Sustainability and great cooking
Three years ago we booked here but were unable to make it. On the evidence of this meal it would certainly have made it onto our "must go back to" list, where it definitely figures now. The intimate surroundings (the 24 covers claimed for the dining room seemed to be pushing it a bit, although we felt we had more than enough room to indulge ourselves), the friendly service and the amiable presence of chef/owner Tim Bouget in the dining room as well as at the pass in the open kitchen delivered the perfect background for an impressive sequence of delicious dishes. 0DE does not hesitate to set out its philosophy of preference for local, seasonal, sustainable and ethical produce, even listing its suppliers and food miles involved on the back of the menu. This is all very commendable of course, but in the end it is how this produce is used to conjure up what is served on the plate that really counts, and for us there is no doubt that here the result is a total success. Three kinds of naturally-fermented home-made bread, olive foccaccia, sourdough and yoghurt flatbread came with some very good tapenade, and this was followed up with a delicious amuse-bouche of crab salad, pickled kohlrabi, crème fraîche and apple, a really lovely expression of local tastes to act as a proper appetizer. Both our starters were absolutely top-class - delicate vegetable bhajis cunningly set against pickled carrot, spiced butternut purée, sumac yoghurt and coriander for my wife, and some of the very best wild salmon I've ever tasted, fished in the River Teign and given a memorable tang by curing in soy sauce and beautifully matched with daikon radish, roasted bok choi and ginger miso. This was just superb! The level of quality was maintained with brilliantly delicate and tender herb-crusted hake in a butter sauce, deep-fried sandeels, courgette, crushed potato and sugar snaps, and rolled Ashburton guinea fowl cooked to perfection and garlic and ham hock providing a masterful match with the game bird and accompanied by roasted onions, potato and broad beans. Could the dessert be as good? We both decided on chocolate, a dark chocolate mousse with sizeable chunks in it, an amazingly light hazelnut brownie, indulgent brown butter ice cream and raspberries just tart enough to give a consummate contrast. Wines by the glass were limited but the ones suggested by chef went extremely well with the food, especially a wonderful passito with the dessert. We were more than impressed with the whole thing and the value for money factor was second to none.