40 B4 40-Bel & the Dragon



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No. 13: Last Thursday we enjoyed sharing lunch with our friends Andrew and Grace.  Andrew is a successful entrepreneur in the promotional merchandise industry, a keen sailor and obsessed with the weather.  Grace is a very pretty cake maker and young mother. Not sure how, but Andrew has certainly punched above his weight in nabbing this one.

We went to Bel & the Dragon, which is a restaurant in the heart of the Surrey market town of Godalming and a short stroll from the River Wey.  Formerly a congressional church this historic building was originally converted in the late 1990’s. The menu has been created by Mo Benassar and Ronnie Kimbugwe, formerly Sous Chef of Gordon Ramsay at Claridges.

For starters we went for Pink peppercorn squid with homemade chilli jam, and Poached duck egg and avocado with Serrano ham & hollandaise.  When I say ‘we went for’, that did not mean we all had both.  Three of us had one and the other one had the other, although I am sure you are not really bothered who had what.

As we discussed our forthcoming weekends, ours in rainy Norfolk, and theirs at a family christening in rainy Devon, Andrew found that the old bottle on the table reminded him of a childhood memory.  The aunt they were going to stay with lived near an old tip where he used to dig up old bottles as a child.  With much enthusiasm he told Grace that they could go digging over the weekend to see what they could find.  My joy was immense to see someone else’s wife show the disdain that I thought only my wife can show to me.

We got a good selection from the menu when we all had a different main courses. Linguini of Devon crab fresh chilli & garlic oil, Rabbit, chorizo & white bean stew with warm chunky bread, Marinated & chargrilled sirloin steak, vine roasted cherry tomatoes, peppercorn sauce and thrice cooked chips, and Whole roasted coquelet, duck fat roast potatoes, garnished with a handful of thyme, garlic & shallots.  The kitchen team were doing a good job, as all of the meals were enjoyed and the thrice cooked chips delicious, although I understand they were not on the healthy option menu.

Andrew, then started a tell a story about how he was hit by lightning (this explained quite a lot).  To the amazement of us all, it was the first time he had ever told a story about his favourite subject that was even mildly interesting.  Fortunately, before he could move on to the rest of his usually boring repertoire of weather stories, our sweets arrived as if a knight on a white charger.  I was soon tucking into a rather scrumptious Traditional Eton Mess with homemade meringue, fresh strawberries & jersey cream.  Our friends had Apple Tarte Tatin for two. (Apart for the bits I kept nicking), and my wife once again abstained as she has to get into some dress for our Nieces wedding in a few weeks’ time. (Note to self: I might have to get my trousers let out before then.)

As we finished our drinks and awaited the coffee, I overheard Grace telling my wife how baking cakes and pastry treats relaxes her.  Before I could even finish the sentence; “You could do with a bit of relaxation dear”, I was told; “Don’t even think about it”, together with a sharp kick on the shins.

I took my time drinking my after lunch coffee, in fact just enough time to let the throbbing on my leg to subside.  Fortunately, my leg’s recovery coincided with Andrew trying to start another weather story, and in unplanned unison the rest of us all remembered we had to leave as we had something really important to do in the afternoon.

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