Blimey, can’t you tell when the sun comes out?!! Mercia Marina in Willington and Compamigos (where we were heading for Sunday Lunch) were absolutely heaving! Don’t get me wrong, it was lovely to see everyone smiling, and there was a great buzz around the marina, but we had to park waaaaay back; good job I’d got flats on rather than heels!
Compamigos’ outside seating area was proving popular with doggies and their well-behaved hoomans; parasols provided some shade for furries whilst drinks were being supped, and I noticed one of them was being slipped a treat by their ‘pawrent’. Downstairs, in the informal dining area and bar, you couldn’t move for folks and, as we walked past to go upstairs, I noticed that the Sunday Lunches were looking rather spectacular…my tummy did a timely rumble of ‘feed me now, that looks scrummy’!
One of the team greeted us at the ‘reception’ upstairs and escorted us over to our table, a booth one that had a faux foliage wall and neon ‘Compamigos’ sign at its side. My derriere noted the depth of the padding on the green banquette seat as I sat down – very comfy. When our server came over, I ordered a glass of Rioja and The Man had a pint of Madri and we sipped away at our drinks whilst we looked through the menu.
Price-wise, you are not going to get anything better than this: it is, frankly, marvellous! Roast Rump of Beef is £15, Roast Chicken Breast and Chicken Thigh Croquette, Slow-cooked Pork Belly with Pork Quaver, and the Nut Roast are all £14 each, and the Trio of Meats comes in at £18. All the roasts are served with roasted Root Vegetables, Seasonal Greens, Braised Red Cabbage, Garlic & Rosemary Roast Potatoes and Red Wine Jus. The Beef and Trio also come with homemade Yorkshire Pudding, and you can have an extra one (£1.50) or even choose to savour Pigs-in-Blankets or Cauliflower Cheese (£5 each). No surprise when I say that we had some Cauliflower Cheese…and it was a huge portion, and really, really delicious; the veg was still firm and the sauce was thick and just divine.
It wasn’t long [given that the food is cooked fresh-to-order] before our server was placing two large plates in front of us, swiftly followed by the dishes of Roasties, Cauli Cheese and medley of Savoy Cabbage, Green Beans, Leeks and Tenderstem Broccoli. All the greens were nicely crunchy and bursting with flavour; neither of us had a bad word to say about them, ditto the ultra-crisp Panko coated Chicken Thigh Croquette on our plates.
As well as the Croquette, there was an impossibly succulent breast that literally melted in the mouth; seriously, this chicken was good! Now, His Nibs is more of a connoisseur of Pork Belly than I, so when he said how creamy and flavoursome it was, I took notice. He was right, the Belly meat was like a cloud, permeated with soft, tasty fat layers that coated the tongue and lingered in the mouth. I’m generally a Beef or Lamb gal, and my little heart was gladdened to see a rosy-pink centre to the large slice of Beef Rump on my plate. The Beef was delicious, with a pleasing tenderness and great depth of flavour to it, and I took my time chewing it so as to get the full effect. I’d asked for some Horseradish sauce to accompany my meal, and it was the real-McCoy, made with fiery, punchy Horseradish Root. Tingle factor was ‘go’!
As far as Roasties go, the ones served at Compamigos are mighty fine with their golden, crisp outers and gently nutty-tasting, soft inners. You can certainly get the hint of Rosemary and Garlic that they roasted alongside, and this was one thing that made them memorable for us. I personally love Red Cabbage when it’s braised with spices and the jewel-toned shreds carried the intoxicating fragrance of Star Anise within them. Oooh, I nearly forgot to mention the exquisite Apple Sauce that Chef had proffered; caramel-hued, it had an intense sweet taste with the most marvellous Cinder Toffee afternote. The Yorkie was splendid, both in its proportion, its texture, and its flavour; it beat The Man though, but I scoffed all of mine!
It had taken us both a fair while to get there but, other than a bit of Yorkie on His Nibs’ plate, they were both clean. Our server was very happy to be taking a pile of clean bowls and plates back to the kitchen, returning with the dessert menu, as if she could read our minds. The Man Bird ordered the Millionaire’s Chocolate Pot (£9), as he’d really loved it on a previous visit to Compamigos; I fancied the Rhubarb Crumble Panna Cotta (£9).
Desserts at Compamigos are served in curvy, round glasses which allow you to see all the layers and appreciate their beauty before you demolish them! You would never guess in a million years that the Chocolate Mousse is Vegan; not to say that Vegan food isn’t tasty, but some things just don’t translate as well as their dairy or meat cousins. Here, however, the Mousse was a triumph. Luxurious Salted Caramel was in abundance, and both it and the pale shortbread crumb, contrasted boldly against the dark mousse.
Since I was a little Chick, I’ve never been able to resist Rhubarb. Mummy Bird used to have a massive Rhubarb ‘bush’ in our garden, and I used to rip stalks of it off the plant and dip its raw form into a bowl of sugar; utter childhood bliss. The Panna Cotta was silky and creamy, allowing the sharpness of the Rhubarb and fire of Stem Ginger in the compote that lay above it to shine on the palate. Other than the odd piece of Ginger, this was a smooth dessert, so the addition of coarse crumble was very welcome from a sensory stand-point. This was a beautifully balanced dessert, and one that I’d happily eat again and again.
Compamigos consistently offer a wonderful dining and drinking experience; this is the third time we’ve visited, at different times of day, and on all occasions have been impressed. Hot Wings unwaveringly awarded here. To book a table call 01283 702669 or visit the website www.compamigos.co.uk and hit the ‘book now’ button. Compamigos is open 7-days-a-week: Mon-Thurs 10am-10pm, Friday and Saturday 10am-11pm, and Sunday 10am-9pm.
