http://www.bighospitality.co.uk/item/2546/pg_dtl_art_news/238/pg_ftr_art10-Nov-08 - Becky Paskin
the%20passThe Pass at South Lodge Hotel in Horsham, West Sussex, opened this week to deliver a fresh and unique dining concept, where just 22 covers are served in the heart of the kitchen.
Diners are seated along the length of the kitchen on a row of high tables with LCD screens strategically placed to allow them to experience 360-degree views of the chefs at work. While the 22-cover restaurant sounds a tad small, The Pass will not be turning any tables, serving only one seating of guests per service.
It is, however, in addition to the Camellia restaurant, and will serve a selection of five, seven and nine-course tasting menus adapted for both lunch and dinner, as well as a breakfast tasting menu. Dishes include ballotine of salmon, and lobster beignet with an aniseed emulsion; poached halibut, roast chicory, fricassee of squid and pearl barley; saddle of venison, parsnip puree, honey roast parsnips, morels, and potato fondants; and tonka bean parfait, hot chocolate mousse and baileys marshmallow with malt anglaise.
Head Chef Matt Gillan, formerly with Restaurant Gordon Ramsay in London and Midsummer House in Cambridge, is confident about the unique concept’s success.
He said: “The Pass is a fantastic challenge for my team and I, cooking to a live audience every night is definitely not something that I ever imagined doing. However, it’s amazing how much you disappear into your own world when creating the dishes so it’s not actually as nerve racking as it sounds.
“My team has fantastic cohesion so this really allows the smooth running of the kitchen to be witnessed firsthand. I believe that the menu offers some really exciting dishes and that the tasting menu only option ensures the whole concept of The Pass works perfectly.”
The Pass completes an £8m investment programme for South Lodge, which has seen the hotel grow to offer 89 individually styled bedrooms.
