Abode
High Street
Canterbury
Kent CT1 2RX
Recessions do have an upside I discovered this week. As restaurants struggle to survive the credit crunch there are some great deals to be had when dining out. We took advantage of one such bargain on Tuesday when we celebrated my birthday at Michael Caines restaurant at Abode in Canterbury. They were offering a 3-course lunch for £9.95 or £16 if you wanted the addition of matching wines.
The restaurant is on the ground floor of the hotel and has a pleasant feel about it. It’s light and airy with white walls, wooden floors and two-tone leather seats. Single orange gerberas stand out against the crisp white linen tablecloths bringing a touch of colour to the room. It may be February and there may be a recession but at least a dozen tables were taken, giving a light buzz to the place.
This budget-conscious lunch gives three options at each course. I decided to go the whole hog and have the wines as well and was pleasantly surprised to find each dish has its own wine individually selected to accompany it. I chose the white haricot bean soup with bacon and truffle oil. The truffle was a bit muted but the soup was delicious nonetheless, a small pot of frothy bacon-flavoured cream containing whole haricot beans, with a couple of delicate cheese straws standing to attention by the side. The accompanying Riesling was a winner, the slightly sweet flavour cutting through the creaminess of the soup. John had the boudin blanc which was lovely. It was very light, almost mousse-like in texture, with a mushroom cream sauce and a garnish of almond foam.
My main course was beautifully rare roast beef and came with wilted spinach, glazed onion, baby mushrooms and a swirl of the smoothest, creamiest mashed potatoes. A lovely rich reduction sauce brought everything together and the dish was a wonderful combination of deep flavours. The Cotes du Rhone was again a perfect accompaniment. John’s mackerel was a bit more delicate with a rich red pepper sauce.
Pudding for me was rhubarb and orange charlotte: a light sponge wrapped around a filling of tiny rhubarb slices; shredded, caramelised orange peel; and a creamy custard sauce. This was garnished with rhubarb jelly, and orange and rhubarb sauces. It was a lovely refreshing dish to finish with. John’s apple crumble with butterscotch sauce and vanilla ice cream was also faultless. Unfortunately, my dessert wine got forgotten so I only got to try it after I’d finished my dessert. Although it was a delicious wine, I didn’t get to taste how well it complemented the dish.
To make up for the oversight on the dessert wine, we were given complimentary coffees with petits fours. Bite-size pieces of Turkish delight, nougat, chocolate nut brownie, madeleine and fudge were a fitting end to a lovely meal.
The menu emphasises that the portions on this menu are small as it is more of a tasting menu. They certainly aren’t large but if you manage to polish off the generous basket of bread rolls they provide, you come out feeling pleasantly full. At this price, you also come out feeling like you’ve managed to grab a real bargain.
