Brittens Restaurant in Guildford, Surrey

Daniel Britten reached the quarter-final of BBC Masterchef in 2008 and now operates Brittens restaurant in the Tunsgate area of Guildford, Surrey.  Offering Modern British cuisine Daniel aims to bring 'foodie' dishes with an emphasis on locally sourced, sustainable ingredients. Since opening last November it is attracting a lot of attention and very positive reviews.

I had lunch there last Thursday and found the food to be high quality, the service friendly and the pricing good value.  Surprisingly there were only a few customers on this particular Thursday lunchtime but maybe that is a sign of the times.

Pan Fried Scallops with Morcilla

The lunch menu comprised Small Plates (£7 each), Large Plates (£13 each ) and Sweet Shop (£5 each) all with plenty of choice and thankfully no supplements on any of the dishes. So diners can mix and match depending on mood and appetite.  I opted for one small and one large plate which essentially amounts to a two-course lunch for £20.  Perfectly reasonable considering the careful preparation and quality of the food.

My Small Plate starter was Pan-fried Scallops with Morcilla and Apple.  The king scallops were cooked to perfection with pieces of morcilla (Spanish black pudding) and pureed apple.  A classic dish expertly prepared. My Large Plate main course was Pan-fried Sea Bream, Crushed New Potatoes, Brown Shrimp Butter and Parsley Sauce. Beautifully presented and a great combination of flavours this dish worked perfectly.  The brown shrimp butter melted over the top of the crispy skin ( how did he do that ?)  bream fillet was flavoursome and enhanced by the fresh green parsley sauce.  Accompanied by the freshest steamed curly kale this was a delightful meal.  

All-in-all I enjoyed this two course meal with a carafe of Sauvignon Blanc and an espresso afterwards for around £30 per person which for the quality was incredibly good value.  The simple surroundings were elegant and relaxing and the service was good.  This is a 'London quality' restaurant in Guildford - long may it continue.

Brittens Restaurant, 1c Sydenham Road, Guildford GU1 3RT, 01483 302888

Steamed Seabass at Cau Guildford

Argentinian Beef

CAU Restaurants has earned itself a high reputation for steaks being themed on the pampas grass fed Argentinian Beef.  In fact, director Charlie McLean and creative director, Patsy Godik have both worked with, amongst others, Gaucho restaurants. 




However, not so much has been written about the fish options at CAU so here are my experiences from a visit to the Guildford restaurant yesterday.  We were celebrating Mothers Day with some of our (not so young) kids in a party of 5 people.  Our booking (originally for 6) was dealt with very efficiently over the 'phone and when we arrived one person short, the staff were not put out in any way.  

Steamed Seabass

We were served at our table on the mezzanine by Katie who was extremely helpful and friendly.  As one of our party cannot eat oil there was a bit of discussion with the chef via Katie on what we could have.  This was resolved perfectly when Alessi, the Head Chef, came to our table and offered to fillet a fresh Seabass and steam it without oil. A perfect solution which is not always possible in larger chain restaurants where most items are prepared to formula.  The 'normal' Seabass option was baked 'en papillotte' with lemon thyme, cherry tomatoes, fresh orange and curry leaves and was delicious too. 

Seabass 'en papillotte'

Other seafood items which we enjoyed included Salt and Pepper Squid which were dusted in flour and topped with sautéed garlic and chili and accompanied with Chipotle Mayo.  We also shared the Steamed Mussels in a creamy Coconut and Coriander sauce. Extra bread was required to mop up the delicious juices.

Some of us had meat dishes which were excellent but the seafood options are far from second best and combined with the good service and buzzy atmosphere resulted in a really pleasant outing.