Hers: Last week James and I finally got the chance to celebrate our first wedding anniversary (four days late) and decided to have dinner at Fusion Brasserie in Stoulton, Worcester – an award-winning restaurant run by Chef Felice Tocchini and his wife Fiorinda.
Although the weather was miserable, the welcome at Fusion was warm. We were greeted by our waitress and shown to a rather comfy leather sofa where we lounged with some drinks and perused the menu. At the moment the restaurant is running an ‘Italian Summer Offer’ which allows diners to choose either one course for £8.50, two courses for £11.25, or three courses for £14.00. This is available for lunch, Tuesday to Saturday 12.00 to 2.00pm, and dinner Tuesday to Thursday 6.00 to 7.30pm.
The choice on this set menu was varied and we had a hard time choosing which of the delicious-sounding dishes we should try. After much thought and a crisp, chilled glass of Pinot Grigio we chose:
Starters – antipasto (a combination of cured meats and pickled vegetables) and chicken liver parfait, caramelised red onions, and melba toast.
Main course – A grilled selection of fresh market fish with cherry tomato, vegetables and potatoes, and a lamb dish with minted sugar snaps and mash.
Dessert – Homemade ice cream “drowned” with espresso coffee, and tiramisu served with homemade vanilla ice cream.
After we’d made our selection we were shown to our table and made ourselves comfortable, before ordering a bottle of Chenin Blanc (James wanted red wine because he was eating lamb, but I was eating fish and wanted white…I won! Woohoo!)
The table was beautifully presented and the waitress was friendly and attentive. Before our starters arrived we were given ciabatta and black olive tapenade, presented on a piece of slate. The bread and the tapenade were both really tasty and we happily munched on this for a couple of minutes before our starters arrived.
Ciabatta and black olive tapenade
I am writing this next bit mainly based on the dishes that I ordered, because although we chose different dishes so we’d have the opportunity to taste some of each, I scrummed mine up without sharing much, as did James, so do not feel able to comment on all the dishes we ordered.
The starter was lovely. My chicken liver parfait was beautifully presented and the caramelised red onion came in a little jar. It was also extremely tasty! The parfait was creamy and had a wonderful consistency, ideal for spreading on the melba toast. The onion was the perfect accompaniment: sweet enough to cut through the creaminess of the parfait but not so overpowering so as to spoil it. I have to admit that I didn’t leave much for James to try. Ooops!
Chicken liver parfait
Once our plates (and slate) were cleared the main course quickly followed. The food was like a work of art. The selection of fresh market fish was wonderful and the vegetables were perfectly cooked and presented. The whole dish was delicious, with clean flavours and great composition. I ate this with so much excitement (as you can see from the photo I’d tucked in before remembering to take a photo) – it was fantastic and by far the best food I have eaten in a restaurant for a long time.
Fresh Market Fish
Dessert! I always have room for dessert! I indulged in the gorgeously creamy (but surprisingly light) tiramisu. Again, the presentation of the food was fantastic and I loved the quirky addition of a huge spoon cradling my ice cream on the slate platter. James certainly enjoyed his homemade ice cream “drowned” in espresso coffee; he didn’t give me one spoonful! He did however, let me have his strawberries.
Tiramisu
After dinner we retired to the huge leather sofa where James finished his wine and I had a coffee which was served with amaretto biscuits and little truffles. We then bought some of Felice’s famous ‘Worcester Dunkers’, yummy biscuits made for dunking.
Felice and Fiorinda have created the perfect dining experience at Fusion Brasserie. The food, drink and service were amazing and the ’set’ menu was such great value for money you don’t have to wait for a special occasion. I can’t wait to go back.
His:
I’m a huge fan of antipasti. This selection was perhaps a bit quirky for my liking. Three meats were presented along with a variety of pickles: mushroom, asparagus and aubergine. I felt that this triumvirate of pickles was a sour punch too much for my palate, but since I have never been a fan of aubergine’s rubber-sponge texture, perhaps I am prejudiced. One of the meats was also a little too pre-formed for my liking, and they were all quite thickly cut; although there was no disputing the overall effort and execution of the dish, in all I regretted making this selection.
This was mainly because Rowenna’s starter was what I really wanted to taste – and I was not disappointed. The parfait managed to combine a deliciously creamy flavour with the lightest texture I have ever tasted. It was clear that a lot of effort had gone into whipping it into shape. The accompanying toast and onion marmalade were perfect accompaniments – although personally I would have preferred just a touch more of the marmalade, and for it to have a little more acidic bite to cut through the parfait.
Onto the main, and my lamb roulades were exquisitely prepared with a delicious forcemeat. The minted sugar snaps were perfectly cooked, as were the two beautiful steaming dollops of mash. This was accompanied by a reduction of liquor 43. My main observation here is that Felice is clearly a masterful chef, who can execute stunning technique with his ingredients. Every individual component of the dish was exquisite: the mash was smooth and well seasoned; the lamb was tender and had a flavourful, herby stuffing; the sugar snaps were firm and yielding. However, I did find that the overall flavour was overridingly sweet. The dish could have been lifted by a sauce with more of a sour punch; perhaps also there were also one or two too many components on the plate. However, it is clear to see that this was prepared by someone who understands food – and it was the best main I have eaten in a local restaurant for years.
Dessert – ice cream “drowned” in espresso. This was as good as it sounds. Perfectly executed ice cream and a great way to round off the meal.
I would recommend this restaurant to anyone. In all it represents remarkably well-prepared food at what seem to me to be extremely affordable prices. The ambience of the restaurant, wholly transformed into a bright, sophisticated eatery from the previously somewhat-seedy Bird in Hand pub, is special too. Save it for a special occasion or surprise a loved one tonight, because you won’t be disappointed.
Visit www.fusionbrasserie.com for further information.
