Moor Hall Restaurant with Rooms

Restaurant of the year?

Canapes

Within less than 4 years, Moor Hall restaurant has started off life from an unknown restaurant (When Mark Birchall took over) to become what suppose to be the best restaurant in the UK. The restaurant is located within a stunning grade 2 listed 5 stars country house hotel of the same name. The restaurant landed a Michelin star in its first year with another one followed the next year, along with 5 AA Rosettes. The restaurant is also the current holder of The Best UK restaurant at the Estrella Damm National Restaurant Awards, an amazing achievement from Mark who once was Simon Rogan's executive chef at L’Enclume, another legendary restaurant in the UK. The restaurant offers a fixed-tasting menu for dinner, with about 15 dishes in total in a proper fine dining manner with plenty of tableside services.

Seabream, radish, raspberries

Oyster, dill, white beetroot

Carrots, doddington, chrysanthemum and sea buckthorn

Crab, anise hyssop and sunflower seeds

Beef, barbecued celeriac, mustard and shallot

Scallop, fermented green tomato, cauliflower and grains

The meal kicked off at the bar with canapes and drinks before you are taken to the main dining room, with a kitchen tour before sitting down. Even the canapes have been given some serious attention, a gently cooked oyster was served in a light white beetroot and buttermilk sauce, it was so fresh and the sweetness of the beetroot uplifted the umami flavour of the oyster to another level. I was a massive fan of the beef tartar, which had a BBQ hint thanks to the grilled celeriac, the sharpness of the mustard offered a great balance to the richness of the fatty beef, it was a simple dish but packed with lovely bold tastes. Cornish turbot cooked on the bone was another sensational dish, the seasoning was spot on as was the temperature of the dish, the mussels and caviar were used as garnishes to enhance the seafood taste further to create a whirlpool of umami delight. 

Turbot, artichoke, caviar

Fallow deer

Deer, kale, beetroot and elderberry; ragout and whey

Ginger bread ice cream

Blackberries, woodruff, almond, sorrel and muscovado

Apple, rhubarb, woodruff and birch sap

Moor Hall's cooking without a doubt was stunning, there was a shade of Simon Rogan's style but that is not a bad thing as Simon's style is truly revolutionary and special. Mark put good use of the finest local ingredients, as well as sourcing top-level seafood from the British sea. The food is smart, sophisticated looking and it had just the right level of creativity without feeling like a gimmick. Is it the best restaurant in the UK? Given I have yet to eat around all the high-level places across the UK, that is not something I can judge on, but what I can say is that Moor Hall, along with Kitchen Table, is the 2 best restaurants I have encountered in 2021 in the UK.

Food: 5/5


Average cost without drinks and services:
£195

Moor Hall, Prescot Rd, Aughton, Ormskirk L39 6RT

https://moorhall.com/