Review: Restaurant 56 @ Sudbury House, Faringdon

Ever tried a chocolate profiterole stuffed with cream cheese? Neither had I until I visited Restaurant 56 at Sudbury House in Faringdon. For a reason.

In fact, when presented with the charming tray of amuse bouche to keep us entertained while we perused the menus in the drawing room (yes, it is quite a fancy place) I couldn’t imagine for a moment how it could work.

The tiny crispy potato skins with sour cream, the juicy olives, the Scotch egg crossed with an arancini risotto ball, were all delicious, but a cheese and chocolate profiterole?

That couldn’t work could it?

I was rewarded for my misgivings by an exquisitely bitter fruity chocolate covering and a beautiful Manchego-flavoured choux pastry with a lighter cheese filling, which worked perfectly, like a cheeseboard in one mouthful. It kept me quiet for a good few minutes afterwards, wondering if the rest of the meal would be as magical and experimental, and we weren’t disappointed.

Taken through into the rather grand dining room (plans are underway to build a terrace outside which will be great for the summer) our feast there was as magnificent as expected.

We were dining alone mind you, having chosen the quietest day of the year to visit, the evening after the May Day Bank Holiday.

Not that we minded, because it was more like a private dining room than a busy restaurant, and we were here to try the legendary food of Andrew Scott and his team.

They have been making great waves on the culinary scene and I was determined to muscle in and see what all the fuss was about.

Several hours later, as we tried valiantly to press a few more hand-made petit fours into our mouths, we had worked it out – the food is fantastic.

It’s smart there mind, the lovely Spaniard restaurant manager Sergio Martinez advising us.

We chose the a la carte which was a wise move considering we ate the amazing amuse bouche nibbles and the deep fried nettle balls with nettle powder before even starting our hors d’oeuvres. And so we moved through a fascinating array of dishes from a Jerusalem artichoke salad made of tiny cubes and splashes of jus, truffle custard sauces and Madeira jelly, a wonder of taste and vision (£9.50).

The maple cured smoked bacon, Scottish langoustines, granny smith and celeriac (£15) was another interesting combination which Andrew pulled off. Then the spring lamb (chump and shoulder of new season lamb, yuzu, goats cheese, roasted courgette and artichoke (£27) and the delicious curried lentils and tempura cauliflower dish with golden sultanas and roasted fennel (£16.50).

Pudding came with a cleanser – a refreshing tropical fruit concoction of mango sorbet, coconut meringue, passion jelly and curd.

And then we moved onto the warm popcorn cake, salted peanut mousse, popcorn ice cream, banana £9.50 and the yoghurt and cherry cannelloni, pistachio flapjack, morello cherry sorbet (£9.50).

Just writing about our wonderful meal fills me up. When asking my dining companion to recount her experience she said it was wonderful but she was full until Friday.

So proceed with caution because Andrew Scott’s food ensures that your eyes will always be bigger than your stomach. A name to be watched then.

Sudbury House, London Street, Faringdon
To book call 01367 241272 or see restaurant56.co.uk