Reviewer’s rating: **** 

A room full of students and not a pair of jeans in sight! What is going on? Obviously this was not an ordinary restaurant.

Nearly all the staff were in their teens – including the chef. Kitchen staff are getting younger these days.

We were at Descartes Restaurant on the Radbrook Campus at Shrewsbury College where students were learning culinary, catering and hospitality skills.

But this was not a classroom experiment, this was a professional, commercial undertaking – everything was for real, and what an excellent job they made of it.

I have been a “secret diner” for eight years and visited hundreds of eating places and I can honestly say that the “learners” at Descartes applied more effort to the detail, the finer points, the minor as well as the major aspects of running a restaurant than anywhere else I have visited.

It is to be hoped they retain the good lessons learned at Radbrook; their careers will certainly benefit.

When embarking on a career in food, the theory has to be studied and the practicalities mastered, but there isn’t any substitute for the real thing and Descartes is an established college restaurant serving lunch to the public Tuesday to Fridays and dinner on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays in term time but booking is essential.

The students appeared smart, most of them were confident and they were keen to please. We were greeted, booked in, coats taken and shown to our table in the spacious, comfortable dining area.

Kelly-Marie and Carl introduced themselves as the chef in charge and commis chef for the evening.

Bar drinks were offered and the menu and wine list presented. The three-course, set dinner menu (at just £12.95) offered three starters, three main courses and three desserts, with vegetarian options available if requested at the time of booking.

The young staff displayed just a hint of nerves as they tackled their allotted tasks knowing there were 18 diners scrutinising their every action.

Soon Jonathon arrived with sea salt and rosemary bread with a honey and mustard dip. It was a great start and bode well for an excellent evening.

The bread was hot and the dip really quite special. Subtly-flavoured bread and a sweet dip with the piquancy of the mustard gelled beautifully.

And soon the amuse bouche arrived in little white cups. Again the waiting-on staff explained the ingredients without having to be asked: chorizo and sweetcorn soup. It was first class, distinctly flavoured without being overpowering and with a lovely, smooth texture.

It was a short wait then before our plates were cleared. The food so far was delightful, and we hadn’t got to the starters yet. The evening was beginning to feel a bit special.

Souffle, as anyone watching Master-Chef on TV will know, can reduce cooks to tears but my twice-baked smoked Appleby soufflŽ with a tomato and red pepper jam was perfect. Full marks.

Across the table the pressed ham hock and chicken terrine was good, but not as tasty as my soufflŽ.

For my main course I asked for the pan-fried strips of local beef flamed in brandy and served with a paprika and cream sauce. It was most attractively presented, as was everything else that night.

The beef was tender, thinly cut and complemented by a very nice sauce – in fact a bit more sauce would have been nice but probably spoiled the attractive layout on the plate. There was a rice tower, two whole mid-sized carrots and some thin beans.

Libby’s fillet of pork and mushroom en croute with Calvados sauce looked impressive and tasted the same. She was particularly impressed with the pastry and the helping was, thankfully, not over-filling. It was accompanied by carrots, beans and a roasted potato.

For dessert Libby had the cheeseboard with Shropshire Blue, Red Leicester and Cheddar with celery and grapes. I had the chocolate and Baileys mousse. Excellent consistency, not too sweet, not too sickly, so we were more than content with the choice, preparation, cooking and presentation.

A reasonably-priced bottle of Marques de Caceres Rioja helped the evening along. The total bill for the evening, including coffee, came to less than £40.

We struggled to find anything to criticise and there is little I can say in the way of constructive advice; the students and their tutors are somewhere near technical perfection and the human side, the friendly, cheery demeanours of the students, showed through to enhance the experience.

Desperate to make a point, all I can say is that we ordered a gin and tonic (they had run out of gin), a bottle of Merlot (they had run out of Merlot) and a white chocolate mousse (they had run out of white chocolate). Not a big deal for us but never an ideal situation returning to a table to apologise. However, they handled it well.

Finally, the young chefs, Elliott and Robert “did the rounds” to I believe universal praise from the 18 diners.

They gauged and balanced the portions just right. RenŽ Descartes, a mathematician as well as a philosopher, would almost certainly have approved.

By Rex M Key

MENU SAMPLE

Starters

Grilled chicken and bacon brochette with raspberry vinaigrette; Pressed ham hock and chicken terrine.

Main courses

Baked loin of cod with petit ratatouille, artichoke and tapenade basil oil; Pan-fried strips of local beef flamed in brandy with a paprika and cream sauce.

Desserts

Classical Bakewell tart; White chocolate and Baileys mousse.

ATMOSPHERE

Smart and civilised

SERVICE

Full marks. Professional and prompt.

DISABLED FACILITIES

Full facilities for the disabled.

Contact: Radbrook Campus, Radbrook Road, Shrewsbury SY3 9BL. Tel (01743) 363973