What: Billed as a high-end casual dining experience, it is a new incarnation of Lincolnshire restaurant Auction House, which closed last year.
Who: The restaurant has been taken on by former Winteringham Fields head chef Gareth Bartram and his wife Lucy. Bartram got his first cheffing job at Gordon Ramsay’s Boxwood Café and later worked at Jack’s Restaurant in Corsham in Bath, before joining Winteringham Fields, becoming head chef at the restaurant in July 2018. During his nine-year tenure at the restaurant he helped win it a Michelin star, the only restaurant in Lincolnshire to achieve this to date.
The food: Bartram has created a globe trotting menu that takes inspiration from far and wide but also feels grounded in its location. As one would expect from a chef of such pedigree, the cooking is precise and imaginative but unfussy using high-quality ingredients sourced locally and internationally. Sample dishes include rosemary focaccia served with whipped chicken fat; glistening miso pork belly and celeriac skewers; breaded or fresh oysters with a lick of sriracha; and umai caviar with hash browns and creme fraiche. Vegetarian options include a salad of Isle of Wight tomatoes with watermelon, ponzu and nori; and English asparagus with Lincolnshire poacher and herb pesto. The a la carte menu also features three dishes each of meat and seafood, including BBQ lobster tail with beef fat; ham ‘n’ eggs with English peas, fat croutons, and ham broth; and BBQ Ranby Hill Farm Hogget ‘Caesar’, with braised shoulder, wild garlic, and smoked anchovy. Desserts, meanwhile, include a beautiful milk chocolate mousse with passion fruit. miso and hazelnut ice cream (pictured below); and a Basque cheesecake with English strawberries, basil, and black pepper. As well as being able to order a la carte, diners have the option of a chefs selection for the whole table, priced at £60 per person, and the restaurant is currently running a midweek (Wednesday and Thursday) express menu with two courses for £25 until 30 May.
The vibe: Bartram has retained many of the restaurant’s original features, including its distinctive wooden wall panelling and green and white tiling. The previous restaurant’s counter area has been smartened up into a nice bar area with seating for walk-ins and the dining room has a cosy, intimate feel that reinforces the casual style of restaurant.
And another thing: Auction House merch is on cards, with a t-shirt sporting a wooden gavel soon to become available via the restaurant’s online shop.
1 Cornmarket, Louth, LN11 9PY