The Old Schoolhouse Inn
with Chef Will Brown at the helm is one such restaurant. Situated in Castle
Espie in County Down on the shores of Strangford Lough, it is hard to believe
that the restaurant is only about 15 miles from Belfast city as the
tranquillity of the surrounding countryside is more typical of a far more
remote location.
As its name suggests the
restaurant is housed in an old school. Evidence of its original purpose is
still present in the architecture of the building and despite being recently
re-vamped the dining room retains some of these features. Passing by the old
school bell, I managed to refrain from giving it a good jangle but
I was SO tempted!
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| Corned Beef |
There are a number of different menu options available and whilst both
the à la
carte and set evening menus are enticing, I was won over by the intriguing
brevity of the tasting menu which gave one word descriptions for each course,
so decided to go for this (for the purposes of this review, I will give more
detailed title descriptions).
To kick everything off
bread was delivered to the table along with two types of butter; a traditional
home-churned version topped with a few flakes of sea salt and also a
feather-light whipped brown butter flavoured with dillisk, a seaweed found in
many parts of Ireland including Strangford Lough. This butter had a vaguely caramel
sweetness but with an underlying nuttiness which was addictive. I would have
quite happily eaten it on its own. Two types of bread were presented - soft
white bread rolls flavoured with black olives and a delicious brown soda bread
which on inquiring further I was told had been made by Will’s mother. With the
inclusion of treacle and oats, it possessed a complexity of flavour that was
truly delicious and deserving of special mention.
 |
| Peach |
One of the smoothest Chicken Pâtés that I have eaten
was then presented to me. This had been quirkily disguised as a plump little
peach and was served alongside an onion chutney that struck the perfect balance
between being sweet and sour. Slices of toasted, barely sweet brioche finished
this dish off perfectly. Whilst each element was lovely on its own, it was only
by eating them together that you appreciated how clever the dish was. In
particular, I liked the paring of the chicken pâté with the peach gel - a
flavour combination that just worked. A glass of Viognier with its heady
peachy/apricot aroma was the perfect accompaniment and complimented the pâté wonderfully.
 |
| Sea Bream |
For me, the Duck, Potato
Gnocchi, Turnip, Radish, Parsnip Purée, Broccoli dish was a triumph. Humble
root vegetables had been treated with love and respect and presented cooked in
a number of different ways to emphasize their versatility. When paired with the
meltingly tender duck breast with its wonderfully crispy skin, they together
created a dish that was unforgettable. The potato gnocchi was absolutely
superb; rich and buttery with a deep and earthy potato flavour, that you don’t
often find these days, yet light to eat. A simple but flavoursome jus completed
the dish.
 |
| Duck |
The first of the dessert
courses served up Lemon Tart with Rhubarb Sorbet, Tuile, Gel & Meringue on
Granola. I love both lemon and rhubarb but have never considered using them
together, fearful that the inherent sharpness of both would not deliver the
sweetness that I seek in a dessert… but they worked wonderfully well together.
The lemon tart possessed an intense lemon flavour that somehow managed to get
more lemony on the palate as you ate it. It had a velvety almost lemon-curd
like texture that completely seduced me. The various manifestations of rhubarb,
most particularly the gel and sorbet were a perfect foil for the lemon and were
sweetened just enough but not too much so that the rhubarb flavour sang
through.
 |
| Lemon |
The final course of the
tasting menu was a chocolate celebration… Chocolate Tart, White Chocolate
Mousse, Vanilla Ice-Cream, Chocolate ‘Wafer’ and Honeycomb – nirvana for
chocolate lovers! This dessert played around with textures and presented
chocolate in a variety of ways each executed perfectly. The dark chocolate tart
was silky smooth and creamy and contrasted with the bed of biscuity chocolate
‘soil’ on which it was presented. The tart possessed just the right amount of
bitterness and sat well beside the sweetness of the white chocolate mousse. The
crunch of the chocolate ‘wafer’ and sweet honeycomb along with the chill of the
vanilla ice-cream excited the palate in all the right ways. This was a lovely
dessert, presented beautifully and along with a glass of honey sweet Muscat de
Beaumes de Venise was a great way to finish off the meal.
 |
| Chocolate |
I should also mention
Scott and Niall who served me my meal. Their knowledge of the ingredients used
and enthusiasm for the food they presented me with was borne out of a palpable desire
to provide a memorable dining experience. This they achieved and is indicative
of the team-based approach that Will Brown obviously promotes within his
kitchen and restaurant.
The thing with tasting
menus is that as a diner you take the risk of being presented with dishes that
you might not otherwise have chosen and might not like but you may also
discover new flavours and ingredients. Tasting menus also give the chef a
chance to be inventive and experimental. The Old Schoolhouse’s tasting menu is
certainly both these things, but cleverly references dishes that are familiar
so that the food is not daunting to eat.
Despite the huge amount
of time and effort that has obviously gone into each dish, this is food that
seems so effortlessly produced. Will Brown is someone who manages to create
food that is faultless from a technical perspective but is still full of heart;
food that reflects on the dishes we all grew up eating, but interpreted in a
modern and playful way. More than anything else though, this is food that
celebrates the bounty of the Irish countryside and does it in a distinctive and
memorable way.
As an aside, I would also
strongly recommend availing of the wonderful accommodation at the Old
Schoolhouse Inn. My room was comfortable with every mod-con one could desire
and the wonderful Ulster Fry that I had the following morning left a lasting
impression.
Tasting Menu: £45 per
person (£70 with matching wines) per person for five courses.
The Old Schoolhouse Inn
100 Ballydrain Road
Newtownards
Belfast
County Down
Telephone: +44 28 9754 1182
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