Chapter
Two - Blackheath Village, London
SE3
 On
a freezing but beautiful winter’s
morning I travelled across London
to Blackheath for Sunday lunch at
Chapter Two. Set in a background
of atmospheric winding streets reminiscent
of a traditional olde English village,
Blackheath is like a rare gem in
what otherwise is a rather characterless
part of South London. Split over
two floors in the heart of the village
and just five minutes walk from the
station, this buzzy venue serves
a very fairly priced three course
set Sunday lunch at just £16.50 a
head. The brightly lit dining room
is modern with eclectic touches.
Some tables are a little cramped
perhaps, comprising a long bench
seat with facing chairs but there
are also some round tables and it
is definitely worth requesting one
of those.
To
begin there was a choice of five
starters, two being vegetarian. I
had a terrine of confit chicken with
shitake mushrooms, baby leeks and
apple chutney. This was picture perfect,
served on a stylish Perspex rectangular
plate, the slab of glistening terrine
was thick with a mushroom and leek
interior. It tasted as good as it
looked – meaty and flavoursome with
a delicious dressing, served with
wonderfully moreish toasted brioche.
My guest had a plate of roast scallops,
fricassee of snails and parsley puree;
this had a £3.95 supplement but was
the only item on the menu to have
so. He commented it was beautifully
presented, a truly excellent combination
of flavours and textures – a sheer
joy to consume. To accompany our
first courses we tried two out of
the three white wines available by
the glass. My Hazy View Chenin Blanc
2005 South Africa was not as smooth
as our other choice, a French Sauvignon
Blanc 2004 Baron Philippe de Rothschild
which proved the more delicate and
drinkable on the palate.
Moving
on, there were five main courses
to choose between. For vegetarians
there was a rather good sounding
red onion tatin with creamed leeks
and roasted root vegetables. A couple
of fish choices, one with skate,
spinach and pancetta in a red wine
sauce and a roasted salmon dish served
with baby bok choi, seared calamari
and risotto. I had the slow roast
belly of pork, served with pomme
purée and braised cabbage. This was
artistically served in a nouvelle
cuisine style with the flavours and
tastes merging well on the palate,
the pork being tender and well flavoured
although bizarrely no green vegetable
came included in the price. My guest
ordered a roast sirloin of Scottish
beef, asking it to be served medium.
It arrived with roast potatoes and
broccoli, and a celeriac and carrot
gratin and was again well presented,
however, the beef veered towards
medium/rare and was not quite as
tender as he had hoped, whilst the
roast potatoes lacked a certain crispness.
We drank another house wine, Merlot
Rothschild 2003, £17.50 a bottle,
which had the desired full and rounded
body and held its own, complementing
our meal well.
For
pudding there were four choices.
I had a very gooey, rich and moreish
bitter chocolate mousse, served with
shortbread and a chocolate anglaise
sauce. It was a scrumptious concoction
of tastes with an added touch of
coffee, the crispness of the shortbread
adding bite to the wonderful richness.
My guest’s ‘selection of artisan
cheese and biscuits’ was disappointing.
Three small portions were pre-selected
by the restaurant, (a Mull of Kintyre
cheddar, a Valency goat’s cheese
and French Comte). The goat’s cheese
was palatable but the other two proving
decidedly forgettable. My guest commented
it would have been preferable to
have had a choice from a full cheese
board.
Overall,
Blackheath residents are lucky to
have such a reasonably priced local,
providing a great place to meet up
with friends without breaking the
bank. Our bill at just over £81.00
including service for two was very
fair, making the trek across London
well worth the journey.
Louise
Elgin, December 2005
Set
lunch (weekdays) 2 courses £14.95
3 courses £18.95
Set dinner menu 2 courses £16.95 3 courses £19.95
Chapter
Two
43-45 Montpelier Vale, Blackheath
Village, London SE3
T
020 8333 2666
W http://chaptersrestaurants.com/chapter_two.php |
