Just booked into Lumiere for the Monday night, and Champignon Sauvage for the Tuesday night. Good choices?

Top choices Joist. In the CS Wednesday and Lumiere Thursday myself!

Good to hear, CCM. Where are they both in relation to the course or town?

Both in town mate. CS just off Montpelier and Lumiere is just round the corner from the Royal Well Tavern, couple of mins from the Hotel du Vin if you know where either of those are?

The food is tremendous. Little bit quiet, but that's not what you are there for IMO!

Well, having returned home for the final 2 days I'll report back on Lumiere and Champignon Sauvage for anyone interest.

Lumiere: Suprised at how understated outside it was, and how small (and empty- we were the only table there at 7.30! Filled up though) the place was. Really nice feel inside. Faultless waitresses, if anything a little bit too smiley.

Canapes were squid crackers, cajun popcorn, and a tzatziki. Squid crackers were weird but not unpleasant, and the cajun popcorn was very standard. Never been to a place that gives you canapes before though so despite them being nothing special it was a nice touch.

Amuse bouche was a wild garlic soup with smoked eel. This was delicious, and I was very suprised at how nice eel was. They really creep me out and strike me as pretty disgusting creatures, but they taste remarkably like bacon.

Starter, scallops and pork belly. Very nice, not mindblowing, but very nice.

Main, halibut. Again, nice but lacked any 'wow' factor, but then choosing a fairly bland fish this was always fairly likely.

Desert, was excellent. I had the rhubarb trifle with some kind of sorbet, and honeycomb. This really was fantastically good, the honeycomb was delightful, little meringues on the trifle were superb. Really pleased with how good this was, because Lumiere risked being ever so slightly disappointing. I had this paired with a desert wine, which the waitress forgot to add to the bill. In the interest of good punting karma, I decided to tell her. I'm still waiting to receive said good punting karma, having done my brains this last 2 days.

There was a pre-desert as well but I can't remember what it was.

The bill was £120 or so for two, with a bottle of wine. Not entirely unreasonable imo.



Next up, the Champignon Sauvage. Handily, Sprinter Sacre winnings with the profit put on Quevega provided a big help to the cost of the bill here. We were booked in for 7.30, opening time, and it was not open when we turned up. So we went for a drink in the Suffolk Arms, where some considerably rotund woman seemingly attempted to chat up my mum. Odd experience, promptly saw off my remaining pint and did one. Champignon Sauvage was open when we returned.

First impressions, it's a bit chilly in the dining room. Maybe because we were sat by the window. Otherwise, I liked it, but the lack of music was a bit strange. Soon though, with a few more tables filling up the buzz of chatter provided a nice soundtrack.

Canapes: can't remember. Some kind of mini muffin which I remember being nice, and I can't remember what else there was. They were quite a bit classier than the canapes of Lumiere though. Similarly very good, but not out of this world.

Starter: I had the butter-poached Lobster for a 6 quid supplement (cheek). Was worth every penny, really stunning. Delicious.

Main: Wood pigeon with black pudding puree (this was vile), parsnip puree, some assorted other things. This was nice, but the pigeon slightly disappointing, rather bland.

Desert: possibly the cheesecake. We were 2 bottles of wine down at this point, and I must confess that I can't entirely remember my pudding. The coffee and petit fours were delicious though. One thing that Lumiere outdid Champignon on, Lumiere gave both of us a pre-dessert, despite only 1 desert being ordered. Champignon just brought out 1 pre-desert for the 1 desert ordered.

Champignon was not cheap, £180 for two with two bottles of wine. Was quite impressed on the whole though, and can see why it's got 2 Michelin stars and Lumiere hasn't; Champignon just had that extra touch of class in a few areas despite the 1 pre-desert.