Time Out rating:
<strong>Rating: </strong>3/5
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<strong>Rating: </strong>4/5
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Time Out says
Fri May 25 2012
Food and art are a natural match. It’s all a question of taste, isn’t it? At Canvas & Cream, the owners have embraced all things creative: in addition to a gallery and dining room, there’s a studio space for artists, a therapy room for alternative practitioners and a rolling programme of craftsy workshops. The kitchen, likewise, may play it straight by day with a relaxed selection of breakfasts, lunches and teas, but come the evening it unveils an inventive and ambitious menu.
Our meal began exceptionally well. A starter of deep-fried calamari fritters saw delicate minced squid fashioned into eggy, chive-spiked strips, balanced on an Asian-style warm salad of dressed chinese cabbage and red peppers. A terrine of ham hock, its robust meatiness beautifully offset by mandolined slices of lightly pickled veg, was equally accomplished.
Main courses, however, saw a massive drop in standards. Huge portions did little to compensate for a muddle of ingredients and flavours: our wood pigeon and quinoa (unhappy bedfellows at the best of times) were respectively too dry and too oily. Three giant gorgonzola-filled arancini balls were golden and crunchy, but lacked seasoning. Last up, a ‘sichuan’ chocolate tart, rich though it may have been, failed to deliver any noticeable spice.
It’s a pity the food wasn’t more consistent, because this is a nice place. Vintage lighting, farmhouse tables and a open shelves of crockery give the place a homely, been-here-forever feel, while friendly staff welcome locals popping in for a quick drink. Factor in funky art, a pretty display of cakes on the counter, and house wine at £4 a glass, and you’ll still find plenty of reasons to visit.
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