I have one rule when eating out, which some people think is really strange but I think makes perfect sense: Nobody can order the same as someone else at the table. Now obviously it’s not always feasible to apply this most important of rules, and I’m not a total stickler for it in groups larger than 4, but, if it’s just myself and Mr SHC then the rule is the rule. He thinks it’s a bit odd but he’s pretty well used to it now and in general it’s not an issue between the two of us as we don’t tend to order the same thing. Except when it comes to scallops (total aside but is it sc”a”llops or sc”o”llops?) which would both ordinarily have as our first choice starter. Due to my utterly loveliness I very often give in and let him have them to my own detriment and such was the intended situation when we headed down to The Dolphin in Betchworth recently to check out the new chef’s new menu.
Despite proximity to home we’ve not eaten at this pub very often, largely because the menu hasn’t really appealed. It isn’t that long ago that pies were being kept warm on the bar there. Things have progressed but the standard pub fayre on offer lacked excitement and frankly wasn’t worth the effort of leaving home, awesome though the chips admittedly were of late. If you check out the website you’ll perhaps see what I mean as, certainly last time I looked, it hadn’t been updated yet.
It’s with some glee therefore that I’ve been watching updates on the menu on social media and have been really quite excited by the amount of effort that’s gone in to creating something slightly different. Your classics are still there if that’s your thing, but there are some additional extras which are well worth a try.
So, back to the scallops. I had decided to indulge Mr SHC and once the waitress had sat us at our teeny tiny table with its unlit candle (no worries) he pounced on the trio of pan seared scallops with cauliflower puree and chorizo crisp, I mean, who wouldn’t? And is there a better test of a chef (cooking of eggs aside perhaps) than how they cook a scallop? In short, no. I’d been secretly hoping that he’d plunge for the braised rabbit and pistachio terrine (yes, I did say rabbit; yes, this is a pub menu; yes I know exciting isn’t it?) but the scallops won the day. Until he was told there weren’t any left and I chuckled a little inside muttering something alin to “serves you right” inaudible under my breath. So now we have a dilemma. Will he go for the terrine after all? Or will it be the crab, coriander and dill cake? Or will be be super cheeky like me and see if he too can have a half a salad as a starter.
Decisions decided, he went for the duck salad. I’d gone for the seafood salad, because second only to scallops is a prawn cocktail IMHO, particularly if you add the superfood that is avocado into the mix. I was promised a spicy Marie Rose and was not disappointed; it packed a real punch. I was a tad glum at the absence of the avocado and radish on my plate but really did appreciate that the kitchen did prepare both of us something that wasn’t really on the menu. The caramelised baby gem lettuce actually went really well with the juicy crayfish and prawns, I was concerned that it might be slightly bitter but it wasn’t at all and the pan fried king prawn which sat on top of the salad was lovely. Mr SHC’s duck was very well cooked indeed and we managed to get over our initial scallop-related disappointment. I do think the starter options could do with a tweak but we were ultimately both happy with our choices.
So, onto the Mains. Unless you’re a steak devotee or desperately want standard pub grub, then my top would be to ignore the Pub Classics section. Why? Because the next section is so much more exciting: Hake with chorizo, almonds and butter lemon dressing; twice-cooked Dingley Dell pork belly; butternut squash risotto with spinach, almonds and pecorino to name but a few. And then, there’s guinea fowl, which definitely appears to be making a resurgence at the moment which I, for one, am all for. I love everything about guinea fowl, including their awesome pre-plate appearance (google them if you’ve never seen a guinea fowl, you won’t be disappointed!)
The guinea fowl was prepared two ways: A pan-seared breast (there is quite a lot of “pan-searing” going on on the menu by the way); and little balls of confit leg mixed with potato into bon bons and served with garlicky spinach and a potato rosti. It was really rather good. The breast was a bit dry, not uncommon sadly as guinea fowl breast is a tricky customer in that regard. The bon bons though were cooked to perfection. Crispy on the outside, lovely and soft on the inside but they were far too salty which was a real shame. A very well executed rosti sat atop a pile of spinach which was the perfect accompaniment to it: Well cooked, vibrantly green and, most importantly, not at all soggy. I’m always impressed by a really good rosti as I just can’t get the hang of making them at all. The whole dish was superbly surrounded by a pool of a delectably smooth garlic butter. Why a handful of rocket was stuck on top of what was once crispy guinea fowl skin though I have absolutely no idea.
As for Mr SHC he, rather predictably I’m afraid, went for the steak which I’m told was excellent. Refreshing indeed for a “crisp salad garnish” to actually be a reasonable portion of salad and to be well-dressed. You’d be forgiven for not spotting it in the photograph below but, the steak was served with triple-cooked chips. Why these were going soggy underneath the steak really is beyond me. They just about survived the ordeal but what’s the point in going to all of the effort involved in thrice cooking and then covering them up. I just don’t get it.
I forced myself to try the lime posset for dessert as I really, really wanted couldn’t resist. I’d say that I was hoping for more help than I had but that wouldn’t be entirely honest!
It was absolutely delicious and I was genuinely surprised at how much I enjoyed the crunchy pistachios on top. The incredibly sweet and juicy raspberries were the best of the season for me and the homemade shortbread was the ideal accompaniment. It was far less sweet than usual which meant it sat really well with the sharp citrus tang of the posset. It was just a shame *presentation moan klaxon again* that I had broken bits of biscuit on my plate.
All in all we really were impressed with what the new team are up to at The Dolphin. This is definitely not just pub grub. It is also very reasonably priced and the wine list is pretty good too. Don’t just take my word for it though, pop along and see for yourself!
Surrey Hills Chills 