It's rare in modern society for a word-of-mouth recommendation to reach you before social media thrusts it under your nose.
But that was the case for me discovering the Gourmet Food Kitchen, and in particular its gourmet nights. Even a good root around on the likes of Facebook and Instagram required further probing with direct messaging to find out more.
Soon enough I was locked into my first evening of fine dining at the FarGo Village-based eatery that does carry one weighty online tag. While it doesn't excessively shout and scream about its food nights on social media, the establishment carries the tag of Coventry's best restaurant on the biggest digital platform of them all for eateries - TripAdvisor.
Those reviews have been built on the foundations of the establishment's daytime food offering but owner Tony Davies has expanded his offer to £40-per-head gourmet nights. They started off as once a month, before growing to fortnightly, to now pretty much being held every week.
So, finally, as February commenced, it was my turn to see what all the fuss was about...
The setting
Fargo is full of quirky, small, funky business offerings from breweries to CrossFit gyms to vegan food outlets. The mental image I'd built from the few things I'd seen on social media was in stark contrast to the reality.
Lit up like a chip shop and having a footprint no bigger than that, a row of tables sit between the tight kitchen area and the external wall with a row of six metal chairs positioned along each side. It's tight. You're elbow to elbow with your dining companions for the evening. I didn't see this as a bad thing. We conversed with the couple next to us (we were on the far end away from the door) for most of the evening. It's a sociable, interactive way to dine.
You're in the eyeline of Tony as he prepared the dishes which is all part of the experience. Every seat on a gourmet night here is at the 'chef's table'! This makes for a rounded experience where front of house and back are all merged into one tight space.
One criticism of that is the heat on the evening we visited was borderline intolerable. We opted to take a couple of breaks between courses to take a breath of fresh air outside. But we were positioned furthest from the door which was kept ajar, so I doubt others suffered like we did.
General experience
Being in such close proximity to the chef is exciting and intriguing. Watching Tony build a plate of food before your eyes, giving descriptions of what you are about to eat, in some cases, the origins and inspiration for the dish, adds a splash of theatre. Those who have had tasting menus at fine dining restaurants will be familiar with servers delivering this information - here, you get it from the man in the chef whites.
Tony delivers this with humour and honesty. We learned more about the journey of GFK and the various plates he is metaphorically spinning in various areas of his small, but hugely popular business.
Having first sat down at 7.15pm, the courses came without big gaps, it was punchy, a night full of momentum and by 10.15pm, we were heading to our car with full bellies and smiles on faces.
Bringing your own drinks is also a bonus. It's a key factor in what pushes a pricey meal into an extortionate one - the drinks bill. Being able to take along what you please wipes this factor away. If you've got a couple of bottles gathering dust that need drinking, bring them along!
They also catered brilliantly for my pescatarian wife with a couple of alternative dishes to my meat offerings.
The food
Now, anything negative in the above sections gets firmly put into context. Because for £40 you are served up six courses of sensational food. Painstakingly created, with inspiration, care and passion. The menu changes each month, so my assessment is firmly on February's offering.
- Elixir of chicken, tortellini - three small, colourful parcels all packed with different flavours sit in a tea cup before the consume is poured over the top. The flavour was akin to the most flavoursome roast chicken juices you can imagine, broken up by those punchy little parcels.
- Crispy duck egg with mushroom and truffle puree and hazelnut dressing - the oozing runny egg yolk combined beautifully with the rich mushroom and truffle puree, and the nutty undertones pull your tastebuds in different directions. A dish that looked far simpler than I am sure it was to execute.
- Cherry wood smoked mackerel, soused onion and horseradish - Tony pretty much guarantees something on his gourmet night menus will be smoked, as he has his own smoker and loves to use it - he told us so! The method of cooking took the over-powering edge off the mackerel and made a fish I normally find not to my liking a pleasurable taste. Mix that in with the beautifully acidic onions and a horseradish quenelle and you unlock further depth in this dish.
- Rose wine granite - served in a small coffee-cup style shot glass, this iced alcoholic intervention helped to reset the pallet after a couple of rich indulgent courses. Given what course was coming next, this was particularly important and made perfect sense.
- Cannon of beef, cauliflower, spiced carrot, Bordelaise sauce - after a welcome 25-minute wait for the previous courses to settle down, this substantial course was served. It's this kind of dish which really defines the experience from anything I've had before. You just don't get food this substantive on a tasting menu. It was a portion you'd associate with a main course at some restaurants. A rich, sumptuous sauce combines the meat with the other textures and tastes on a plate of wholesome, honest, beautiful food.
- Egg custard, nutmeg ice cream - Presented like a cheesecake this was a fitting way to end the meal. My preconceptions of this desert were dispelled. The texture and flavour were indulgent, a proper pudding experience. The scoop on top brought warming spice juxtaposed with cooling ice cream.
- A variety of coffees were offered to conclude the meal along with a couple of chocolates each from Choc 'N' Roll, a business now run by Tony's wife, Debra.
In summary...
Well, we loved it. The food and the unique evening that ensued saw us discuss it enthusiastically most of the way home. There's no denying it's a little caught between coping with a rapid surge in popularity and what it could soon become. We learned of plans to extend the restaurant and more focus being placed on these gourmet nights rather than other areas of their business.
Even with these teething problems, I am struggling to think of another dining experience like it. I am even more excited about what it could become if their vision is realised in the coming months and years.
Coventry has a real hidden gem here - but it could soon become the jewel in its crown.
