Will & I had a change of plans at the last minute as his sister was a tad tuckered out, so we decided to dine at CraftHouse, a Michelin-starred spot just across the street from the hotel in the middle of downtown. We had no clue where the place was, but after a second figured out there was an elevator (lift) marked CraftHouse that took us 4 stories up to a beautiful rooftop dining destination. The front had an empty bar and a number of folks were sitting just outside the dining room on a large deck area overlooking the city.
We were the only ones in the dining room at first (for a 645pm reservation), but our attentive and handsome(is there something in the water?) server, Nathaniel, showed us the tasting menus and wine list.
At this point the music was doing a rappy tad loud and we asked Nathaniel if it could be toned down which was no problem.
The menu is 55 pounds(US$65) which is great for a nice 6 course menu for sure, and the paired wines went for 45(US$54), but Nathaniel warned us the pours were measured and there were no refills....we went with two bottles of wine which ultimately gave us several glasses more than the tasting and totaled at less than $80!! A Pedegroso "Tabali" Viognier 2020 from Chile's Limari Valley was a great choice especially with the first two dishes:
-Whipped Smoked Cod's Roe with Yuzu Gel and Shiso(leaf) in a phyllo pastry shaped like a cigar. It was crunchy and fishy and the yuzu had a tad of sweet-tart.
We also liked the BELU (served in "ethical glass" bottles) fizzy water from the UK that was subtle but refreshing.
-Wye Valley (Wales) Asparagus came with Smoked Egg Yolk and Parmesan French toast. A buttermilk dressing was light and crispy capers gave the delicious dish a salty kick.
At this point, we noticed there was conflicting music and it sounded like one source was the thump, thump from the bar fighting the music in the dining room. We asked what was going on as only 4 inside tables were occupied(in total, there were no more than 10 diners!! on a Friday night) and Nathaniel said it was coming from a bar on the roof upstairs (that was apparently jammed). He moved us to the other side of the dining room and my head finally calmed down.
Our second wine was the one actually paired in the tasting with the meat course:
-2016 Blaufrankisch(called Kekfrankos in Hungarian) from Blues Monopole in Kovacs Nimrod in Hungary that had a nose of sweet charcoal vs. burnt blackberry, but a taste that was smooth, medium bodied, and fine with our fish and meat courses that followed:
-Pan Fried Skrei (Norwegian) Cod Loin was beautifully browned and had an amazing crunchy crust and looked like a giant seared scallop(check out all the fotos as always on FB). It came with Roasted Cauliflower gnocchi that were divine as well as a Caramelized Cauliflower Puree, Swiss Chard, Ver jus Grapes and Almond Foam. This was a winner of a fish dish!
-Hereford Fillet of Beef was tinged with sea salt and came just shy of medium rare, exactly as requested. The Crispy Potato Terrine (Pommes Anna) were super and there was a Confit Roscoff (never heard of that) Onion, Watercress Puree and an accompanying piece of Pastrami Short Rib that was wildly tangy, sour and unique from its brine.
Pickled Mustardseed and a Caramelized Onion Glaze finish off the dish to perfection.
The first dessert was a pre-dessert of Peach Melba Tart, and adorable miniature with Peach Custard, Frozen Raspberry and a Blood Peach Crust. Super refreshing and a big wow, but was followed by the awesome Salted Caramel Tart with Cornflake Ice Cream and Drunken Raisins with a spiced rum.
This was an amazing meal for an amazing price created by Chef Simon Jewitt, and we will return for sure, but need to sit near the quiet side of the room!!
