As British Cheese Week draws to an end, and I sit here piling through a plate of Stinking Bishop, Ragstone, and Penyston, I have been trying to think of the most memorable ‘last course’ I have ever had in a restaurant in the UK. There is one clear winner – without a doubt, it has to be the last dish on the tasting menu I had at Hibiscus about 4 months ago.

I guess maybe it stuck in my mind so much, because we weren’t told what was on the menu until the plate arrived in front of us – all we knew was that this was the last dish on the menu, we hadn’t had any pudding or cheese, so assumed that it would be along those lines – Obviously I was hoping it would be a plate of gooey, smelly cheese…

This, it wasn’t, but oh, how I was pleasantly surprised!  I think you should probably see what it looked like first before I explain what it tasted like, you’ll see why…

All the waiter said when the plate was placed in front of us was: “Before you taste it, I would like you to look at it, try and guess what it is, then when I come back, tell me what you think.”

So, we looked at it and decided that it clearly looked like Tarte au Citron, with vanilla ice cream and vanilla on the side -right..? Although seeing as the waiter had asked us to guess what it was, and knowing we were in the hands of Chef Claude Bosi, we were pretty sure it wasn’t this.

When the waiter came back, we told him what we thought it looked like, and with a rye smile, he replied in his rather sexy French accent “just taste it and let me know what you think…”

Humn, asparagus tart…amazingly light, but a powerful flavour at the same time. Then to the ice cream, WOW, goats cheese – What a taste sensation, tangy and wonderfully creamy and it went so well with the asparagus!  I still could not work out what the little black dots were, they certainly weren’t vanilla, nor licorice, what the hell were they…? We succumbed to the waiter, “black olive,” well, of course once I knew, that was clearly what it was but I guess I must have been duped by the appearance – who would have thought?!

The whole dish was well thought out.  Visually, it looked stunning, each flavour complemented the other perfectly, but more importantly it was a dish that teased me, it challenged me both in taste and in sight – and for that reason it is my most memorable last course.

If you are looking for a taste sensation, then head to Hibiscus. It may not be the warmest of atmospheres when you first walk in, looking more like a gentleman’s club, but the waiters and sommelier are incredibly friendly and accommodating; the wine list, extensive and the food, simply delicious!

Below are some other delights we sampled on the Hibiscus tasting menu:

(Please excuse the quality of these photos, they were taken on my phone)