The
Bull at North Hill, Highgate N6
Louise Elgin was clearly
impressed!
The
Bull has that imposing air of 18th
Century elegance which epitomises
Highgate. As one approaches there
is a definite feeling that you are
about to enter an establishment with
an element of comfort and luxury.
The décor is modern and tasteful
and the room is spacious; there is
an atmosphere of relaxation. The
kitchen, on full view of the restaurant
is a hive of professional activity
without adding an intrusive element
to the proceedings. The Bull is a
serious dining room - make no mistake,
this is not pub grub. The management
have stressed only the best will
do when it comes to quality of the
produce that is being served and
the prices reflect this.
To
begin, apart from the eight a la
carte starters, there was a list
of specials which we both chose from.
I began with Dorset crab croquettes
served with a tomato and pink grapefruit
salsa. They were full of flavour,
with a crispy exterior, light in
texture and well flavoured, the salsa
adding a touch of zing to the taste
buds. A very generous helping, they
came beautifully presented and scored
high marks for originality. We were
well looked after by Marcello, from
Brazil, who has a substantial interest
in wine, attending many small tastings
and so producing a very interesting
wine list. He recommended a glass
of muscat to accompany my guest’s
parfait of foie gras and chicken
livers, served with toasted brioche;
this blended perfectly with the light
and flavoursome parfait.
For
our main courses, we both decided
on fish; this time Marcello recommended
a wine neither of us had tried before,
a punchy Australian label called
The Hermit Crab. This is a blend
of Viognier and Marsanne grapes and
held its own against the strong flavours
on the palate. My guest had chosen
another of the specials; pan fried
mackerel served with spring greens
and rosemary butter, he said it was
really fresh and flavoursome, his
taste buds going into ecstasy on
every mouthful - reminding him of
childhood holidays down in Dorset
where the mackerel was purchased
straight off the fisherman’s boats
and cooked freshly for supper. My
roast monkfish was really good, stunningly
presented and was a large helping,
the monkfish being really tender
with a perfumed bouillabaisse jus,
waxy potatoes and plenty of fresh
spinach. This has to be one of the
best quality main courses I have
eaten in Britain so I forgave the
high price of this particular dish.
We
tried two of the puddings between
us from the ten or so offer. An apple
tart with vanilla ice cream was good
without being on a par with the previous
courses whilst our other choice,
a buttermilk pudding with roast rhubarb
was a firm favourite with my guest
who does love all milk based puds.
We
had a terrific evening and came away
with a feeling of having been well
fed and very well looked after. The
evening we visited The Bull it was
packed with what I would imagine
were locals although this is definitely
somewhere worth travelling too, and
a place to leave the car behind so
you can enjoy Marcello’s excellent
choice of wines to the full.
Louise
Elgin. April 2007
A
meal for two with wine, water and
service costs around £110.00
The
Bull Pub & Dining Room
13 North Hill Highgate
London N6
Tel: 0845 456 5033
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