I have been to Delifonseca to visit their shop a fair few times and love it. So was very excited to get the invite to experience their new menu and cocktails. I only knew them for their popular Sunday Roast so was very intrigued to see what else they offered.
There are two different entrances; one to the shop and the other to the restaurant. I had never seen the restaurant before, and it was impressive. Really spacious and roomy with high ceilings. The bar looked well stocked and it looked like it could be suitable for an event of any type – from lunch and a good natter with your girlfriends to the whole family or a nice, romantic night out with your partner.
Upon arrival, we were given a cocktail and the menu with the food we’d be eating. It was a good read! The cocktail I had (sorry I can’t remember the name!) was vodka based with ginger. It was very refreshing, and they had a very good selection of others.
Candice Fonseca is the Proprietor and had been running it for over 10 years. She came over to us straight away and her knowledge was simply outstanding. This was more and more prevalent as the day went on. There was nothing she didn’t know and for a foodie like me, she was an absolute pleasure to listen to. We spoke about changes in consumer behaviour from more people wanting plant based/ Vegan meals to being quality aware and wanting locally reared meat. She took us through every dish, the wines which went well with each dish and spoke about the offerings in the shop too.
Food wise, we had five sharing plates. All offered something unique and different. My favourite was definitely the rabbit, hare and pheasant mosaic. The quality of the meat and how they were mixed together was nothing short of a taste sensation! My second favourite was the tempura monkfish. The batter was a blackened colour and a complete contrast to the meaty white fish. I would definitely order both those again. The other dishes were delicious too and it was nice to try something a little different like octopus. I have had it before but normally warm and it was a nice, healthy touch having it as a salad with the pearl couscous which just melted in my mouth.
The Persian lamb was a main course and it was a favourite for most people. One person had changed their diet recently to be Vegan and couldn’t get enough of it! Shows how tasty it was. The wines complemented everything perfectly and it was great to have Candice’s knowledge when deciding which ones we wanted to try. My favourite was the Picpoul. A French wine which was very light and surprised me as I don’t normally go for French wines. But I will now!
Aaaaand on to my favourite course always – Dessert! I was hoping others wouldn’t want some of the bite size pieces so I could fill my boots!! These desserts were soooo scrumptious! They were all so different too. The cheesecake was so light and the biscuit base just melted in my mouth. The brownie was all sticky and rich. I love brownies and was surprised to see a little went a long way as it was so rich. That said, I did eat someone else’s too! I wasn’t sure what to expect with the white chocolate and pistachio parfait. But OMG! Another taste sensation! You could really taste the different flavours too. So good, I witnessed a ‘non sweet tooth’ person eat two of them! I just wish I’d had a doggy bag to take a selection home and enjoy all over again! I will simply just have to go back.
So after, the delicious menu and wines, we decided to look in the shop. Being in October, many Christmas products were there with a great selections of advent calendars, fudge, chocolates, ice cream, biscuits… did I mention I have a sweet tooth?! The deli counters had a great selection too of cupcakes and carrot cakes. Mmm.
There were also deli counters full of meat, cheese and snacky things like salads and olives. I bought some 3-bean salad, some broccoli & apple slaw and a venison sausage roll. Not the normal things you’d find in a supermarket (and much more fresh and better quality) and I can’t wait to get home tonight and sample them. I’ll just be sad I don’t have any of the white chocolate and pistachio parfait to complete my meal!
As a summary, if you enjoy decent, wholesome food with wonderful flavours and the idea of an independent restaurant where customer service is key then this is the place for you. I have seen the Christmas Menu too which is 3 courses for £35 and available from 3rd – 24th December. I cannot wait to go back and neeeeeed to try this.
Sweet tooth addict who loves to travel!
