REVIEW: THOMPSON@Darcy’s, Hatfield Road, St Albans, Hertfordshire

Unfortunately, that dreaded thing which every foodie ignores is slowly catching up on me – weight. For as many years as I can recall, I’ve been a trim slim thing – but now I can slowly feel the pounds clinging to the hips and the sheer amount of times I eat out, compared to the amount of exercise I do just isn’t matching up. I’m going to have to accept the inevitable fact that in ten years time, I’ll be a little bit plump. And with that in mind, it hasn’t stopped me venturing outside London for my birthday and visiting THOMPSON@Darcy’s in St Albans – I’m still slim and while I am, I’ve decided to abuse that metabolism for as long as I can.

I used to be a regular visitor to St Albans many years ago, but It’s been a long time since the last and a long time since I visited this restaurant. Previously it was known as Darcy’s – until late 2013 when Phil Thompson took over the restaurant, migrating from Auberge du Lac in Welwyn. Personally I hadn’t much enjoyed the food last time I came here, but things have changed a lot since then and in my opinion for the better. The décor inside (especially the bar area) needs some desperate TLC – especially those nasty scatter cushions, but otherwise we had little to complain about here. After our cheeky cocktail at the bar we sat down to a serving of delicious freshly baked bread which had a good texture and nice crunch. A starter of heirloom tomato salad with soft creamy goats cheese and hint of basil was a lovely dish too. It’s one of my favourite dishes, if done well – and it didn’t disappoint here at THOMPSON@Darcy’s.

As we made our way through the dishes here, every course seemed to get even better than the last. Fillet of hake was as juicy as could be, draped in lush green wild garlic leaves, fresh peas and shallots – not to mention the lashing of butter and large juicy mussels. As far as dishes go this was certainly my highlight, in fact it was probably one of the best fish dishes I’ve eaten all year. It may have been a relatively simple plate of food, but it was one full of flavour. Equally as delicious was the mouth-watering, sliced slow roast leg of lamb with golden Jersey royal potatoes, wild mushrooms and a gorgeous rocket pesto which was incredibly addictive, refined and the whole dish being perfectly seasoned. I may not have the best photography skills either, but the food here still looked and tasted mouth-watering.

I may be praising the food highly so far, but desserts were on a whole other level. They were the star of THOMPSON@Darcy’s and whoever is putting these creations together in the kitchen is incredibly talented. Each mouthful of just about anything sweet here left us in absolute silence. Kaffir lime curd with torched meringue and blood orange sorbet not only looked the part, but tasted fabulous – with each mouthful bringing sweet and sour flavours along with lots of different textures. Star dessert however was the banoffe soufflé with salted caramel and bitter chocolate ice cream. The soufflé was cooked to perfection, well raised in its ramekin to a good height and its texture was textbook perfection. The ice cream which sunk straight through the middle of the soufflé was very rich and while good, still need a little work on its flavour intensity and texture – a very minor thing, in the grand schemes of our meal here.

Looking back, I think it’s been almost ten years since I last ate here and while I wasn’t raving about it back then, I certainly am now. I’ve eaten in my share of Hertfordshire restaurants over the time, but from my experiences so far – THOMPSON@Darcy’s is by far my favourite in the area. The set lunch menu (from which we ate from) was priced at a mere £21 for three courses, a bargain deal which you should all be booking – now.  THOMPSON@Darcy’s restaurant may not be quite at the Michelin star level yet (in my opinion), but I’ve no doubt it hasn’t got long to go. Phil Thompson and his team should be very proud of themselves because this isn’t just a restaurant – instead a destination restaurant worth travelling every single mile for.

8/10