Eden Restaurant, Lichfield
Eden in Lichfield has completed its transformation under new owners with its recent ditching of the old Olive Tree name. Last week, I returned to see if the revamped restaurant was continuing to produce the great dishes I’d enjoyed on my first visit.
It’s not often that I’ll post two reviews of a restaurant, and certainly not within a few months of each other.
But I’m prepared to make an exception in the case of Eden in Lichfield.
Back in April, while the restaurant was still in its guise as The Olive Tree, I made my first visit. I was mightily impressed. Despite having been open under its new ownership for only a few months, the kitchen was turning out some cracking plates of food. To see what I mean, read my review of The Olive Tree here.
With so much promise, I knew I wanted to go back.
At the end of July, the fact that the old Olive Tree was no more was marked by its new name of Eden. One of the things I’d hoped for in my original review was a name change to complete the transformation, so the occasion seemed like a good excuse to return.
INFORMALITY PLUS TREATS
The name may be new, but there’s still the same, relaxed informal atmosphere at Eden. The decor is simple, almost plain. The staff are smiley and friendly.
But, thankfully, you still get those little extras you might expect from a restaurant which sees itself as offering fine dining rather than bistro type food.
At Eden we were given an intensely flavoured amuse bouche of Truffle Gougere. These little domes, nicely crusty on the outside, with a soft, predominantly cheesy rather than truffle filling, were just the thing to get the taste buds going. They certainly increased expectations of what was to come.
The treats continued with mini loaves of some of the best bread I’ve eaten in a while.
With a perfectly browned exterior they looked pleasing enough. But, breaking them open, I found the real delight was inside.
I’m assuming, due to the yellow-gold colour within and very light texture, they were a brioche which is enriched with butter and eggs.
With hindsight, I should’ve taken a photo of the interior to show you. Sorry, but I was too busy putting hunks of the rich-yet-oh-so-airy bread, slathered in dreamy whipped butter, into my mouth and murmuring ‘mmmmmmm’.
THE MENU
All that loveliness and we haven’t even got to the menu yet, have we?
At Eden, it’s quite short. But, for a small restaurant making everything in-house and using seasonal ingredients, I think that’s fine.
On the evening a la carte menu (there’s a separate, fixed price two or three course lunchtime menu) there were five starters, six mains and four desserts. As someone for whom the word omnivore could have been invented, that represented plenty of choice for me.
STARTERS
LAMB BREAST
Despite having eaten lamb at the meal featured in my most recent blog review (at The Jervis Arms in Onecote: read it here), I went for the ovine choice again at Eden.
I think what nailed it was the fact that on offer was Lamb Breast (£8), with emphasis on breast. It’s a cut that’s criminally underused, despite being full of rich, meaty flavour.
I suppose it’s due, at least in part, to the modern fear of fat. But, cooked properly, lamb breast is both crispy and succulent. It’s really just the sheepy equivalent of belly pork, and look how popular that is nowadays.
At Eden the lamb breast, of which there were two generous slabs, was just as you’d want it. The contrasting layers of melting, silky meat and crisply charred skin were utterly satisfying.
I thought the sauce surrounding the lamb, with a vibrant tomato, slightly sweet edge, went well with it. The menu had said tagine, so I’d expected a little more spice as per the Moroccan original. But I’m not complaining.
Very Moroccan were the slivers of apricot and also the lemon which I really liked. Preserved lemons are often included in tagines, but I liked the fact that these strips hadn’t been cooked in the sauce. They were purely lemony, without being harsh, and a fine counterpoint to the sweet tomato and rich lamb.
I also liked that instead of the whole olives sometimes found in tagines, there was a tapenade-like mound of finely chopped black olive, all ready to smear over and saltily season mouthfuls of lamb.
CRAB
My eating companion ID chose Dressed Crab (£8.50) for his starter.
The heap of fresh white crab meat was salty, but not too salty. The brown meat appeared to have been incorporated into a mayo-like emulsion. ID liked the flavour of this but thought the texture a little oily. We wondered if it had been overworked a little or maybe it was the heat. Or maybe it was supposed to be like that?
What we did agree on was how interesting the accompaniments were.
Most unexpected were the walnuts. Part sweet, part savoury, their earthy crunch went surprisingly well with the shellfish.
Thin shavings of pickled celery brought some balancing acidity, as did the smear of coriander-based sauce.
MAIN COURSES
DUCK BREAST
I don’t order duck that often in restaurants. I think it’s because the breast, which is usually what’s on offer, can be cooked quite badly. Sometimes the fat isn’t rendered properly, or the meat is chewily overcooked. Other times there’s a pool of watery blood oozing from undercooked or unrested meat. Another gripe of mine is duck served with overly sweet sauces.
