We delight in celebrations. Birthdays are as relevant to us now as turning 8 and going to a McDonald's party with so much excitement that you think you're going to throw up. So, after only a little deliberation we chose The Town Mouse for 1405's 29th birthday.
We had a big party of 11 including 2 littlelies and one teenager and chose to go with the banquet. The food proceeded with a few starters to share then the mains being meats, fish and sides.
We were seated in the courtyard in the back on a day that threatened to rain but ended up sunny. We were lucky. The service was amazing, considering we had children crowd our long table with colouring books and pencils, as well as my Chinese parents asking for hot water (yes, in place of cold tap water, it's a real thing).
Food came in quick succession, just the way we like it, and the ambience of courtyard was just right for conversation.
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| Cured meats of the day. |
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| In the front: Goats cheese profiterole, caraway, thyme and honey. In the back: Smoked duck liver parfait, pickled cucumber and crisp potato. |
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| Tuna rillettes with crackers for the table. |
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| Sea urchin on sourdough with dill. |
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| Whole vadouvan roasted flathead. |
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| Cos lettuce, soured cream, lemon verbena, pumpkin seed. |
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| Fried chat potatoes, yuzu mayonnaise. |
Not pictured, included in mains:
Black angus intercostals (500g), watercress & green chilli
Albacore, spring peas, mussel, tarragon & wild rocket
Duck breast, jerusalem artichoke, porcini, horseradish & young kales
Slow roast red cabbage, prune, parmesan & red apple
Roast cauliflower, almond & broad bean miso
You know how sometimes you eat a meal, and you think "yep, that's it, that's my favourite this year"? Well all the dishes we had in the banquet was like a parade of dishes like that. Nothing to fault in the food, except that one of our flatheads was undercooked. The waiters were very apologetic, did not succumb to my father-in-law's suggestion that they "microwave it", and brought another one to us quickly.
Upon reflection my favourite dish of this meal was the sea urchin - fresh, slightly sweet slighty salty sea urchin on grilled sourdough bread. The subtle herbs and lightness of this meant you could eat and feel happy. My mother's fav dish was the roast cauliflower, golden crispy with a wonderful tangy miso and crunchy almonds.
We spent a good few hours here, munching through the food in our courtyard space which felt invitingly private. Would return.
Black angus intercostals (500g), watercress & green chilli
Albacore, spring peas, mussel, tarragon & wild rocket
Duck breast, jerusalem artichoke, porcini, horseradish & young kales
Slow roast red cabbage, prune, parmesan & red apple
Roast cauliflower, almond & broad bean miso
You know how sometimes you eat a meal, and you think "yep, that's it, that's my favourite this year"? Well all the dishes we had in the banquet was like a parade of dishes like that. Nothing to fault in the food, except that one of our flatheads was undercooked. The waiters were very apologetic, did not succumb to my father-in-law's suggestion that they "microwave it", and brought another one to us quickly.
Upon reflection my favourite dish of this meal was the sea urchin - fresh, slightly sweet slighty salty sea urchin on grilled sourdough bread. The subtle herbs and lightness of this meant you could eat and feel happy. My mother's fav dish was the roast cauliflower, golden crispy with a wonderful tangy miso and crunchy almonds.
We spent a good few hours here, munching through the food in our courtyard space which felt invitingly private. Would return.
