52 | Hemel Hempstead Living www.livingmags.info

3AF01442 252608

Hemel Café8 Bridge St HP1 1EF01442 254056

K’s Cafe42 High St, Bovingdon HP3 0HJ01442 834999

Marilyns10 Bridge St HP1 1EF

Marlowes Café144 Marlowes HP1 1EZ 01442 217282

Maylands Café1 Maylands Ave HP2 4SE 01442 242848

Muffin BreakMarlowes Centre

Oak Tree CaféSt John’s Rd HP1 1QQ01442 248867

Shake a ShakeMarlowes Centre

Shirella’s13 Marlowes HP1 1LA01442 230136

Sorriso9 Marlowes Centre HP1 1DX01442 212311

Stanley’s Store81b High St, Bovingdon HP3 0HP01442 834509

Sunrise Café16 Stoneycroft HP1 2QE

Super Chef 123 Marlowes HP1 1BB 01442 243916

Tea Tree23 High St, Old Town HP1 3AA

E a t i n g O u tResident & Visitor GuideR

evie

w

Aubrey Park HotelA visit to the re-styled, re-launched Brasserie at Aubrey Park Hotel was quite simply the best weeknight treat.We were greeted warmly by Evelyn Chitsinge and her team; and James Eatenton, the hotel’s ops manager, talked us through the menu and the changes they have been making. The hotel has been completely renovated to a high contemporary standard. In the kitchen Peter Knight, the head chef, has previously worked at Luton Hoo, The Grove, Sopwell House and Taplow House. As you enter you immediately feel relaxed. A carafe of iced water and a G&T for me helped establish the mood, with a selection of fresh flavoured bread rolls and garlic olives. My guest ordered a bottle of chilled Chilian Sauvingon Blanc.The chef had prepared a taster menu to show us the scope of the new menu. We started with fried crottin de chavignol (goats cheese with watercress, red wine-poached pear, pickled walnuts and a walnut dressing), then the confit corn-fed chicken and foie-gras terrine (with sweet and sour cherries and a rosemary loaf). Both were spectacular. This was followed by smoked chicken and chorizo risotto (with grilled artichokes and baby herbs), and seared Atlantic scallops (with crispy chicken wing, wild mushroom and an onion and pancetta ragout) – the taste was incredible!We then tried the fish of the day – grey mullet (with lemon and thyme crushed potatoes, wild samphire, Dorset cockles and a mussel chowder), followed by duo of duck breast – a mix of breast and slow-cooked pulled leg (with Swiss rosti potato, braised red cabbage and beetroot) – with a glass of organic red Shiraz. These were our two favourite dishes of the night; both were rich and flavoursome.Our desserts – roasted pineapple and lemon tarte – were great to look at and to taste. But that wasn’t the end... the cheese board had the most delicious selection of cheeses, biscuits, fruit chutney, grapes, celery and home-made sweet gingerbread flavoured loaf.If you would like to try it for yourself, quote HLWIN14 when you book and you will receive 20% off your total bill. SB-T

The Brasserie at Aubrey Park Hotel, Hemel Hempstead Rd, Redbourn AL3 7AF01582 792105 www.aubreypark.co.uk

Executive chefPeter Knight

HL 48-54 Eating Out-DG.indd 52 31/10/2014 13:17