#BumpkinSummer

We love to eat out and in London there are a million restaurants to chose from.

Matt happens to work for a company that owns four London restaurants.

He's mentioned my blog to his coworkers and that I sometimes do restaurant reviews.
I was excited when they invited me to try out their new summer menu
developed by Executive Chef, Raymond Fulton-Currie and write a review.

Obviously, I'm a bit biased

so they let me bring along some blogger friends

to tell you what they think, too.

A few weeks ago, I joined Jessica, Melanie, Emma, Jacintha and Mina 

at a blogger's table to sample the new #BumpkinSummer menu.
We ended up having a great night of laughs and fun, not to mention good food.

At Bumpkin they focus on serving seasonal, authentic British food. 

 We've enjoyed some terrific meals at Bumpkin in Chelsea, Kensington and Stratford.

but I have to admit Bumpkin Notting Hill is my favorite.

After greeting us with strawberry lemonade,
the manager, Nick, took us on a tour of the restaurant.
 It's four floors of loveliness and has a great casual but elegant feel to it. 
There are three private dining rooms upstairs -
the Clock Room, Queen's Room and Carnival Room.
Each more adorable than the next.

 

After taking hundreds of photos of the venue between the six of us,

it was time to take our seats and let the feast begin.

They did a terrific job of making us feel welcome.

The individual nametags were a nice touch.

They were also very tolerant of all of the time we took with the photos.

I love sharing meals with bloggers.  You don't have to yell at them "Don't touch that yet!"

And they completely understand when you start clearing out the shot

and turning the plates this way and that.

We started off where every great meal starts...  with a cocktail.

I love a good Lynchburg Lemonade but adding the blackberries took it up a notch.

I was proud to see a proper Tennessee whiskey like Jack Daniels snuck its way into the evening.

The cocktail got us in the mood to peruse the new summer menu and make our selections.

I started with the smoked ham hock terrine, crispy crackling and dill pickle.

The sweet pork and the dill pickle were perfect together, not to mention the soft roll and butter.

The crackling was a bit hard to bite in to but I loved all of the flavors.

Here are some of the other choices that had everyone raving.

Pan seared Scottish king scallops, chilled pea soup and crispy bacon

Dressed Cornish crab with Avruga caviar on toast

I usually just order a Pinot Grigio but Nick offered to make the wine selections for each course.

He asked a few questions about our preferences and then we left it in his hands.

Each individual dish was served with an accompanying glass of wine that was paired perfectly.

It makes such a difference having the right wine for the dish.

For my main, I chose the line-caught sea bass, braised chicory and fennel crab salad.

White and flaky, perfectly salted.  I loved it especially the little crunchy bits around the edges.

Roast South Downs lamb rump, baked heritage carrots and spinach

Slow cooked pork belly, apple celeriac salad and piccalilli

Have you ever heard of piccalilli?  It's an Indian pickle of veggies and spices.

Very popular in British cooking since the 18th century.

Roast free range chicken breast, baked Jersey Royals and mixed beets.

I love the color on this plate.

Roast monkfish, mussels and a light curry sauce.

Nick also brought out a few sides for us to share.

I love Bumpkin's Macaroni cheese.  Matt and I often share this side as a starter.

I won't mention which of the bloggers claimed it as their own.  Melanie.

If you can believe it, we actually had room for dessert.  But just barely.

I ordered the Strawberries and cream and scored bonus points when it came out with

madeleines and a chocolate drizzle.

Several of the ladies ordered the baked vanilla custard, poached rhubarb and hazelnut crumble.

They said it was amazing.

I always go for something sweet after dinner, but Emma opted for the 

selection of cheeses with apple pear mustard chutney and biscuits.

Doesn't that look good?

I almost cried when they set this in front of Melanie instead of me.

Bitter chocolate tart, honeycomb with a salted caramel mousse.

I will be demanding that Matt takes me back soon for this dessert.

Here are a few final words from the folks behind Bumpkin.

Food For Thought

 Sustainability, provenance and conscious farming is important to us.

We care about our food long before it is served.  We work with British farmers in

Surrey and The South Downs as well as local artisanal suppliers to  ensure

that we sere, wherever possible, the very best of British.

If you're looking for somewhere to catch a World Cup Game,

book a private party, enjoy brunch or experience a wonderful meal

I highly recommend Bumpkin.  

And, yes, I'm totally biased.

 Which Bumpkin is your favorite?

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 *I was a guest of Bumpkin for the purposes of review
and my husband works for the company that owns them.
 All photos, writing and opinions are my own.
As always, I promise to be open, honest and transparent with my readers.
If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to ask.