Northfields is in no way local to where I live, but I would be happy to travel to visit The Plough Inn.
This fine-dining pub reopened last month after significant changes, redecoration, an improved menu and under a new head chef. With this in mind I thought I would give it a try and, I must say, it greatly exceeded my expectations.
I had predicted good ‘pub grub’ but instead experienced high quality dishes with fine ingredients, presented beautifully.
The Plough Inn prides itself on being passionate about great produce, cooking to the seasons, hand-picking their suppliers and preparing every dish to order, and it is evident all of that is true.
My whole experience was complete; the setting was warm, cosy, lit with plenty of candles and the furniture is full of character, including old church pews.
My friend Niamh and I were served by a very friendly and upbeat waiter, Sze, or ‘Gok Wan Number Two’, as he is apparently known, who contributed to the positive atmosphere of the evening.
To start I had goat's cheese bon bons with wilted spinach and butternut squash puree (£6), a lovely stomach-warming texture with rich flavour.
Niamh ordered chicken liver pâté with pear and saffron chutney and brioche toast (£6.50); a nice and filling dish with complementary ingredients.
For the main course I chose one of the day’s specials – pan fried lemon sole with salmon mousse, dill mash and prawn butter (£14.50). The prawns were fresh and crunchy, the taste of the mousse was strong and the dill made the mash interesting. The portion size was too big for me and I was unable to finish it, but it is better to have too much than too little.
How better to judge a restaurant than to order the steak, thought Niamh, so she got the Hampshire farmed sirloin with hand-cut chips, confit tomato, Portobello mushroom and peppercorn sauce (£19). Niamh asked for it medium rare and it came just that way. She also mentioned how tasty the tomatoes were that came with it.
The La Palma merlot she drank also got good reviews. She described it as a medium bodied wine which was fruity and spicy.
Pudding for me is often the best part and my eyes lit up when I spotted jam roly poly on the menu, with homemade black cherry jam and vanilla bean custard (£6). It has been my favourite dessert since school but you don’t get it enough these days.
My friend, as recommended, went for Paul’s chocolate brownie with salted caramel ice-cream, chocolate mousse and caramel tuille (£6.50), and thought the ice-cream in particular stood out.
We walked away from The Plough Inn stuffed but highly impressed. The whole experience was complete and hopefully will be repeated.
