I've been meaning to come here for the longest time - but just could never find the right time! Anyway, my girlfriend and I finally had the right opportunity - we had a heavy tea around 6pm, and decided on a late-ish and light dinner (or so we thought).
The restaurant itself is quite small. The lower floor sits 4-5 tables, and the upper floor probably can sit twenty, but usually seems reserved for events. There are small tables and benches outside, and kudos to those who braved the heat and mosquitoes to dine there.
We ordered the cheese platter (medium - 5 cheeses), ham platter (small), goat cheese salad and the potato leek soup (daily special). We also got a bottle of Austrian Sauvignon Blanc (2007), which turned out was a pleasant surprise, not overly dry or fruity with a hint of apple.
For the cheese platter, we entered the frigid storage room to select our five cheese. The staff was gracious in letting us try whatever we wanted. After spending about 10 minutes sampling a few - (and secretly cursing that we got the medium cheese platter, since we were stuffed by sampling everything already) - we chose three hard cheeses (Comte, Doddington's, Coolea), and two soft cheeses (Cashel Blue, Ticklemore). Their cheese selection was numerous, and will definitely be able to satisfy any taste. The missus enjoys a milder, softer flavour - Ticklemore, Comte, while I enjoyed the more pungent cheeses - Cashel Blue, Coolea. Doddingtons was somewhere in between. We did not have the cahooneys to try the Stinking Bishop.
The ham platter lived up to my expectations as well. With (a surprisingly) generous helping of 18-month aged iberico, prosciutto, chorizo, and salami, coupled with bread, mustard and gherkins, it was a ham-lover's paradise.
After immensely enjoying the cheese and ham, the other dishes we ordered are almost after-thoughts. The potato and leek soup was good, tasty without the overbearing aftertaste of leek. The goat cheese salad was enjoyable - the dressing and greens did not impress, but it was saved by the wonderful cheese.
I can't relay how immensely satisfied I was with this meal - 満腹. It was a little pricey, due to the orderings of ham, cheese and wine, but it was worth every penny. A supposedly light-ish dinner turned into an orgy of good food, and I'll definitely be making return trips. Definitely visit if you have a like or love for good ham and cheese, or if you're looking to fall in love with them =)