The awards have begun to roll in for Balloo House, and Danny Millar has begun to enjoy serious television profile, so this great destination is on the sort of a roll of confidence and creativity that you can practically touch with your fingertips.
The house is an ancient coaching house, appositely restored by Ronan and Jenny Sweeney. The down -stairs bistro is wood-panelled, country comfortable whilst Danny Millar's stage upstairs in the restaurant is plusher and more gilded. Mr Millar has impressed us as one of the very best chefs ever since we first ate his food many years ago, and he has shown with stints in Cayenne that his fluidity around unusual taste combinations is utterly imperious - we have already discussed a dish of aromatic pork belly with brandade, chorizo and salt chilli squid and how the chef pulls it off with gas in the tank. Pulling in the finest local foods gives Mr Millar the strongest of culinary bases, and he then adds the magic with delicious surprises: scallops with Jerusalem artichokes; old-pot pork with black pudding beignet; sauerbraten venison. Irresistible stuff.
