Om nom nom lalala

So this evening I'd persuaded pinkapplejam, raggedy_man and i_am_toast to come along to Alimentum for some fine dining.
We had a round of cocktails/drinks first (you realise the quality of a place when they can make something as humble as a glass of cranberry juice look like a fine cocktail) and then were ushered into the dining room.
I had:

Loch Duart salmon, watercress pesto, samphire, crab as starter. A bit minimalistic (i.e. small) but absolutely gorgeous looking and wonderfully tasting.
Pan fried stone bass, turnip, pistachio, crab, keeping with the seafood theme, as main. Wonderfully pan-fried piece of fish, with perfectly matching accompaniments.
Strawberry Soup with (some sort of ice cream) and white balsamic. Again, the highlight of the courses. A quinelle of the ice cream speared with a shard of (sugar?) sitting on top of stewed strawberries with the "soup" being poured around and finished with a fantastic white balsamico by the waitress at the table. Oh wow...
Cheese course (3 pieces): A champagne washed camembert, a red washed rind cheese and a fantastic hard cheese. Wonderful finish. There's a saying in German literally translated as "cheese closes the stomach" and that was certainly true in my case. I'm glad I chose to this order (the waitress had asked me if I wanted the sweet dessert or the cheese first).

Since they took on Midsummer House's head chef, their food seems to have become a little more fussy and less substantial (still sating, though, with three courses) but still true to their main objective, letting the ingredients speak for themselves. That's what they still do to perfection.

Which brings me to the service. Impeccable, there when you need them but never obtrusive. As it should be but oh so hard to find. Also, it's a great feeling when the Maitre d' greets you with a handshake and a "Good to see you again". raggedy_man's face was priceless. ;o)

I'm really glad my dining companions seem to have enjoyed themselves and the food (none of them had been there before).

Also, I'm rather tipsy courtesy of the fine Mojito I had before dinner and the perfect Pinot Grigio I enjoyed during dinner.

*blinks*

I'm watching the rather rubbish "Jack Hunter: The Star of Heaven" on SciFi and there was just a perfectly fine conversation in German. Unheard of in Hollywood, let alone in B-TV territory.