When the crush and concrete of the big smoke has you feeling itchy, escape and drive out to the nearby haven of Buckinghamshire. There’s a sweet little chocolate-box perfect village called West Wycombe, filled with the kind of oldy woldy cottages that would reduce a coach of Americans to squeals. In West Wycombe is a newly opened pub, restaurant and hotel called George and Dragon. It’s set in a 17th century old coaching inn and is the brainchild of owner and Head Chef Arnaud Stevens. Arnaud is fresh from the passes of hit Shoreditch restaurant, Plate, and launched this new voyage to modern british pub cooking in May. I headed down to try it out.
The pub itself is homely and comfortable. Think low ceilings, plush furnishings and wooden furniture. Quintessentially, fabulously British. The menu is British at heart, modern in outlook, and has little flourishes of Asian influence every now and then. It makes you hungry to read.
I kick things off with their fishcake, served with beurre blanc and wild garlic. I think a fishcake is always a good way to judge a place – it’s so classic that it makes the chef put a stake in the ground to declare their style against. It arrives as a giant crispy orb of bread crumbed fish, in a veritable bathtub of beurre blanc. I approve of the portion size and the amount of sauce, and I approve of the flavour. The sauce is especially good and I use the bread to mop the remains.
I go meaty with the mains and opt for their lamb breast, with a crispy croquette of lamb shoulder, capers, goats curd, raisins and a rich lamb sauce. It’s bloody delicious and difficult to describe in any other terms. The goats curd is salty and creamy, and pairs well with acidic pangs of caper and sweet raisin notes. My other diners are jealous and try to take some.
Their mains are good too, but not as special. Roasted stone bass with lemon, ginger and soy, and a massive (and I mean massive) burger. The fish is well cooked and, again, has a stand out sauce, and the burger packs a meaty punch, if a little sloppy to eat.
We tackle a few sweets. Apple crumble with duck egg custard, and a panna cotta. The custard sounded incredible on the crumble dish – I pictured the richest custard ever, thick enough to coat the back of a Airbus A380, let alone a spoon. Sadly it wasn’t quite what I’d pictured. Chef had frothed it up into more of a foam, I guess in an attempt to make it lighter for summer. Chef, I tell you no! Give it to me straight, please! The rest of the sweet course was fine, without being spectacular.
All in all the George and Dragon ticked quite a few culinary boxes for me. Tasty grub, friendly pricing, comfortable setting – pub level 10 and worth a detour!
www.georgeanddragonhotel.co.uk
George & Dragon Hotel and Restaurant, High Street, West Wycombe, Buckinghamshire, HP14 3AB
01494 535340
