THE KITCHEN TABLE at BUBBLEDOGS

Last weekend I had a real treat. Some time at the end of last year a plan was made to visit The Kitchen Table at Bubbledogs, a chef's table run by James Knappett that won its first Michelin star last year. Obviously, with a Michelin star comes a long waiting list, so we weren't able to get a Saturday night reservation until last weekend. 10 of us had a booking for 7.30. The Kitchen Table has 2 sittings each evening,with the first group of 10 arriving at 6.30 and the next arriving at 7.30, and each group sitting round half of the counter that wraps around the central kitchen. When I heard there were 2 sittings I was worried we'd be rushed through our meal, but that's not the case at all as they stagger the sittings rather than doubling up.

The meal at The Kitchen Table comprises of 12-15 courses, each described on the menu by just 1 word that summarises that particular dish. This was the menu on our visit.

What I really loved about the menu is that it felt like a journey. Each course complimented the next one and the portions started off small, got bigger towards the middle of the meal and then tailed off at the end (when we could barely eat another thing!) I found it fascinating watching all the food being finished off in the kitchen and plated up right in front of us. It was also so interesting that nearly all of us chose a different dish from the meal as our favourite. 

The meal started with radish, brill roe and yuzu. A gorgeous looking plate of crunchy radishes and their leaves, tangy yuzu and the most wonderful roe, creamy and fishy, it was like the best taramasalata I've ever tried.

The second dish was salmon, served raw and cubed on a puffed up crispy potato with brown sugar and sour cream. I loved this but others found it a little sweet.

This was followed by a carrot with crème fraiche and sorrel, a light but sharp mouthful, that was too vinegary for some, though I thought it was great.

Then crispy chicken skin topped with rosemary mascarpone and bacon jam which was amazing. The chicken skin tasted divine and was made even more so by the salty, meaty bacon jam and herby cream cheese.

Another fish dish was next - scallop with cauliflower, turmeric and roe. This was a light dish which let the flavour of the perfectly cooked scallop shine through. The cauliflower puree was a gentle accompaniment and it all looked lovely.

Next was one of my favourite dishes of the night (though I couldn't possibly choose just 1). Mackerel with miso, lemon and turnip. The mackerel was perfection, cooked to just slightly under, exactly as I like it, with a quenelle of miso paste that tasted as good as it gets and worked so well with the oily fish. The turnip and lemon added some crunch and freshness to the whole dish.

Now we get to a dish that I wouldn't order again. Perigord is a type of black truffle. This dish was an optional extra that we decided to share between 3 of us. The truffle was passed round for us to smell before being sliced on to onions and pears.

The truffle smelt fantastic when it was passed round but when we ate the dish it was completely unidentifiable. Truffle should be punchy and earthy and deep, but I literally could not taste it all, which was a real shame.

Moving on quickly from the only disappointing dish of the evening we were on to the trio of venison. I hadn't expected 3 venison dishes as the menu only stated "venison" and by this point I was already getting full! But we persevered and were rewarded for our efforts. The 1st of the 3 venison dishes was a broth made from the venison bones, served with an egg yolk that had been cooked for 45 minutes at 63 degrees to create a soft poached, but incredibly rich and creamy yellow. This was served with cabbage and goji berries, in the prettiest of bowls, and tasted divine.

Then it was venison and beetroot served with a raspberry dust and a liquorice dust. The venison was pink and delicate, and went so well with the earthy beetroot.

Another of my favourites was up next, but sadly I don't have a photo of it. This was venison ragu which was so rich and delicious, and topped with creamed parsnip and little parsnip crisps. It was absolutely heavenly and the only reason I didn't photograph it is because it was served in a cup and the topping was almost the same colour as the cup, so really wouldn't have made for a great photo (though in retrospect I should've taken a photo of a spoonful of the ragu - next time!)

At this point we were getting seriously full! We'd eaten so much already but there was more to come. Though we were on to cheese and sweets so we knew there wouldn't be too much more, so we loosened our belts and carried on. The cheese course was Beenleigh blue, a crumbly, salty blue cheese, served with rhubarb, oats and walnuts. I loved this course but Georgie, who was next to me, really wasn't a fan! She left hers, and normally I would've polished it off for her, but not after 10 courses.

A real palate cleanser came next - mango, coconut, lime and yoghurt was fresh and zingy. The mango was served two ways, as chunks in the bottom of the glass and as a sorbet with lime on top. It was refreshing and tasted of more tropical climes.

The second pudding was a winner. Caramel, coco crumb, hazelnut and milk. The caramel mousse was light as a feather but with a really rich, sweet flavour. The milk sorbet lightened the whole dish while the coco and hazelnut crumb added perfect texture. This was a lot of people's favourite dish of the meal.

Finally on to petit fours. First we had damson, chocolate and blackcurrant which was a mousse inside on a biscuit base, coated with chocolate. Delicious and decadent and the perfect end to a wonderful meal.



The damson was served with vanilla and sea salt fudge, but like others, I found it a bit too buttery and soft compared to other fudge I've enjoyed. It wasn't unpleasant, but it certainly wasn't a highlight of the meal.

 

The Kitchen Table at Bubbledogs was excellent. It's not cheap - we had a few glasses of wine, and a cocktail (which I'd skip next time) and it came to £147 a head, including the extra truffle course. But as a treat or for a special occasion I can't recommend it enough. Go with a group of friends and family, with very empty stomachs, and you'll enjoy a brilliant, first class meal. A huge thanks to James and his team for not only serving us all this delicious food, but for being so accommodating to my personal requests for a full written breakdown of the menu, and for letting me snap away while they were busy preparing all our food.