The Millstream – Bosham, Sussex, England (6/10)
Aug 29th, 2007 by admin
The Millstream came recommended by Charters B&B, both of which are located in the picturesque village of Bosham, West Sussex, where we stayed the night before the Goodwood Revival classic car racing weekend. I booked the table two months in advance, knowing that it could be fully booked for Goodwood, although we ate early when it was still very quiet.
It was actually a bit stuffy, with classical music playing in the background, and just one elderly couple for a while, so we ended up whispering until there were more diners. The staff were all from Eastern Europe and mostly polite and competent, apart from one who fancied himself as a sommelier. We couldn’t believe it when a bit of cork landed in my husband’s glass as he poured the wine, and he just fished it out with a spoon before continuing to pour! On the other hand, it was nice to sit and watch the rare classic racing cars drive past, cars that we would see in the races the next day at Goodwood.
There was some confusion over the menu when the elderly couple was informed that there was only the 3 course set menu and that even if they only had 2 courses, they would have to pay for 3. When I checked this with someone who looked like he was the owner or manager, it turned out that this wasn’t the case and that we would only have to pay for what we ordered, as all the dishes were priced individually on the cash till. This should have been better explained on the menu, as not everyone wants to have 3 courses.
What we ordered:
We had a starter of marinated artichokes with feta cheese, roasted peppers in a lemon and herb dressing. Not a good choice, as there was hardly any artichoke and the strong flavour of the feta drowned everything else out. It was a bizarre combination and an example of pretentious food gone wrong. Next came the whole lemon sole with almond butter, accompanied by new potatoes, mangetout and leeks. It was fresh and the butter sauce was not rich. To be honest though, it wasn’t that remarkable as fish should be fresh anyway.
The highlight of the meal was the summer fruit pudding with clotted cream and the assiete of banana (small servings of banana bread, banofee pie and creme brulee). These were so good that the table next to us ordered the same puddings too.
The verdict?
Paying London prices for this style of food was a bit irritating, but I suppose it’s a decent enough restaurant when faced with few other options in Bosham. Also their website permanently says that the menu is ‘coming soon’. How much effort does it take to upload the currrent menu? Next year, it might be the 300 year old Anchor Bleu waterside pub down the road that we end up going to, where we had perfectly decent fish and chips for lunch.
10 – Perfection, 9.5 – Sensational, 9 – Outstanding, 8.5 – Superb,
8 – Excellent, 7.5 – Very Good, 7 - Good, 6.5 - Above Average, 6 – Average
All the England restaurant reviews on World Foodie Guide
Contact Details:
The Millstream Restaurant
Bosham (near Chichester)
West Sussex PO18 8HL
Tel: 01243 573 234
www.millstream-hotel.co.uk
