The Vanilla Pod | Marlow (UK)
The Vanilla Pod delivers a sure-footed take on modern British cooking. rooted clearly in the French classics. However, is it too vanilla for it’s own good?
The Vanilla Pod in Marlow (UK) is the creation of Michael Macdonald and his wife. An intimate, well-established restaurant in the former home of the poet and dramatist T S Eliot. The elegant black door in Marlow’s West Street. leads into a calm and inviting inside. It can only be described as walking into a home, not a restaurant. It has the intimate feel of a small restaurant that is not in the slightest bit pretentious, featuring a plush interior and smartly laid tables.
The kitchen is run by Chef Proprietor Michael Macdonald, a kitchen brigade of one. Scottish-born Michael can flourish a decent CV. Stints at local restaurants in Hampstead were followed by a life-changing job at Chez Nico *** in London. The William Heptinstall scholarship allowed him to work at several Michelin-starred restaurants in France before securing a job at La Tante Claire *** in London and later at Interlude de Chavot. In Marlow he worked at The Compleat Angler as well as Danesfield House, before setting up The Vanilla Pod in 2002.
The Vanilla Pod is open on Tuesday to Saturday for lunch and dinner. They offer à la carte (2 courses at £40 and 3 courses at £45), a daily changing Set Lunch Menu (2 courses at £15.50 and 3 courses at £19.50), a 3-course Set Dinner Menu during weekdays (at £25), a 5-course Gourmand Menu for lunch (at £30), a 7-course Gourmand Menu for dinner (at £60) and a 9-course Surprise Gourmand Menu (at £70).
We had dinner on a Friday about a month ago and had the 9-course Surprise Gourmand Menu.
As an amuse bouche we were served a chilled essence of celeriac, apple and lime. Clean taste and packed with flavour.
The bread, an impressive selection of bread rolls in eight varieties, was superb. Today’s, freshly baked, flavours included tomato, fennel, rosemary, bacon, beetroot and of course vanilla.
Plenty of truffle grated over the oozy and cheesy risotto, enhancing the mushroom flavour in a very pleasant way. Well seasoned and very comforting start of the menu.
Seared, cured salmon, cooked just right, with a proper crispy skin. Pickled fennel and a lovely broth with a hint of orange and vanilla. It looked simple, but the perfect execution showcased the skills of the chef. Lovely.
Nice little bite of smooth goat cheese topped with lightly spiced beetroot. A bit of truffle which accompanies the earthy beetroot nicely. And a few coriander seeds to add interest. Like it!
Beautifully seared luxurious scallops on top of the humble, just al dente, lentils. Truffle again enhancing the flavours of the lentils and the lovely bold jus. Not sure about the presentation, but a great combination and delicious taste.
Well seasoned fillet of plaice with an oriental cous cous. Simple yet very tasty. I love the humbleness of these dishes, all very well executed.
Well cooked and seasoned stone bass, with a touch of black treacle sweetness on the crisp skin. Delicious! Some broccolini, celeriac and a creamy sweet potato puree, with just a bit too much vanilla. All together it made a very tasty dish.
Melt in the mouth fillet of beef with a smooth celeriac puree, sweet potato, carrot and celeriac. I tasted some truffle in the puree again, which was not really necessary. Nice jus, but wanted more of it!
Creamy Winslade cheese with a pleasant fruity finish. Accompanied with a strawberry jam and a particularly scrummy jam with spicy Rebellion beer (a local beer brewed in Marlow).
Pre-dessert was a Piña Colada with rum jelly, coconut cream and pineapple granite. Flavours were authentic and it hit the right spots!
A proper wobble in the panna cotta with a traditional taste. Particularly nice with the fresh basil, which added fresh herbyness to the creamy panna cotta. The moist olive oil cake and fresh blue berries worked ever so well in the dish. Great dessert!
A chocolate truffle, raspberry jelly and an apple jelly to finish the menu.
This is a very likeable restaurant, with great food and pricing that takes no liberties. The service was charming and very hospitable, matching the atmosphere. But for all its warmth and comfiness, the narrow dining room could do with a refresh. A brighter setting is what this cooking deserves as well.
The Vanilla Pod delivers a sure-footed take on modern British cooking, its roots clearly in the French classics. It’s unbelievable that there’s only one person cooking here. However, is it too vanilla for it’s own good? To me, despite the technical excellence, it needs a bolder approach.
The menu was infused with imagination, and vanilla. It’s a flavour that must be handled with care, like the orchid itself (vanilla comes from the pod) and for me it was on the edge of overdoing it. Same goes for the truffle. Delicious, but when used in too many dishes it doesn’t stand out anymore.
The bar is set high due in part to its location, with Tom Kerridge’s The Hand and Flowers ** and The Coach * just up the road and the foodie magnet Bray a few miles away. But more important, I truly believe that, with just a shade more rigorous attention to detail and aggressive self-confidence, Michael Macdonald could surely raise his own bar to great heights.
