Cheltenham be prepared. The rumours are true. Spam fritters are off the menu at
The Tavern.
Whilst we all mourn the loss of the crispy battered pork product - deep fried giants fingers if you will - I can tell you that on the flipside to this, there are some
excellent new additions to the menu, all thanks to the new Head Chef James de Jong (formerly of London's The Drapers Arms and Mission).
For those who don't like change, there are still a few of the classics; sliders, burgers, salt and pepper squid, mac 'n' cheese, sticky chicken wings, shoestring fries, and obviously the french dip (which I shamefully haven't eaten), But for those who do, there are tonnes of delicious things to sink your teeth into, with a changing 'specials board' and new sharing roasts... The slow cooked lamb shoulder with dauphinoise potatoes sounds like an excellent plan for Sunday lunch, yeah?
I've lost count of how many times I've been to The Tavern. Having friendly staff, good vibes and - most importantly - bloody good food is a recipe for success, and because of this, it's
always my go-to place in Cheltenham. Eating or drinking - though preferably both - it never disappoints, and with my brother visiting from Belgium last Monday, I thought that it was the perfect occasion to try out the new dishes and show off one of our favourite haunts!
We started off with two of the bar plates specials; firstly,
Wild Mushroom and Gorgonzola Arancini. If the earthy, umami rice wasn't good enough on its own, the tang from the Gorgonzola that oozed out of the centre made it even better. I'm glad there were three of us - one each - because I know there'd be arguments over who got the last ball if it were just The Chap and I.
Secondly, as a nod to the Spam fritter, another deep fried meaty treat;
Pig's Head Terrine, packed full of capers, breadcrumbed and fried, served with a celeriac remoulade (again with more capers) and a lemon wedge. It's the dirty fried food that you'd expect, but with a touch more class I suppose. Rich, creamy, salty and sharp all at the same time, and whilst it was good, we each thought capers on capers was a bit overkill, and maybe would have preferred a sweeter fruitier sauce of some kind.
For mains, after lots of umm-ing and ahh-ing, we decided on
Duck Ragu Pappardelle (The Chap),
Onglet Butcher's Steak with Fries, Rocket and Tomato (The Bro), and
Whole Roast Partridge with Braised Red Cabbage and Parsnip Crisps (me). Oh, and a side of
Rosemary and Garlic Shoestring Fries; that's a given.
The thick satiny ribbons of egg yolk yellow pappardelle, intermingled with a gutsy tomato sauce, was just the comfort food needed after a long day at work, battling with the horrid weather. Duck's quite a fatty bird, so there was risk for it being all a bit too heavy, but it wasn't; there was enough in there to get a gamey taste with every mouthful, but not too much to make you struggle to finish the plate… Not that The Chap would
ever struggle.
The onglet steak, also known as hangar steak, also known as butcher's steak (because butchers would often keep it for themselves rather than offer it for sale), is a cut which has a deeper, offaly flavour. Although it has many names to try and confuse you, the best way to cook it is simple; chargrilled - rare - every time. It's quite a loose grained cut of beef, giving it a tender melty texture, and with the salty chips, buttery béarnaise, and peppery salad accompaniments, it's a dish that's hard to be beaten. I thought it was pretty good value at £15.00 too!
Game season's probably my favourite of all, and the combination of partridge, red cabbage and parsnip is just the ticket for Autumn, My little featherless friend was cooked beautifully and was an absolute dream with the sticky braised cabbage. It felt like a proper hunter's dinner, though I should definitely have been wearing tweed, with a dog at my feet and a shotgun propped up against the table... Maybe another time.
Not thinking we could fit in dessert, our arms were twisted and we ordered the
Chocolate Mousse with Honeycomb, Hazelnuts and Pistachios, with three spoons.
It wasn't the dark, intense-cocoa-percentage kind of mousse I was expecting; instead it was a crowd-pleasing milky version, gaining its elegance from the snazzy toppings and its incredibly fluffy texture. For some reason I always avoid the chocolate options on the menu, but I'm
very glad I didn't this time.
As always, we had an awesome night at
The Tavern; the new dishes are a refreshing change, and I'm looking forward to seeing what else Chef James de Jong brings to the
Lucky Onion venue… In fact, The Bro liked it so much that he went back the next day for a burger before his flight back to Belgium! Job well done I'd say.
Check out
The Tavern's Twitter account for up to date information on their events and menu changes.
Cheltenham has been graced with something rather special this month; an enchanting exhibition of a woman we're all familiar with. Audrey Hepburn: Portraits of an Icon opened at The Wilson on the 9th November, having come direct from The National Portrait Gallery, and the fact that it's the only other place to be showing the exhibition outside of London is a pretty big deal. 
Whilst wandering around the exhibition in complete awe of her sophisticated style, I found myself playing a game; desperately searching for those moments where she'd let her guard down, giving us little glimpses of her personality. It does happen a few times, but there's nothing revealing, it simply keeps the curiosity going. 
