Toby Cottage, High
Street, Ripley, Surrey
Clifford Mould found a paradise
for retro dining enthusiasts
For a relatively small village,
Ripley’s three restaurants
cater for the widest possible range
of culinary fads and fancies. Depending
on your point of view, in one particular
pole position is the Michelin starred
Drake’s, (fabulous cooking,
with portions so miniscule that
a friend told me he’d had
to make himself a cheese sandwich
when he got home – oh, and
waiters exuding Gallic attitude!).
Somewhere in the middle is The
Talbot, a genuine old coaching
inn that’s recently had a
multi-million pound makeover; its
new restaurant is now the epitome
of gastro-pub style.
At the opposite pole position
is the Toby Cottage, where mine
host greets most of his customers
by name, since most of them have
been coming since the year dot,
and why not? Patron cum
Maitre‘d
Tony Trillo inherited a menu that
continues to pack ‘em in
and his very sensible mantra is
if it ain’t broke don’t
fix it.
When dining at the Toby Cottage,
do NOT have lunch, or breakfast,
and have a light supper the night
before because you will fill every
spare corner of your tummy! It’s
quality food cooked according to
classic recipes and served in enormously
generous portions with scarcely
a nod in the direction of fancy
fashionable presentations.
The eyes of people of a certain
age will grow misty at the sight
of starters such as ‘a fan
of Galia melon with smoked salmon
and Marie Rose sauce’, or
deep-fried Brie with cranberry
sauce. They will turn light headed
with anticipation at the mention
of Tournedos Rossini, Beef Stroganoff
and Chateaubriand (for two, naturally).
But they will doubtless fall to
their knees in ecstasy at the rumble
of the sweet trolley, more of which
later. Younger folk will discover
such items will provide novel gastronomic
challenges.
On arrival, the four of us were
shown up to the cosy bar where
we perused the menus (there is
an excellent three course set menu
for £18.50 as well as the
more expensive a la carte. The
wine list is very comprehensive
with a really serious Spanish section
that reflects Tony’s special
area of expertise. We particularly
enjoyed an inexpensive claret,
Chateau Lamothe de Haux, which
was expertly decanted well before
it was required. Tony next reeled
off several specials of the day
that depend on seasonal availability
and what the fish van and the meat
market are offering.
From the set menu we were tempted
by the Italian classic tricolore
salad of avocado, tomato and mozzarella,
basil pesto dressing reinforcing
the green. In the end we plumped
for baked goat’s cheese and
rocket salad – which was
everything it said it was and generous
with it too. The baked scallops
wrapped in pancetta were really
tasty as was a salad with poached
egg and black pudding. So simple,
yet so hard to do well, the timing
of the egg was perfect with a white
just set and the yolk lovely and
runny. The avocado, mango and crab
mayo looked quite impressive and
tasted very fresh, but underlined
the necessity of not overpowering
the delicate flavour of the crab.
From the set menu (and also to
be found on the carte) came a mass
of calves’ liver with caramelised
onions swimming in a brown coloured
sauce. The liver was tender and
came just as requested – pink
in the middle. But I have to say
it was a sad sight, dumped anyhow
on the plate; such first-rate ingredients,
decently cooked, deserved more
respect. Whilst I don’t advocate
the triumph of style over substance,
this was too far in the other direction – surely
one’s meal needs to look
appetising? The roast crispy duck
with honey and almond sauce consisted
of two huge legs. Duck is a rich
meat and the sauce was equally
rich. We felt we’d rather
pay a little less than the £19.50
to have one good-sized leg, and
maybe have more room at the end
for the sweet trolley. A grilled
fillet of halibut, on the other
hand, looked very tempting, and
the side vegetables that we were
all offered were properly cooked – neither
half raw nor overdone.
For my main course I really went
retro and had Steak Diane, cooked
by Enzo with great skill on his
chariot of fire at our table. The
flames from the brandy flew right
up to the ceiling, which is probably
why the wealth of exposed beams
are so black! My steak was tender
and delicious and the sauce rich
and creamy – emphatically
not everyday fare. But
that is the point of Toby Cottage – it’s
a place where you enjoy a treat,
or a celebration, perhaps.
Try to leave room for the sweet
trolley. In the past I’ve
been a bit snidey about chariots
in general and sweet trolleys in
particular. But this one was pretty
good. Everything looked very fresh – though
even I myself did not risk the
caramel oranges, which in the past
have so often been a disappointment.
Here, the deliciously wobbly crème
caramel is made by the chef in
a loaf tin, and generous slices
were doled out by the steady hand
of Enzo. My chocolate cake was
very good, only a few cherries
and a slug of Kirsch short of Black
Forest Gateau. Oh, the thrill of
a helping of BFG on one’s
birthday, back in the 1970s!
The service was excellent and
the staff work hard to create a
complete evening out for you. All
the really important things are
done well. Without getting precioius,
we felt that just slightly more
appetising presentations would
enhance the Toby Cottage dining
experience even more.
Clifford Mould June 2009
A la carte: Starters £ 5.00
- £11.50 (mostly around £9.50).
Mains: around £20.00
Sweet trolley: from £6.50
Three course Table d’Hote
menu £18.50
