic Eton Mess. A strawberry sorbet ball, covered in little meringue pieces, pistachios, and elderflower jelly 'beads', with fresh strawberries and Aero-like white chocolate slabs. The not-so-secret ingredient here was popping candy, which made the whole thing a sensation extravaganza. By this point, everyone dining were roughly eating the same course - apart from the gentlemen on the next table who were bravely working their way through an epic looking cheese board - and you could just hear waves of crackling soaring through the restaurant.

Finally, a triumphant peach melba soufflé was brought to us, standing very tall and proud, with a raspberry sauce, almond ice cream, and an attractive sugar spun spiral. I'm still unsure as to how much I like sweet soufflés, so personal preference would've probably wanted the last two the other way round, but that would be my only little niggle on the whole evening.

The staff were attentive but not intrusive, both friendly and chatty; not the stereotypical stern looking waiters who look like it pains them to serve you food, and insist on explaining the dishes so quietly that only a mouse would be able to hear. We chose not to go for the accompanying wine flight for £50pp, which we noticed that many other tables did, but nevertheless our glasses were continually being topped up, so it didn't feel like we missed out too much.

Nine courses seemed like a steal for just £70, and as we said two years ago, it surprises me that Lumiere has none of the oh-so-coveted stars. Surely it can't be long, so I'd advise to go there now, or you might end up on a long waiting list.

Lumiere - Clarence Parade, Cheltenham. GL50 3PA