4 /5 Alice Gee: Its been a couple of years since we were last at the Coal Shed. On previous visits I always had the grilled seafood platter which has sadly disappeared from the menu.
Dinner was good but flavours not quite as clean and bright as I remembered. Perhaps that was because this time we skipped starters and only had mains this visit.
My companion loved his medium rare burger, where both the burger and the bun was redolent with charcoal. It came with excellent fries. I wasnt expecting to like them as much as did because they were rather pale in colour. However, exterior was crisp and crunchy and interior flaky and yielding. Well seasoned with a slightly sweet scented aftertaste which made me wonder if they had been fried in coconut oil.
I chose the cheapest steak, the rump cap ,as i figured this is a restaurant who must know how to deal with less tender but flavourful cuts of beef. I was not wrong. Soft and smokey, and served with good bernaise. Very welll trimmed with no sinew and the fat cap removed.
My sides were a mixed bag. Padron peppers were dependably good and served with a wedge of lime as well as a sprinkle of coarse salt. The big disappointment was the gratin of celeriac, leek and potato. Stodgy, mushy, and no subtly of flavour--just a heavy hand with cheese.
The house red was a reasonable £35 a bottle, served slightly cool, which we both found pleasant.
