i finally got to foodbarn last sunday. i had been meaning to go for ages because i'd heard such great things about it. well, it was good - but not exceptional. maybe my expectations were too high. i had the fresh yellowtail tartare with lime, basil & avo, aioli, soy and “petit” mussel fritters to start. my starter was lovely. fish was fresh and the “petit” mussel fritters were crispy - something different too. my starter was the best of the starters we ordered i think. my partner ordered the de-shelled prawns fritters, confied tomato, aubergine and avo tian, chili & red pepper syrup, basil salsa. this dish was a bit confused and had too much going on. some of the flavours on the plate did not go with one another. if some of the sauces, salsas and syrups had been omitted the dish could have been lovely. we prawn fritters were well cooked. for mains i had spring homegrown basil, chervil, parsley & chive risotto and add sautéed vannamei prawns. after all the meat over the festive season i opted for this dish. the risotto was exceptionally well cooked and the dish lovely - but i lacked any "wow". my partner had the karoo lamb: roasted rack with mustard & herb crumbs, tomato and basil & pecorino quiche, thyme scented jus. well this was a let down. it ended up being 4 small lamb chops on a plate with gravy. they were tender though. for dessert we shared the belgian chocolate and soft almond biscuit terrine, vanilla ice cream, toffee, chocolate and vanilla sauce. the ice-cream and biscuit basket it wax served in was delicious and the belgian chocolate and soft almond biscuit terrine was good. but once again, were were too many other sauces added to the plate.
in summary - it was good but it didn't quite meet my expectations.