The Tilbury is nestled in the picturesque village of Datchworth in Hertfordshire. Surrounded by countryside and accompanied by plentiful parking, first impressions were good. Owned by brothers James and Tom Bainbridge, The Tilbury boasts classic British food with innovative twists and composed of promised fresh, high quality ingredients. My fiance, future parents in law and I decided to visit Saturday evening to indulge in the A La Carte menu, and were certainly not disappointed. The Tilbury has been awarded 2 AA Rosettes, in the AA Pub Guide and Michelin Guide in 2015, 2016 and 2017 so we knew the food would be particularly special.
To start, my Fiance has the devilled bacon and eggs, with maple bacon popcorn. Of course, I had to try some (he is used to that by now). The flavors were exceptional, and complimented each other perfectly. Smokey bacon, mixed with sweet and crunchy popcorn was a mouth sensation. As well as making these ingredients taste phenomenon, the look on the plate was a piece of art.
Being particularly food adventurous, I opted for the white chocolate and peppercorn hummus, served with anchovy toast as my starter. First of all, your thinking white chocolate in hummus would be weird, but it is a risky creation that definitely paid off. The sweetness of the hummus paired, with the saltiness derived from the anchovy toast was divine.
My future mother in laws starter was particularly enviable. She chose (and devoured) the breaded pork belly with apple sauce. Now the picture, gives this starter no justice. Biting into one of these crispy bites, uncovered tender, pull apart belly pork. The apple sauce, accompanied the meat flawlessly.
After such remarkable starters, our hopes for our main meals were high. My fiance ordered the 10oz sirloin steak, with chips and chop salad dressed with feta and lime. Once again being the inquisitive (greedy) partner that I am, I can confirm his main was delicious. The steak was cooked perfectly to his order requirement and the tangy salad dressing was heavenly. As chips go, these were also delicious, crispy but melt in your mouth fluffiness inside.
*Drum role please* my main meal was duck breast, placed onto a confit duck garlic bread with rainbow chard served with star anise and orange sauce. The duck breast was extremely tender, with deliciously crispy skin and was perfectly pink in color. The shredded duck placed on to the garlic bread was flavorful, with the star anise soaking through which created an Asian twist to the meal. There were so many flavors on the plate, but they all complemented each other very well.
We were all quite full, but with the knowledge of how beautiful our starters and mains were we all jumped at the dessert menu. I chose the Eton Mess, one of my favorites. What made this Eton Mess a little extra was the cream which has vanilla bean churned inside. The meringue pieces were soft and chewy heaven, and the strawberry's juicy. Quite honestly, I could of eaten seconds.
My future mother in laws dessert, was the chocolate silk pie, with lime cream. The acidity of the lime, balanced the chocolate creaminess beautifully. The presentation of both desserts was stunning, and much appreciated.
So would I visit the Tilbury again? In a heartbeat. The ambiance, decor, food, staff and cleanliness were all first class and they truly live up to their award status. The restaurant is a perfect weekend treat, with friends and family. With the menu changing monthly, we will no doubt be returning soon. If you want to take a trip to The Tilbury, find out more here.
Melanie :)
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