Sat Bains @ Home – Culinary Sheri

We had heard about Sat Bains long before we decided to go there. So one day, as part of a visit to London, we decided to take the train up to Nottingham for lunch. A 40 minute stroll later, we were there. But where were we exactly?

The relaxing walk took as along the river on a vary warm June morning with barely a soul in sight. But as we approached what appeared to be a major bridge and flyover bordering an industrial estate, we thought we had been led astray. Not to worry, the restaurant was on the other side of the flyover nestled between the river and some sports fields.

Looking a bit like a small, country hotel (complete with rooms), we knew we were in good hands when we plunked ourselves down in some comfy shaded chairs in the little courtyard and were immediately offered water and bubbles while we cooled off.

It’s an experience. A delicious experience.

There are a few dining options at the restaurant but we opted for the very interactive and voyeuristic Kitchen Bench – a simple counter, high top seats and a very close up view of the action in one of the kitchens. As the afternoon unwound, we watched the chefs, we bantered with same, we browsed though the kitchen recipe book and sprinkled throughout the day was plate after plate of very tasty food indeed. And yes, there may have been some wine too.

It was a privilege to get this very intimate and behind the scenes look at the inner workings. If anything, we felt a bit bad about pestering the crew with questions about the food and processes. But they took it in stride and, other than observing a “discussion” when Chef showed up precisely when something for the staff meal emerged from the oven as burnt offerings, the atmosphere was of a very well oiled operation.

The food was simply stunning. Sat Bains ‘style’ has been called Modern British, but assigning such labels sometimes does more to obscure than it does inform. Yes, there is a focus on local, seasonal product for sure. But there’s also a huge push towards creating really interesting combinations of flavours and textures, be they entirely British or not. And whatever processes are required to make that happen are fair game but they never get in the way in some kind of showy ‘look at me’ way. In this kitchen, clearly process needs to a have purpose.

Mostly by the book

At the time of writing this post, things are a bit crazy in ~~that part of~~ the world making any return visit a future event. Hopefully June 2021 when we plan to be back. Though we’ve only been there once (so far) the meal was so memorable it was an easy top choice for the second of the @Home dinners. And, better yet, Sat published a book with recipes – and a weighty tome at that.

It’s all in there – Sat’s history, his food ethos (my pretentious word, not his), insights into menus, flavour profiles, seasonality and even amusing stories from a whole collection of ‘Chefferati’. But first and foremost this is a cookery book for cooks. You really need to understand basic ingredients and processes. And have some gear. And, since COVID restrictions only permitted those in our household to enjoy this meal, be able to divide by ten. We also pressed our Coravin into service since seven bottles of wine for three people was a tad indulgent.

So, with his book to inspire us, we set out to create a progression that we think made sense using the product available to us 7,000 km away from Nottingham. And that didn’t require liquid nitrogen!

Pre-Dinner Drink – Rangpur G+T

Tanqueray Rangpur, cucumber, mint, tonic, bay and pepper

Cocktails aren’t really a big thing at Sat Bains, but we wanted to come up with something to start that would reflect elements of his cooking. Hopefully interesting in some way, while not blowing out the diners palate.

We settled on a simple Gin and (homemade) Tonic, but infused with some South Asian flavours as a bit of a nod towards some of the dishes. It was quite light and pleasant.

Scallop / Curry

This was a bit like an Indian meal on a plate. Lots of great textures and flavours here but the cauliflower pakoras were wonderful. And easy to make too.

All enjoyed with a nice glass of cold, crisp NV Moët & Chandon Champagne.

BC Salmon / Pickled Vegetables / Oyster / Miso

The salty fish, oyster soup and nori gave us the flavours of the sea. But it was the miso caramel really brought the plate together with a rich umami hit.

This was all paired with a local 2018 Quails Gate Dry Riesling.

Salt Baked Celeriac / Truffle

This was a very deceptive dish. The crispness and tartness of the celeriac pickle was counterbalanced by the sheer opulence of the truffle butter.

A 2008 Domaine François Cotat Sancerre La Grande Côte paired quite nicely. ,

Pigeon / Root Vegetables

Started in the circulator at 60 degrees and then finished in the pan, the pigeon was cooked to perfection. And we even got to use our Spinzall centrifuge to make the Douglas Fir oil, from trees a short walk from our house.

A 2010 Remoissenet Père et Fils Nuits St. Georges 1er Cru Les Bousselots complemented the iron-rich bird.

Pearl Barley / Braised Oxtail / Garlic

Wow – what a great dish. A good way to end the savoury part of the meal. The oxtail was slightly gelatinous which was not a bad thing. But we added a little Activa to the oxtail to bind it a bit better. The centrifuge was again pressed into service for the almost smoky onion oil scattered along the plate.

A beautiful bottle of 2007 Altamura Cabernet Sauvignon stood up well to the meatiness of this dish.

Sweet Malay

This one was fun. The yoghurt foam had the same taste and fizziness of an old-fashioned sherbet and counterbalanced the mango sorbet, pineapple and apple. Cucumber and an intense chili oil made this something quite unique.

A glass of local 2018 Moscato d’Osoyoos played well with the range of sweetness and spice of this dessert.

Chocolate / Yoghurt

For some reason the chocolate layer of this did not set, even with an extended stay in the freezer. Maybe it was the substitution of milk chocolate, but it was still very tasty nonetheless. A real interesting contrast of tart and sweet. Dusted with a bit of strawberry powder for colour.

An old school pairing of a 2017 Château Clos Haut-Peyraguey Sauterne was an opulent way to finish the meal.

End to end this was an interesting and fun meal. Sat’s book is really great and we felt comfortable riffing on some of the dishes.

Chef Bains – hopefully we did your dishes justice and we look forward to seeing you next June in Nottingham. And we will bring our appetites.