Brovey Lair is not so much a restaurant as a private house, down a quiet Norfolk road, where hosts Tina and Mike Pemberton throw Michelin-standard dinner parties for paying guests. As a former food critic who spent 17 years in search of the perfect restaurant, chef Tina only prepares food that she likes eating herself – generally Thai-Japanese-Mediterranean fusion, and always seafood – and cooks just one set menu each evening (£42.50).
The conservatory that houses the restaurant, bar and kitchen is modern, tasteful and comfortable, with seating for 24 guests. We began our evening at the bar, munching on tapas of marinated anchovies, caper berries and olives, while watching Tina prepare our starter of tiger prawns grilled with chilli, mint and coriander on a crunchy bean sprout salad. With plenty of bite and a subtle kick to the dressing, there was nothing to fault here. Following that was a house specialty – portabella mushroom and miso soup with Japanese sea vegetables, a delicious, intensely dark liquid to be mopped up with fresh crusty bread.
The main course was teppan-grilled Cajun spiced swordfish, really fresh-tasting and buttery to bite into, with an orzo, pine nut and basil salad, roasted aubergine wedges, peppers and a vine tomato, lime and sweet chilli marmalade. While the meal as a whole was fantastic, it was clearly with this course that Brovey Lair has earned its place in the Michelin Red Guide; the fish was superbly cooked and the combination of ingredients was imaginative and successful.
Sadly, it left little room for the white wine, pear and polenta cake that followed, which was tasty, but after three courses it would have been nice to have the option of something a little lighter to round off the meal. Nevertheless, having made sterling use of the superb wine list, it was good to know that Brovey Lair also offers some very smart rooms to crash out in, as well as fantastic Californian-Mexican breakfasts: the perfect cure for a hangover, so I’m told. Anthony Jones - Waitrose Food Illustrated - May 2005
Additional Comments:
Tina Pemberton - chef/owner cooks fusion style combining the spices of the orient with the freshness of western Europe. Tina is high marked in The Good Food Guide and highly recommended by Michelin in their 2005 red guide.
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