Core by Clare Smyth

Well here we go again. Another visit to Core and once again the superlatives are endless. If you could give a restaurant four michelin stars then I’d be knocking on their door right now because that’s personally what I feel they deserve. This was an afternoon of stunning food , amazing service , excellent wine and fabulous cocktails that got my birthday celebrations of to a truly outstanding start.

It all began as soon as we arrived as Michal & Ale gave us the friendliest of greetings. We then took our customary seats at the bar where I was to enjoying a fabulous new cocktail creation from Ale. It was a Mezcal and Strawberry Negroni infused with smoke and the best alternative to a classic negroni I’ve tried.

MEZCAL & STRAWBERRY NEGRONI

It was nice of some of the team to come and say hello. Then after a brief chat with Rob he escorted us to our table which I suppose we could call our regular spot in one of the booths. This was not before stopping first at the kitchen for a quick chat with Clare. Once we were comfortable we were given a fabulous surprise as Rob said we could either have the menus or the team could create for us a special menu that would also include a couple of brand new dishes. Well there was no way we could refuse such an amazing gesture and therefore said thank you and delightfully accepted.

While we were enjoying the amazing snacks that featured a new creation and a take on the Welsh Rarebit it was time for sommelier Gareth to recommend some wine. He had an advantage as he new what our menu was so as we normally do we left it to him. His recommendation was to be a Hunter Valley 2013 Mount Pleasant Elizabeth Semillon that was absolutely fabulous and matched the the first four courses perfectly.

Now it was time for our first dish and a simply stunning Lobster and Spelt with celery caviar & pepper which was brought to the table by sous chef Josh. We followed this with an amazing new Mussels dish with fennel & oyster leaf oil that was like velvet on your palate along with flavours of the sea. Look out for this dish coming to the menu soon.

Our next course was just exquisite. A Girolles Tart with almond that you would have expected to be quite rich yet was delightfully light. We now moved to the fish course of Cornish Sea Bass with cockles , clams , herbs & lovage that brought a nice freshness to your palate.

Now it was time for the main event and one of the best dishes on all the menus. It was the Beef & Oyster with highland wagyu beef & porthilly oysters. This was paired beautifully with another fantastic recommendation from Gareth. The Grand Puy Ducasse 1996 Pauillac was an absolute beauty.

We decided to add an additional Cheese Course featuring all the usual condiments and the infamous fig rolls. This was washed down with a glass of Taylor’s 1997 Vintage Port. This was followed by the ‘ Other Carrot’ a delightful pre dessert.

This led us to dessert and there was huge delight on our faces as we was presented with the amazing ‘Core-Teser’ a fabulous take on the malteser. This was matched perfectly with a 2013 Szamorodni Tokaji sweet wine.

We then moved back into bar to finish with coffee , petit fours and an Old Fashioned cocktail to bring to an end a another truly memorable lunch at Core. If your looking for the ultimate dining experience then a visit here is an absolute must. This is world class food , amazing service , excellent wine in a restaurant with a fabulous friendly atmosphere and personally can’t wait for december when we can visit once more.