DEMUTHS
Demuths Restaurant
2 North Parade Passage,
Bath BA1 1NX
01225 446059
www.demuths.co.uk
Video Feature
How the professionals make Falafels Click here to watch the video.
This month flavour pays a visit to Demuths Restaurant to discover that there’s much more to vegetarian cuisine than lentil burgers and mung beans…
One of the most curious phenomena in the culinary world has to be that of vegetarian food. Curious, that is, unless you’re French, in which case the idea is about as ludicrous as the idea of a 30 minute lunch break.
Up until very recently, I was guilty of believing the stereotype which paints veggies as anaemic hippies who live on a diet consisting of alien substances such as tofu and quorn. We, the carnivorous, just don’t understand them. How could anyone live without fillet steak or resist the tantalising smell of cooking bacon? After a well received potato and spinach curry however, a veggie friend of mine embarked on a mission to dispel my prejudices by recommending Demuths.
Tucked down a quiet side street just off Abbey Green, Demuths occupies an 18th century post house and as such retains many of its original features, though it’s probably fair to assume that the dusky pink walls were a later addition.
The evening, I am afraid to say, did not get off to a brilliant start. Barely had I begun to adjust to the soft candlelight and admire the view of Bath Abbey before my ‘trigger happy’ ring tone went off, an embarrassment which was later worsened by me noticing a ‘NO MOBILES’ sign. Be warned, if you want to eat in Demuths, be prepared (quite rightly) to leave the outside world behind.
Keen as to ever to commence proceedings with a glass of white wine, I was recommended a bottle of Sedlescombe 2006 (£18.95), a dry organic English white wine which, as described, was light and refreshing with a strong hint of apples – the first example of English wine that I have found genuinely palatable. What impressed me even more was the fact that the wine list at Demuths is entirely organic or biodynamic and yet bottles very rarely go beyond £25.
For something to nibble on, I ordered labna – balls of strained yoghurt mixed with feta cheese then rolled in sesame seeds and garden herbs accompanied by lavash - sesame flat bread doused in sumac and garlic and parsley oil (£3.95). This Middle Eastern medley of flavours was quickly devoured and made a much welcome change to the usual offerings of balsamic vinegar and olive oil.
Next up was a dish of celeriac pieces coated in herby pecorini crumb with a caperberry aioli and red cabbage, red onion and fig salad (£7.50). As a keen gardener, head chef Helen Lawrence likes to follow the seasons very closely and during a time of year when produce is not abundant, I had to admire this inventive and flavoursome use of celeriac which is notoriously bland.
For my main course I opted for the squash and smoked cheddar soufflé (£12.50). The dish was beautifully presented on a bed of buttered kohlrabi celeriac, parsnip chips and lightly doused in a carrot and cardamom sauce. Soufflé is an exacting dish which often proves to be the stumbling block of the inexperienced chef (or Masterchef contestant!). Thankfully however this was a light and fluffy example of how it should be done. The crowning glory of the dish had to be the smoked cheese which gave a wonderful depth of flavour ordinarily provided by meat.
I rounded off my meal with yet another recommendation: white chocolate cheesecake (£6.95). I had been expecting a decadently rich dessert and have to say that I was a little disappointed with the overpowering taste of vanilla. The accompanying raspberry coulis I felt also needed to be much tarter in order to cut through the creaminess of the cheesecake.
This small quibble aside, I would heartily recommend Demuths; expect a menu bursting with variety and flavour combined with hearty portions and a wonderfully intimate dining space which means that whether you’re a veggie or a meat eater, you most certainly won’t leave wanting more. Just don’t forget to turn your phone off!
One of the most curious phenomena in the culinary world has to be that of vegetarian food. Curious, that is, unless you’re French, in which case the idea is about as ludicrous as the idea of a 30 minute lunch break.
Up until very recently, I was guilty of believing the stereotype which paints veggies as anaemic hippies who live on a diet consisting of alien substances such as tofu and quorn. We, the carnivorous, just don’t understand them. How could anyone live without fillet steak or resist the tantalising smell of cooking bacon? After a well received potato and spinach curry however, a veggie friend of mine embarked on a mission to dispel my prejudices by recommending Demuths.
Tucked down a quiet side street just off Abbey Green, Demuths occupies an 18th century post house and as such retains many of its original features, though it’s probably fair to assume that the dusky pink walls were a later addition.
The evening, I am afraid to say, did not get off to a brilliant start. Barely had I begun to adjust to the soft candlelight and admire the view of Bath Abbey before my ‘trigger happy’ ring tone went off, an embarrassment which was later worsened by me noticing a ‘NO MOBILES’ sign. Be warned, if you want to eat in Demuths, be prepared (quite rightly) to leave the outside world behind.
Keen as to ever to commence proceedings with a glass of white wine, I was recommended a bottle of Sedlescombe 2006 (£18.95), a dry organic English white wine which, as described, was light and refreshing with a strong hint of apples – the first example of English wine that I have found genuinely palatable. What impressed me even more was the fact that the wine list at Demuths is entirely organic or biodynamic and yet bottles very rarely go beyond £25.
For something to nibble on, I ordered labna – balls of strained yoghurt mixed with feta cheese then rolled in sesame seeds and garden herbs accompanied by lavash - sesame flat bread doused in sumac and garlic and parsley oil (£3.95). This Middle Eastern medley of flavours was quickly devoured and made a much welcome change to the usual offerings of balsamic vinegar and olive oil.
Next up was a dish of celeriac pieces coated in herby pecorini crumb with a caperberry aioli and red cabbage, red onion and fig salad (£7.50). As a keen gardener, head chef Helen Lawrence likes to follow the seasons very closely and during a time of year when produce is not abundant, I had to admire this inventive and flavoursome use of celeriac which is notoriously bland.
For my main course I opted for the squash and smoked cheddar soufflé (£12.50). The dish was beautifully presented on a bed of buttered kohlrabi celeriac, parsnip chips and lightly doused in a carrot and cardamom sauce. Soufflé is an exacting dish which often proves to be the stumbling block of the inexperienced chef (or Masterchef contestant!). Thankfully however this was a light and fluffy example of how it should be done. The crowning glory of the dish had to be the smoked cheese which gave a wonderful depth of flavour ordinarily provided by meat.
I rounded off my meal with yet another recommendation: white chocolate cheesecake (£6.95). I had been expecting a decadently rich dessert and have to say that I was a little disappointed with the overpowering taste of vanilla. The accompanying raspberry coulis I felt also needed to be much tarter in order to cut through the creaminess of the cheesecake.
This small quibble aside, I would heartily recommend Demuths; expect a menu bursting with variety and flavour combined with hearty portions and a wonderfully intimate dining space which means that whether you’re a veggie or a meat eater, you most certainly won’t leave wanting more. Just don’t forget to turn your phone off!