I arrived at Melton’s at 5:55pm, 5 minutes before my booking. I was given a choice of three tables, one at the back of the restaurant near the kitchen, one in the middle of the restaurant, or one by the window. I chose the window seat. I was presented with three menus. One very extensive wine list. a smaller drinks menu which included non-alcoholic drinks and finally the food menu. One side comprising of the A La Carte menu and the other, the seven course taster menu. Three courses from the A La Carte menu for £68 or seven courses for £83. It was a no brainer for me, the taster menu it was.

First up, three canapes; a squid ink cracker with emulsion and roe, a beetroot macaron with golden beetroot and goats cheese and a beef shin bonbon with gremolata emulsion. The cracker was salty and crisp, the roe popping in the mouth, the macaron, creamy with the beetroot not overpowering, finally the bonbon, a beautifully warm perfect sphere, definitely my favourite canape of them all.

Up next was the amuse bouche, what looked to be cauliflower soup, two different bread rolls with a caramelised brown butter and a red pepper butter with salt. The ‘soup’ was very deceptive as it was actually a sort of foam with roasted cauliflower, caper, pine nuts and I’m sure I heard raisins. A strong taste of cauliflower and the bread which accompanied it, warm and soft and I’m pleased to say I didn’t make a mess whilst eating the bread. Overall a lovely well balanced dish.

Garden peas, pea custard, sorbet, raw and blanched peas and coppa, which is a type of ham. A very vibrant dish, the coppa gave a nice crunch but I just wasn’t sure about the sorbet. An OK dish to say I’m not massively keen on peas.

Fourth course, scallop ceviche, pressed and charred watermelon, cucumber and bergamot. I expected the watermelon to have a bitter taste with it being charred but it was not. The scallops were cured rather than pan fried so texturally they were just raw, but a bit firmer if that makes sense. A very refreshing dish.

The last of the savoury dishes was lamb, charred lettuce, alliums and jus. The best dish of the night. The flavours of the lamb were exceptional and the dish was served with a bread roll, again lovely and soft. The lettuce was bitter but paired beautifully well when eaten with the lamb as opposed to on its own. I would happily eat this dish again.

The transitional course was lemon and fennel, parfait, meringue and sorbet. Whilst it seems like a lot of elements, the dish overall was quite small but that was a good thing. Any bigger and it would’ve been too much. A lovely palette cleanser.

The final course was strawberries, yummy! A strawberry tartlet with strawberry sorbet, macerated strawberries which had been macerated with woodruff sugar. The tart shell was a little too thick for me, I struggled to break it apart with just a fork and spoon. The almond crumb providing a nutty crunch. Strawberries are my favourite fruit so this dish was a winner for me before I even tasted it.

I was asked if I wanted the cheese course but declined as I was so full so I ordered a latte instead. The latte came with two petit fours, one was a fudge and the other a white chocolate shell with a liquid centre. The petit fours were not explained to me as to what the flavours were.

I asked for the bill and paid £100. This included the taster menu, two drinks, coffee, tip and a charity donation of £1 which is automatically added. Without the tip, the total came to £93.20. The staff were lovely and how they remembered everything on the menu I don’t know as each course had so many elements.

Overall a lovely evening. I wasn’t blown away, nor was I disappointed. I left feeling very full. I did feel like I was rushing slightly as tables booked at 5:30pm and 6pm must be ready to vacate at 8pm. Upon finishing the lamb, I was asked if I wanted to take a break before continuing but I declined as I was conscious of the time.

I do feel that if you book the taster menu for either 5:30pm or 6pm, you should have 2.5 hours to eat as 2 hours for 7 courses felted rushed. Normally most restaurants who offer a taster menu allow a minimum of 3 hours for the diner to enjoy the experience.

Would I go back to Melton’s, maybe. This visit was my second visit to Melton’s, having visited in June 2021 when the lockdowns were lifted. On both occasions, the menus were very similar, same flavours and ingredients just done in different ways. If I did visit again, it would be at a different time of year.

Date of Visit:

14th June 2023

Time of Visit:

6pm

Cost:

£100 (including tip)

Rating: (Out Of Five Stars)