Carve her name with Prideaux
It's always difficult taking over the kitchen of a well-loved restaurant, and Darren Prideaux knew that, when he took up the reins at Dartmouth's renowned Carved Angel, he had a lot to live up to. Established as a mecca for modern British food for more than 20 years, the restaurant was long synonymous with its founder, Joyce Molyneaux, until she retired two years ago and it was bought by the Horn of Plenty's Michelin-starred chef Peter Gorton and his business partner Paul Roston.
Given the Carved Angel's culinary heritage, Prideaux knew that he could not afford to play it safe on his menu. "People often come to the Carved Angel to celebrate a special occasion," he says. "They are willing to try something a bit different, so I try to create dishes they will talk about."
The 29-year-old chef heads a three-strong kitchen brigade, having taken over at the 50-seat eaterie in March following stints at a number of Michelin-starred establishments, including the Feathers at Woodstock in Oxfordshire, Holbeck Ghyll in Cumbria, Gordleton Mill in Hampshire and Pied à Terre in London.
One dish that has currently got diners talking is a cèpe risotto starter, served with pan-fried frogs' legs and a lemon and thyme velouté, something that is a far cry from the proven‡al fish soup and salmon baked with currants made famous by Molyneaux. To capture the flavour of the restaurant's waterfront location on the Dart estuary, fish is always in demand and features strongly on the menu. Popular current choices are a tartare of langoustines with deep-fried squid and tomato and red pepper sorbet, followed by roast lobster with apple and tomato salad, celery choucroute and fennel panna cotta.
On the other hand, ruling the roost in game is a squab pigeon main course with roasted garlic risotto, red wine reduction and chanterelle purée. And the British obsession with chocolate means that chocolate fondant with orange caramel jelly and blood orange sorbet is a consistently popular choice.
Prideaux, who keeps up with food trends by eating out regularly, changes his menu - currently priced at £42 for three courses - every six weeks and likes to feature five choices at each level. The restaurant also puts out a seven-course tasting menu at £55 per person, and on Monday nights runs what Prideaux calls a "pot-luck" menu of three starters, three main courses and three desserts at £25 for two courses or £29 for three.
Diner numbers currently average 25 at lunch and run to as many as 35 in the midweek evenings. They spend on average £65 each, including wine, although a recent table of four spent a welcome £700. If all his full-house weekend diners spent half that sum per head, Prideaux would undoubtedly be a happy man - and he would be very popular with Gorton and Roston.
The Carved Angel, 2 South Embankment, Dartmouth, Devon TQ6 9BH. Tel: 01803 832465. Web site: www.thecarvedangel.com
A selection from the menu at the Carved Angel
Vichyssoise of oysters, cauliflower cream and caviar
Terrine of foie gras, Szechwan pepper and sweet wine jelly
Roast scallops with celeriac and truffle
Pan-fried John Dory, boudin of oyster, watercress purée and smoked salmon velouté
Fillet of beef, confit shallot, parsley purée and morel jus
Barigoule of spring vegetables, herb ravioli and Parmesan crisp
Pineapple tarte tatin, butternut squash ice-cream and spiced candy syrup
Millefeuille of roasted figs, goats' cheese ice-cream and liquorice Anglais
Selection of local cheeses
