Excellent, by George!
THE George & Dragon pub is one of those quintessential English countryside establishments. Unless you live in West Sussex, or happen to be driving along the coastline with a Good Pub Guide or the AA Restaurant Guide in the glove pocket of your vehicle, you will probably drive straight past the turning that leads to its location, the tiny village of Burpham.
Burpham is nestled at the foot of the South Downs, just a few miles outside the historic town of Arundel, and although the roving diner might skip straight on by, the locals (and that includes anyone within a 50-mile radius) have been patronising this old smuggling inn for years. And they are currently filling the place night after night following the arrival of new head chef Nick Markey.
Markey's appointment has turned out to be a star attraction, as he has set about overhauling the restaurant's menu. Owners Kate Holle and James Roseare delighted with the response to their new chef."He has been a shot of adrenalin," enthuses Rose, who with Holle managed the George & Dragon beforebuying the pub when the previous owners sold up six years ago.
"The standard of food coming out of the kitchen now is amazing," says Holle. "Nick is doing things we had dreamed of doing but hadn't quite managed. As a result, we are seeing people who have not been here for a while coming back, and also a lot of new customers."
Markey knows that he is on to a good thing, too. He started his cooking career early by helping out in the restaurant run by his parents. But his CV does not boast a string of stints in major establishments up and down the country, like those of so many of his peers. In fact, Markey has never cooked professionally outside Sussex. His career encompasses just two establishments prior to the George - the Avisford Park hotel in Walberton and Findon Manor hotel in Findon, where he was sous chef under Stanley Ball. Yet Holle and Rose trusted his skills enough to give him a free rein with the restaurant menu, which is served only in the evening and is changed monthly.
"Kate and James are quite happy for me to do whatever I want," Markey smiles, "and I want people to try new things, something they have not had before or can't cook themselves at home. I like to use a lot of scallops and I want to introduce foie gras on the next menu. I feel I am getting known around here and I have got customers from my previous places coming here. People aren't scared to try starters such as grenadine of veal or salmon tartare. They don't just opt for the soup."
Although he has a penchant for the finer things in cooking, Markey likes to keep his cooking simple and use fresh local produce wherever and whenever he can - such as wild mushrooms from the New Forest in the neighbouring county of Hampshire, which are often picked only a few hours before being delivered to the George.
Wild mushrooms appeared in several dishes on Markey's first menu for the George & Dragon - for instance, in the form of a cappuccino-style amuse bouche. The cappuccino has been elevated to permanent status as a starter on the January menu. Wild mushrooms also put in an appearance in one of Markey's favourite dishes, the starter of grenadine of veal, shallot and thyme cream. For this, the veal is mixed with shallots, the mushrooms and morels, wrapped in a cràpe and baked in the oven in a bain-marie, in order to create a mousse-like texture and appearance.
Another of Markey's favourite creations on his original menu for the George & Dragon was an experimental main course of pan-fried saddle of venison with a feuillantine of roasted scallops. "What I really love about this dish is combining the scallops with venison," he explains. "It's an unusual mix, and a real contrast of textures and two very different flavours which looks great on the plate."
Holle and Rose realised immediately that they could draw more customers in on the strength of their new chef. Through promotional menus and a varying price structure, the pair have achieved their aim of getting people talking about the George again. Getting a table on a weekend is difficult, with Markey and his team regularly serving a full house of as many as 35 covers. Average meal prices are £5 for starters, £12 to £15 for a main course and £5.50 for dessert.
The best sellers on Markey's first menu proved to be main courses of monkfish and fillet of Scottish beef. The beef, seared before being pan-fried, was served with a confit of shallots, the latter having been baked in parchment with garlic, pepper and sugar. The dish was finished with a wild mushroom oil and served with a red wine sauce. The monkfish dish, also pan-fried, comprised fish medallions wrapped in smoked bacon, which were sliced before being glazed with a Champagne and grain mustard sabayon.
Always popular
Markey's January menu features beef again - this time sautéd and in fillet form with a fresh herb crust - and pavé of sea bass poached in saffron court bouillon. "Beef is always popular and the sea bass dish has already been on a Sunday lunch menu, where it sold well," he comments. "The fish looks great because the saffron taints it a wonderful yellow, which contrasts with the white flesh inside."
He is also expecting two of his favourite creations to be a hit among the diners - a starter of ravioli of langoustine with a truffle sauce and a dessert of pyramid of honeycomb parfait with a passion fruit dressing.
"I did a similar ravioli dish a little while ago, with lobster, and everyone loved it," he says. "I am using salmon and scallops as well as the langoustines for their flavours, but the light cream sauce will have a little chicken stock in it to prevent everything being too fishy. I have made the parfait before, too, and what I love about it is the sweetness of the honeycomb combined with the sharpness of the passion fruit. Desserts are so important. They are often the one element by which people remember the whole meal."
Certainly, Markey's creations have proved memorable. So much so that Holle and Rose have introduced a New Year special six-course menu at £20 per head and are confident that the George & Dragon will be full to capacity with diners over the opening months of the new millennium.
