Dinner at Docket 33
First things first, we went to Docket to celebrate our 35th wedding anniversary. We had been meaning to go for such a long time and finally we had the excuse to get our act together and make the booking.
Expectations were admittedly high, after all Stuart Collins had already won one of the regional dishes on Great British Menu and they are a tough crowd to please.
Expectations exceeded. There was all the precision of a draughtsman thrown into a culinary collider with the flamboyance and originality of the Met Gala red carpet. Straight lines and calculated angles are softened by dappled shades of light and dark. Deep flavours are highlighted by bright accents, like sunshine on the surface of a pond.
According to Grace Dent in the Guardian “Professional eaters always tell you to skip the bread.”. She disagrees in her review and in this instance, so do we. Eat the bread folks, it’s seriously good.
Suffice to say that every one of the eight courses was perfectly judged, beautifully executed and presented and truly delicious. I am not going to describe each course – you can read the menus from the night we were there, but the absolute highlight for me were the snacks at the start, whereas Neil felt the best had been saved for last and declared, uncharacteristically, that the dessert was his favourite.
These will not be the menus forever, they are not even the current menu. Seasonality, originality and evolution are all key to Stuart’s style.
But let’s sum up the experience because this was more than just dinner.
Yes, it’s a tasting menu, but no, it didn’t last all night
Yes, there are options for dietary preference. No, they won’t whip up a lactose, gluten, fish free option on the spot. Let them know in advance.
Yes, we did have enough to eat. No we didn’t stop for chips on the way home , nor did we eat too much
Yes, we had wine. And yes, we also had delicious non alcoholic drinks. Note: the perfectly paired wines, expertly chosen by Fran slip down oh so easily.
Is it expensive? That’s a loaded question. Yes, it’s a lot of money, but no it’s not expensive. What we mean is that it is totally worth every penny. And here is where we have to ‘fess up that, as a complete surprise, the bill was waived and our dinner had been on the house.
Did we enjoy it, you bet.
Should you go? If you can, yes.
This is fine dining, very fine dining. But the atmosphere is totally relaxed; the staff attentive, well trained, attuned to the diners’ needs; the carefully chosen artwork provides an additional talking point and nothing felt out of place.
Find out more and book a table at Docket No.33 here.
DOCKET NO. 33, 33 High St, Whitchurch, Shropshire. SY13 1AZ, Te;: 01948 665553, info@docketrestaurant.com
