CHESHIRE: La Popote brings a new and unique gastronomic flair to the village of Marton
| 3rd February 2020
Long standing restaurant and bistro La Popote has recently been taken over by new management. Since October 2019 Chef Joseph Rawlins and front of house fiancé Gaelle Radigon have been at the helm of this popular village bistro.
Joseph, a Wilmslow native is a graduate from Gordon Ramsay’s renowned Tante Marie cooking school with a Cordon Bleu Diploma. With a wealth of experience under his belt including 7 years in France, Joseph guarantees a truly memorable dining experience with a gastronomic flair and outstanding locally sourced produce.
Joseph has created a tantalising new menu which changes on a regular basis to reflect the seasons and availability of only the best meats, fish and vegetables.
The food experts at VIVA got to sample a range of dishes with a unique tasting menu to showcase the best that La Popote had to offer.
We began our evening with a course of Pan-Fried Scottish Scallop. The scallop was beautifully cooked and served with a seaweed emulsion, gremolata and smoked almonds.
Next it was onto the Salt Cured Cod Loin. This dish was served with a tangy bell pepper puree with a roasted pine nut bark and crispy sage. The cod was the real showpiece of this dish, so much so that to simply have been served the cod “as is” would have sufficed.
For our third course we moved away from fish and onto the Chicken course. We were served Poached Corn Fed Chicken Breast with a seasonal vegetable tart. I have to admit the “seasonal vegetable tart” was more akin to dauphinoise potatoes, however this was enjoyable all the same. The chicken was cooked to perfection and the lemon panko breadcrumbs really did complement the chicken very well.
Our fourth course consisted of a very special Hereford Roasted Fillet of Beef which was served with roasted new potatoes, wild mushrooms, spinach and a jus de viande. This was firm favourite of ours. The fillet of beef was another dish cooked incredibly well and simply melted in the mouth.
We were then served a Green Apple Granit, something I must admit I have never come across before. This was a frozen dish on a base of frozen yoghurt. This reminded me of a frozen mint yoghurt and was the only dish which I felt wasn’t for me.
Finally, it was onto dessert. We were served a Filo Pastry Mille-Feuille which was absolutely superb. This was a light mascarpone cream with poached Yorkshire rhubarb and grapefruit jam.
VIVA Verdict: Overall, we thoroughly enjoyed the La Popote dining experience. This little bistro is set in beautiful surroundings in the small village of Marton. For lovers of fine dining experiences this place is a must, and no visit is complete to La Popote without a stroll around the stunning secret garden.