After a 45 minute drive from The Grove, we arrived safely at Le Manoir aux Quat’ Saisons, a very picturesque country house just outside Oxford, England. We decided to celebrate Valentines Day and the first day of Chinese New Year here so we checked into one of their 32 rooms for the night. Dinner was booked at the two Michelin-starred restaurant by Raymond Blanc. It was their 25th Anniversary last year and the last time R was here was during his university days, so it must have been on their first or second anniversary!
We stayed in the Orchard room, located on the first floor of the Main House, which was a nice comfortable 242 ft2 (22.5 m2). Accommodation was not cheap, at £520/US$790 per night, but it was V’day after all and hey we had free Wi-Fi! The cottage style environment was a nice change from the boutique or chain hotels that we were used to. They even had two huge bows behind the door to indicate Do Not Disturb (red) or Make Up The Room (green) by hanging the appropriate one on the other side. Very cute.
We arrived just in time for afternoon tea and sat down for traditional scones with clotted cream. Wow, you’ve got to come here just for the scones. Freshly baked and paired with the clotted cream was heavenly. The best we’ve had anywhere.
For dinner, we chose Raymond Blanc’s Menu Découverte tasting menu (£125/US$190) and ordered a bottle of 2000 Léoville Barton. This St Julien wine was very drinkable and didn’t need much time to breathe. From such a stunning vintage, however, I’m sure there are a few more years before we enjoy the most from this wine. The dinner, on the other hand was a bit disappointing. I guess there was too much expectation. Although a nice touch was the small version of the tasting menu that was given to us at the start of the dinner for us to follow each of the courses as they were served. It also made a good souvenir.
The first dish was a cold tartare of Scottish langoustine chopped into small pieces on top of a Japanese custard. Just like the Japanese steamed egg – smooth. The confit of “Landais” duck liver that followed was very soft and buttery, but we didn’t care much for the rhubarb compote on the side. The plancha-seared “Loch Leven” Scottish scallop was very fresh and cooked to perfection. By this time the dinner sort of peaked. The free-range hen’s egg was runny, but a bit bland. Then the John Dory and the roast quail were both overcooked.
Luckily the desserts woke us up. The carpaccio of blood orange and its own sorbet were very refreshing. For C, the cheese trolley replaced her dessert and there were plenty to satisfy her palate.
Breakfast the next morning was in L’Orangerie (the greenhouse) with a huge buffet serving a wide variety of fruits, cereals and lots of freshly baked bread. C ordered a scrambled eggs with smoked salmon on a toasted muffin, which was delicious. A good start to our journey into London.
At Le Manoir, food is only part of the experience. The environment, the rooms, the walk in the vegetable and herb gardens make up for a great weekend getaway. Oh and the scones scored some major points too.
– 18/20 (accommodation)
– 15.5/20 (dinner)
– 20/20 (scones)
– 18/20 (overall)
Le Manoir aux Quat’ Saisons
Church Road, Great Milton
Oxford, OX44 7PD
England
T: +44 1844 278881
E: lemanoir@blanc.co.uk
W: www.manoir.com
100214 Le Manoir - Gates to the Main House
100214 Le Manoir - Main House though the Lavender Walk
100214 Le Manoir - Front door to the Main House
100214 Le Manoir - Orchard Room on the 1st Floor
100214 Le Manoir - Orchard Room bathroom
100214 Le Manoir - Make Up The Room / Do Not Disturb
100214 Le Manoir - Just in time for Afternoon Tea
100214 Le Manoir - Freshly baked scones
100214 Le Manoir - Fresh clotted cream, butter and jam
100214 Le Manoir - Two Michelin-starred restaurant
100214 Le Manoir - Amuse-Bouche to start
100214 Le Manoir - Fancy serving plate
100214 Le Manoir - 2000 Léoville Barton
100214 Le Manoir - Shadow from the foot of the wine glass
100214 Le Manoir - Tartare of Scottish langoustine
100214 Le Manoir - Confit of "Landais" duck liver
100214 Le Manoir - Plancha-seared Scottish scallop
100214 Le Manoir - Free-range hen's egg
100214 Le Manoir - John Dory in bouillabaisse consommé
100214 Le Manoir - Roast "Brittany" quail
100214 Le Manoir - Carpaccio of blood orange and sorbet
100214 Le Manoir - Exotic fruit "raviole"
100214 Le Manoir - "Coeur de Guanaja" chocolate crèmeux
100214 Le Manoir - Scrambled eggs with smoked salmon
100214 Le Manoir - Bronze statue of a wicket-keeper
100214 Le Manoir - Organic vegetable garden
100214 Le Manoir - Scarecrow in the gardens
