The Poet Matfield - Lovely Place, Wrong Day...
I have been waiting for what feels like forever to visit The Poet. I've heard great things and my experience was full of highs but also a low....
As mentioned in previous posts, in recent years many pub restaurants have really upped their game when it comes to the dining experience that they provide their customers and The Poet is no exception.
The menu show cases what can only be described as 'exotic' choices for a typical pub menu together with recommended wine pairings for each dish. The staff are immaculately dressed in smart/casual uniforms and are totally on the ball. I also noticed that the presentation of the food that left the kitchen was consistently stunning.
With all this in mind I was set for a wonderful lunch and this is where the lovely place, wrong day part comes into play...
We went to the pub on a Sunday, for starters I ordered the Gunn's Hill hen's egg with wild mushroom and truffle veloute and for mains being a roast dinner lover I naturally ordered the aged sirloin of beef.
My starter was wonderful. The presentation was elegant and the flavours strong but the food itself light, it was certainly not something that you would expect to see in a country pub at all. I decided to have the recommended glass of wine with the dish and was not disappointed, a match made in heaven!
Next came my roast and I'm sad to say this is where it all went wrong for me. The presentation was great but some of the flavours were overpowering and once I put everything on to my plate and started to cut up my meal it became sickly.
The heavily glazed carrots, extremely cheesy cauliflower cheese, gravy and then the added puree on the plate mixed together created what I can only describe as a creamy taste. The beef looked as though it was cooked perfectly and so did the other vegetables but I just couldn't really taste them which was a huge disappointment.
I can appreciate that more venues are trying to be creative with their food and do not want to serve something boring to their diners, however, I believe there are some things that should just be left alone and a Sunday dinner is one of them.
In my opinion it is what it is and that's what people love about it. Traditional, wholesome, comfort food does not/should not need to be overcomplicated it should be allowed to speak for itself.
My overall experience at the venue was great and looking at the other options available on the menu, I would like to go back on a different day and try something else but sadly the Sunday roast was not for me.
If you would like to check out The Poet can can do so by clicking here.
You can also find them on Instagram @poetatmatfield.