A Genuine Taste of france
At Bouchon Bistro in Hexham you can enjoy proper French country cooking just a stone’s throw from Hexham Abbey – Bouchon Bistro has both the location and the food.
Bouchon is an easy 30 minute drive from Hepple Hill Cottage. Just whizz along the A68 and A69 and park directly opposite. On the night I went in January it was wild and wooly and it was a relief to get inside the stylish but comfortable restaurant.
There is a prix fixe menu with four choices for starters, mains and deserts which is very good value at £25 for three courses but as it was my birthday I decided to push the boat out and choose from the à la carte menu.
I started with what must be their signature starter – French onion soup with garlic croutons and gruyère cheese. Masses of flavour. Perfect for a stormy winter night. When I come here with my teacher pals, they always have the soup and now I see what I’m missing. With a salad and loads of bread it would have been meal in itself.
I don’t eat meat, just fish, so my three options were wild mushroom and root vegetable vol au vent, sea bass and the halibut. I went for the pan fried halibut “escailles de pommes de terre” and crispy kale and scallop veloute at £26.50 (you see how good the prix fixe is now!). I felt a bit of a goofus for having to ask what escailles are – scales. I really should have worked that out. Deciding that scales of potato probably meant I wasn’t getting much potato, I ordered a side of fries. The halibut was beautiful. The fries were piping hot and crunchy but too salty for me.
By this time I was fairly full but pushed on with the fondant au chocolate with caramelised bananas and banana and passion fruit sorbet. The sorbet was amazing and went brilliantly with the chocolate.
My pal, Diana, who had accompanied me on this birthday outing, declared herself full halfway through her duck confit with gratin dauphinois. Her starter of cheese soufflé was another dish which would have made a brilliant lunch. The remains of her duck were wrapped up to take home.
Diana paid while I used the facilities – thanks dear! With a G & T and a glass of wine, the bill will have been fairly steep but the best thing about Bouchon is that it doesn’t need to be. If you stick to the set menu, you could have Steak Frites and a chocolate mousse for £23 which really isn’t bad for this standard of cooking.
I have had a moan about the toilet at Bouchon before on Trip Advisor but as they haven’t rushed to make amends I’ll mention it again. A few years ago they obviously spent a lot of money refurbishing the restaurant but left downstairs customers with only a unisex toilet. After enjoying a beautiful meal in stylish surroundings, I really don’t want to be handling a toilet seat left up or watching where I put my feet. Or having to fuss a member of staff and telling them the toilet needs attending to. The time I came, we sat upstairs and had lovely views of the Abbey and female only loos! For the view alone, it might be worth requesting an upstairs table when you book.
Bouchon is a Hexham institution and deservedly so. It is equally perfect for ‘occasion’ dining and for a good value lunch.
If you have the chance during your stay at Hepple Hill Cottage to visit Hexham, then it is definitely worth calling in.
