Despite living a stone's throw from the Star and Dove, and it being touted as a rather good local, I have only visited once before. Last time was a tasty "thai night" accompanied by a rather humiliating pub quiz experience.
Things have moved on considerably since then, and the
Star and Dove is muscling into, and perhaps beyond, serious gastropub territory. On first impressions the dining area certainly feels like a pub- assorted reclaimed chairs and wooden tables, with a bar slapped in the middle. Bold blue walls compete with a touch of Bowie in the background. The main drinking area is separated from the dining, and it is at this point that you start to get the impression they're taking it seriously.
The officious menu arrives on a clipboard. To start, potted prawn cocktail is firm and fleshy with fiery cubes of bloody mary jellies, and a ying and yang arrangement of sauces to bathe the bowl. Duck parfait with sweet beets is silky and is positively enhanced by a lack of accompanying bread accompaniment. The chunky chestnut chowder is dotted with delicate pickled mushrooms.
The mains retain firmly British roots. Hare, game bird and pearl barley is ceromoniusly presented in a piping skillet, perfectly seasoned and polished with a baked egg. The roasted whole quail is moist and conveniently balanced with the salty flavours of a ham hock hash. Crispy pork belly is a generously-presented, tender slab, but has lost its crunch somewhere along the line. Its accompanying black pudding and apple pie favours the stronger pudding flavours. It is a fun idea to deconstruct the pork pie and with a little tweaking it might just work. Side orders are extra, and the green veg are a little too al dente for everyone's taste.
Chocolate and coconut tart follows, with a lovely sting of sour milk sorbet to calm the sweetness down. The enormous cheese board includes some beautiful unpasteurised ewe's cheese with chunky homemade oatcakes.
For what is essentially still a pub, the Star and Dove has set the bar extremely high and will be judged by punters accordingly. It is outstandingly good value but there is no mistaking the quality and finesse with which it delivers its food. However, it is still teething. Even on a quiet Wednesday night, whilst the service is efficient but gentle, dishes are slow to appear. There is a strong leaning towards presentation which includes plenty of wooden slabs, artistic streaks of sauces and delicately placed salad leaves. It is classy, but somewhat out of sync with the reassuringly modest surroundings. I would prefer a punctual and crisp pork belly over a culinary Jackson Pollock any day, but it certainly won't stop me finding myself at this place again very soon indeed.
