HMMM. THINK WE'VE BEEN SPOILED!!

Obviously eating at JDHH and Cafe 21 has ruined us for the likes of the Cook and Barker which is where we've just spent our 35th wedding anniversary. Not sure where to start with this one, other than to say that the staff probably wish they'd never lid eyes on us. Visually, I have to say, the food was fab. However, when it came to eating it, it was a completely different story. My starter of asparagus and poached egg nestling on a tiny muffin and coddled in hollandaise and tarragon was lovely - apart from a complete lack of tarragon. believe me, I know my tarragon and this dish had been nowhere near it. Main course: Charles asked for a medium rare sirloin which arrived blue and was probably the worst steak he's eaten. His handcut chips had clearly been handcut in the Findus food factory, certainly not on the premises. My pork was overcooked to the point of cremation and the crackling, which stood two inches tall, was really just a cube of fat with a crispy top. Dessert wasn't much better. Charles opted for cheese because he reasoned they couldn't mess that up, and he was right, they didn't. My white chocolate terrine was a different story, being granular and separating on the plate as it defrosted. Note: it should have been reached out of the freezer at least 15 minutes before serving. Good points: nice bottle of red, perfectly cooked veg, lovely presentation. Notably, after the main course, when our waitress was clearing the table I had to make a point of asking her if she wanted to know what we thought of the food, as she had clearly been forewarned that we were difficult customers and was not gong to instigate any discussion about the quality of the food. Needless to say, we told her exactly what we thought!!