Review
It’s a pleasant April evening and dinner beckons in Cow pub and Kitchen, which is the new iteration of the Chophouse, on the corner of Shelbourne Road and Bath Avenue. The new owners have clearly spend some money on the decor. Cool greens and greys combine with an eclectic mix of chairs and tables and create a warm, inviting atmosphere.
While the decor may be new, the team is the same. This is effectively a continuation of a perennial favourite and Joe Doohan is still the host. The staff are well trained, everyone is chilled and the customers on a Wednesday night are visiting tourists and locals clearly comfortable in their, well, local.
This is a steak and seafood offering with a large selection of daily specials to keep the regulars guessing and make sure no one gets bored. On this night specials include a sautéed prawn starter, pan friend John Dory, oysters and a 1kg cote de boeuf. The main menu is a mix of the casual and the ambitious; you can eat a simple dinner or do a spot of fine dining, both are available.
A plate of homemade bread, fine focaccia, a rustic brown and a stonking scone with jalapeño and cheese get us started, along with a pre starter of white crabmeat with pickled beetroot. The breads are fabulous, and wouldn’t be out of place in a fine dining restaurant or five star hotel. The amuse bouche is delicate, and the contrast of the sweet crab is perfectly balanced with the pickled beetroot and balsamic reduction sprinkled around.
Abi goes for the special seared king prawns in a white wine, smoked paprika, garlic and chilli sauce that necessaries another round of scone and focaccia to mop it up and silence descents as she cleans the o,ate.
I have the seared scallops. Many years ago Derry Clarke had a signature dish in L’Ecricain; scallops on a cauliflower puree. Tonight I have an onion puree with smoked pancetta with broad beans. The theory is the same. The scallops need a gentle partner and a bit of contrast, and this dish achieves it perfectly. A worthy tribute to Derby’s classic, intentional or not.
Main courses bring the house beef and ale pie for the young lady, while I have the John Dory special. This perfectly cooked fish comes with mussels and asparagus and a wild garlic sauce, while Abi’s pie is just hearty comfort food, perfectly topped with crisped mash.
We take a break but find space in the special dessert tummy for a honey pan Acosta with raspberries and a sticky toffee pudding.
I get fed up with the Gastro pub description; it’s over used and applied to the awful too often. Cow is not that. This is proper cooking from a skilled chef, (Juraj Ondrejicka, who I later discover worked in L’Ecricain) using quality produce that’s served in a very pleasing room by friendly staff.
As we eat the room fills on a weekday evening and Joe works the room, chatting with the regulars and welcoming the American family at the next table. Everything looks effortless, faultless. If you haven’t been, correct the omission.
