Indulgence is on the menu at this French-style eatery in Coggeshall
Even though I grew up in Coggeshall, I am still in love with the olde worlde charm of its historic streets and listed buildings – Ranfield’s Brasserie being one of them. The restaurant is located in the centre of the village on Stoneham Street, opposite the famous clocktower.
It was originally owned by Peter Langan of Langan’s Brasserie in Mayfair (which was co-owned by actor Michael Caine), who brought his unique style out to Coggeshall in 1986. Fast forward to 2015, and it is now in the safe hands of head chef JB Ranfield.
I was ready for dinner as soon as we arrived, and I had already decided I was going to have a crisp glass of rosé to celebrate the first warm evening of the year. You know when you enter a restaurant and it smells delicious and you know you’re in for a treat? Yeah, that!
Ranfield’s has pristine white tablecloths, an eclectic art collection and an equally eclectic selection of chairs. It knows how to do quirky whilst maintaining the relaxed elegance of a French brasserie.
Shortly after two glasses of the Pierre de Taille Rosé arrived, we were treated to an amuse bouche: two small cones served on a rustic wooden board. Topped with smoked salmon ‘ice cream,’ mine was such a tasty little morsel and my vegetarian guest had an equally delicious creamy goat’s cheese version – we were now very excited for what was to come.
My dining partner’s amuse bouche inspired me to choose the starter of goat's cheese and vanilla onion tart. The tart consisted of a delicate layer of pastry topped with onions, which had been softened to perfection with vanilla. These were topped with warmed goat’s cheese and garnished with beetroot, fennel and apple. I was in heaven.
For my main, I chose plaice from the fish specials board, which was so fresh and it just fell away from the bone. It came bathed in garlic butter sauce, which just had to be mopped up with a side order of thick-cut chips.
Surely all three courses couldn’t be as good as each other? When the desserts arrived, of course I was proven wrong. I ordered the dark chocolate and miso tart with raspberry sorbet (for me, raspberry and dark chocolate are the best of friends). The miso added depth and umami, whilst the tart sorbet cut through perfectly. If that combination wasn’t naughty enough, I was delighted with the surprise of a salted caramel layer at the bottom.
We practically rolled out of the restaurant.
ranfieldsbrasserie.co.uk