But I took a chance at Eden and ordered Duck Breast (£22) for my main course.
And what a good decision that turned out to be.
I think this was the most accurately cooked duck breast I’ve eaten. All the points I mentioned about rendering the fat, not over or under cooking, allowing it to rest and laying off sweet accompaniments could be ticked off at Eden.
That all important skin was appetisingly browned with zero chewy fat underneath. The meat was pink, plump and yielded easily to the knife.
Yes, there were cherries in the bowl. However, they weren’t stickily sweet but almost savoury.
Tasting the vivid green sauce on its own (was it spring onion based?), I thought it was a little bitter. But, eating it as it should be, together with all the other elements, it formed a harmonious whole.
Special mention should also go to the fondant potatoes. If, as I am, you’re a fan of TV shows MasterChef: The Professionals or Great British Menu, then you’ll know that even accomplished chefs can come a cropper with fondant potatoes; hard in the middle or not buttery enough. But these dinky little ones, thoroughly imbued with butter, a little browning here and there, were soft and rich.
RED MULLETT
ID’s choice of Red Mullet (£18.50) was a beautiful looking dish. The pink skin had taken on a golden colour from being crisply fried. Beneath, the fresh fish was firmly meaty and perfectly cooked.
The mullet sat on a bed of lightly charred but still bright green gem lettuce, surrounded by a yellow sauce of creamy corn with lots of salty bits of bacon. Chunks cut from the corn cob, boldly blackened in places, added to the drama of another excellent dish.
A side order of buttered new potatoes (£4) meant every bit of sauce could be mopped up.
Incidentally, the fish was served, as was my duck breast, in a striking turquoise bowl which set off the vibrant colours of the food wonderfully well. On my first visit I’d mentioned that some of the crockery needed updating, so I’m glad to see that the new owners are putting their stamp here as well as in the cooking.
DESSERTS
WHITE CHOCOLATE & BANANA
My dessert of White Chocolate Ganache (£6) included a feast of bananas. They came as crunchy, dried discs, a sweet puree plus a few unadorned, fresh slices.
The creamy, white chocolate ganache was smooth.
Sitting beneath all this was a chocolate soil, bring a contrasting and necessary bitter, dark element to the mainly sweet dish.
STRAWBERRIES
For his dessert, ID chose the decidedly summery Poached Strawberries (£6) with yogurt sorbet and strawberry curd.
I’d had my eye on this dish myself. I loved the sound of strawberries in their sweet poaching syrup against the tangy, cool sorbet.
Most intriguing was the dusky pink strawberry curd. ID said it reminded him of his mother’s strawberry blancmange he ate as a child. I think he meant that as a compliment, but I doubt that blancmange was as good as this glossy, fruity and creamy curd.
Still Good Value
Our bill, minus drinks and that extra dish of potatoes, came to £69 or less than £35 per head. I consider that to be very good value, taking into account the quality of ingredients, the number of elements in the dishes and the exact cooking. Bear in mind also that I’d had the most expensive main course.
This may seem a strange thing for a frequent diner to say, but I’m actually relieved that the bill was fractionally more expensive that last time. I’d previously been concerned that the restaurant was under-pricing its excellent food. In the short term, great for customers, but was it sustainable?
If you want to keep your bill down, then why not try a lunchtime visit to Eden? Wednesday to Sunday lunchtimes you can get two courses for £16 or three for £18.95. Many of the dishes on the lunch menu are the same as those I’ve described in this post.
Highly Recommended
In my first review, I’d said that The Olive Tree was a mother and son partnership. But now I understand it’s a real family affair with a lot of business and hospitality experience between them.
They’d set their goal as offering ‘beautiful plates of food cooked to an impeccable standard, for a more affordable price, in a more relaxed environment’
With the transformation into Eden, I’d say they’ve pretty much met that aim.
The Olive Tree is dead. Long live Eden.
ALL PHOTOS © MOORLANDS EATER & NOT TO BE REPRODUCED WITHOUT PERMISSION
ACCESSIBILITY
I’m not aware of a formal access statement for this venue and the following is my subjective impression only. Please note, however, that I’m not mobility impaired so you may wish to contact the venue directly to check whether it meets your own requirements.
There are two steps up into the restaurant from the street. There is reasonable space between tables. No disabled toilet facilities.
If you’ve visited this venue and can provide more information useful for people with disabilities, please leave a comment below. If you’re the owner of this venue, I’d be happy to update this post with any further information about accessibility.