It would be hard to find a restaurant closer to the English Channel than The Jetty in southern England on the grounds of the Christchurch Harbour Hotel.
Gazing out through floor-to-ceiling windows, it seemed we’d entered a landscape painting by John Constable and could almost touch the floating oystercatchers, swans, seagulls and boats on nearby tidal mudflats, the coastal forest and Mudeford Quay in Dorset beyond.
The popularity of this 60-seat restaurant was illustrated on the evening we visited by the bustling clientele, mainly adults, with friends and family celebrating a 70th birthday dinner across from us.
Decor is minimalist here. With Nature’s enchanting beauty and serenity just outside, there’s no need.
Having managed a Michelin-star restaurant, Le Poussin in Brockenhurst, Hampshire before moving to this area of southern England around 15 years ago, owner-chef Alex Aitken knows a lot about the food business and having worked in Scotland as a trawler man on a fishing boat, he certainly knows his seafood. His gregarious personality also added to our enjoyment, especially his anecdotal story about being a local tour guide for leading British actor, Michael Caine.
Our dinner kicked-off with refreshing glasses of sparkling wine from Kent from the pinot noir and pinot meunier grapes, perfect accompaniment for our starters of oysters presented in three different ways including tempura-style.
Next up was a light, fluffy soufflé comprising a rich savoury Old Winchester cheese with smoked haddock, arriving at our table in a smooth scone-like shape in a sea of creamy delight. The dish is double-baked, meaning the soufflé is baked then the smoked haddock is added in a ring around it and baked again with parmesan.
We also tried the house crab risotto, a blend of lemon, crème fraîche, chives, soft hints of saffron, crispy fried rocket salad, soft shell crab in tempura, the decoration on our plate resembling a scene from the nearby beach.
Pan-fried halibut was served next, topped with a mix of threaded zucchini, tender-stem broccoli and caviar beurre blanc with a generous heap of steamed broccoli and foamy Koffmann potatoes whipped within an inch of their lives.
Not all dishes are seafood with meat options including seared rump of lamb with anchovies and capers; fillet of beef ‘Rossini’ with toasted brioche and mushroom duxelles; chicken and prawn satay.
Alex is also particular about that basic of all foods, bread, a litmus test for good food. His offer is best described as hearty, crusty sourdough with seaweed, accompanied by butter served elegantly on a seashell and organic extra virgin olive oil from Sicily.
His desserts are exceptional. Fond of passion fruit, my companion chose a soufflé combining this exotic fruit with mango and lemongrass, with a tropical sorbet for added taste. Mine was a sabayon comprising pecan sponge, coffee ice-cream, expresso and pecan biscotti. Other choices included chocolate and mint fondant and crème caramel with banana poached in Kraken Rum.
If you’re celebrating an extra special occasion, you might want to check out the restaurant’s 100-year-old Cognac - Louis XIII - poetically entitled ‘the fragrance of time’ - it’s a mere 165 pounds (200 euro) for a 25ml snifter.
Alex also offers a special tasting menu and also a before-starters ‘While You Choose’ selection including ‘Jetty Bites,’ a selection of seafood nibbles as well as ‘cockle popcorn,’ cockles coated in spiced flour and crisply fried, as well as tempura prawns and vegetables served on elongated plates.
Before finishing this review, credit must also be given to our Polish waitress Anna for her excellent friendly service.
