Le Champignon Sauvage - Dining With Two Stars
Dinner for 2, October 26 2023
Eating at one of the world’s best restaurants on the day of my birthday is quite the privilege. Being a paying guest of two of hospitality’s greatest and confoundingly humble people is close enough to the stuff of which dreams are made. And sharing the experience once more with my partner of over fifty years was simply the very sweet and deep icing on an already rich and tasty confection.
At Mrs G’s suggestion we found ourselves, not for the first time, at Le Champignon Sauvage spending utterly delicious time in the care of David and Helen Everitt-Matthias.
We started in the bar area with the now rather iconic parmesan custards with chorizo crumbs and a more recent mini tartlet of pouting with smoked mayonnaise and pickled pear.
The chorizo crumb on those silky, cheesy bites was perhaps not quite as fine and dust-like as on previous visits and…
”Cheoff?”
”Erm, yes…”
”You have already decided to end this review by strongly suggesting that the entire meal was a stunning delivery of flawless dishes. You are being an arse here. Shut it.”
”Erm, yes. OK.”
.
.
.
Food pictures will click open in a lightbox. Oh dear. I was obviously still trembling with anticipation for that shot of our ‘appetiser’. Subsequent photos are decent enough but can’t possibly convey the almost overwhelming quality of flavour, texture and finish which kept arriving at our table.
Book, travel, sit down, and see and taste for yourself.
As ever, any mistakes in descriptions are all mine - I’ve tried not to make too many.
Appetiser and bread
Pumpkin cream, smoked almond foam, sage and onion breadcrumbs
Bacon and shallot brioche
Our appetiser was two thirds soft and fluffy. The brasher breadcrumb topping gave a herby crunch and completed a trio of elements which are so well suited. Lightness of touch with depth of flavour.
We have learned from experience that the fabulous contents of the breadbasket might challenge the capacity of our own ‘breadbaskets’. You will always be offered the chance of more through the meal. We stuck with one glorious bacon and shallot brioche each.
We had been greeted by Alice at the door. Her obvious innate charms and talents have surely been tailored and augmented by Helen’s influence and she joins a distinguished list of front of house who have added enjoyment to our experiences over the years here. Through no fault of her own, Alice also halved - at the very least - the average age of our company!
Apart from the constant delicious distractions arriving from the kitchen, Helen remains a particular focus of each visit. It would be facile to simply describe her as another delicious distraction. She will go through the formalities of presentation and explanation of dishes but whenever time allows through the evening Helen becomes your trusted friend and confidante. And a partner in mischievous, veering towards pleasingly wicked humour. Helen is a complex and intoxicating mix who makes many other hosts appear awkward by comparison.
Helen arrived with my scallop starter and a message from David in the kitchen. “If you are taking photographs, this dish looks ‘prettier’ before saucing.”
Which is why you have two pictures to enjoy.
I remain mildly conflicted over the rights and wrongs of snapping away instead of tucking in but my photographic records always inform my cooking at home even if they are not published here or anywhere else.
And friends are ever ready to tease me on this subject as evidenced by one birthday card opened that morning before we had set off for Cheltenham.
Starters and wine
Scallops, oyster velouté, Jerusalem artichoke, sunflower seed emulsion - before velouté
Scallops, oyster velouté, Jerusalem artichoke, sunflower seed emulsion - complete with velouté
Cured and seared Cornish red mullet, tartare, wasabi mayonnaise, dashi gel
Jean Durup, L'Eglantiere Chablis 1er Cru Fourchaume, 2021
Fine margins. But almost certainly the best scallop dish I’ve had. The sear on flesh was so perfectly judged. I’m assuming this was achieved in a pan only but the result had all the light smoky zing of an outdoor cook over summer flames. Nutty J chokes were matched by peanut buttery sunflower seeds and my first taste of rock samphire was delightful. Definite crunch but less salt and more herby greenness than expected. What a creation. Hair spray never had this much harmony!
Mrs G continues to adventure further with her menu choices. The red mullet dish would have once challenged her more but something conceived with such understanding is likely to turn the head of any but the most pernickety of diners. My wife was trapped into murmuring ‘This is delicious’ on repeat.
Chablis premier cru was also on repeat - a different domaine and vintage - but the choice we had made on our first visit in 2010. We drank with reasonable restraint adding only a pudding wine to desserts.
Meaty mains.
Including the partridge which had tempted us but neither had ordered. It arrived before our own choices as chef’s treat.
Grey-legged partridge, morteau sausage, turnip and verjus purée
Creedy Carver duckbreast and duck heart, pickled blueberries, Earl Grey
Cotswold lamb, goat’s curd, wild garlic salsa verde, black garlic
There are nods to graphic novels in David and Helen’s purchased artwork hung on the restaurant walls. Flavours are strongly defined across the menu but there are definite echoes of the comic book genre’s ‘Bam’, ‘Pow’ and ‘Whump’ in all of these punchy main dishes. Mastery of cooking alongside such top quality produce hits hard and true - wonderfully so.
New-born baby onions, meat juices and the influence of Earl Grey all calmed down the potential attack from blueberries and made the sauce for my duck a wondrous thing.
Pre-dessert and desserts
Tonka bean, lime and blood orange granita, blood orange foam
Lime crémeux, coconut sorbet, mint, brown sugar purée
Chicory cheesecake, mocha sorbet, coffee tuile
A glance at our pre-dessert reveals how a great chef exerts control. In this case, control over the consistency of elements. The tonka bean cream is not going anywhere but neither are the other two layers as they sit firmly but floatingly above. All in perfect order until an eager invasive spoon messes things up. Mrs G had already dubbed her lamb the best she has eaten and she remained entranced by the simplicity and - let’s use the right word - sexiness of this precursor to more complicated sweet things.
I’ll dispense with too many more expansive descriptions and try to let the images entertain you. If you think those desserts look enticing you’d be right. So much going on to see and enjoy. Including the inspiration to sprinkle a little ground coffee in my own crumb bases at home. Idea nicked.
Oh. Please cast your eyes into the background of my cheesecake pic. Duck fat fudge. Nnnngg… dribble.
Menu
With just one other pair of guests left in the room, Helen invited us to join David. With stoves all cleaned down we had the privilege of a relaxed chat. No huge topics of discussion considering bigger world events. Instead, a general mulling over of the rewards and struggles of hospitality. With one huge, positive revelation. David has no plans to take any sort of back seat and Helen will continue to support and complement his efforts. Hoo-bloomin-ray!
We were at the end of close on four hours of an experience which - alongside times with loved family and dear friends - must count as one of the richest in our lives.
Helen had seduced us in many and various ways at table and David had steadfastly ensured that not a single mistake left the kitchen.
A stream of prizes and accolades have been awarded, even if not sought, throughout this restaurant’s history. After thirty-six years - and counting - whatever the pronouncements of certain sad, tired (and tyred obviously!) inspectors, two stars continue to shine very brightly in Cheltenham.
