Rosanna Rothery embarks on a culinary odyssey in Bournemouth at Restaurant Roots
If you were to undertake a culinary odyssey that stopped at 13 exquisitely delicious destinations, you couldn’t ask for better tour guides than chefs Jan and Stacey Bretschneider.
At Restaurant Roots, the couple gently challenge any preconceived notions you may hold about which flavours and textures go together (jerusalem artichoke ice cream, for example) and gleefully usher your palate in new, divine directions.
We last visited their Southbourne restaurant in Bournemouth six years ago, and it was pretty good then. Now it’s great. No surprise then that its seven- and 13-course tasting menus have garnered three AA rosettes. A Michelin star is yet to be bestowed, but it’s surely only a matter of time.
Personal touch
On our visit, Jan and Stacey took turns to present each course, delivering a brief description of ingredients and preparation methods. Their casual and low-key explanations only served to make the final reveal even more of a wow moment.
The pair’s enthusiasm for the best produce, along with their endless creativity and passion for hospitality, lit up the entire experience, steering us into new territories of taste and texture. Personalised touches extended to tailored menus featuring our names, along with an anecdote (illustrated with words and pictures) about Jan’s father’s childhood on a German farm, which was the inspiration for the rustic ‘Supper’ course of rye bread, meats and cheeses. They even sorted next day’s breakfast, sending us off with freshly ground coffee and a sourdough tonka-bean brioche that had been baked during our meal.
Global flavours
The evening took us on a culinary voyage to ports that weren’t always as they first seemed. For instance, one dish looked exactly like Jan’s native German Toffifee confectionary. However, chocolate caramel cream had been swapped for a Foie Royale crémeux encased in caramelised chocolate, and the chocolate button switched for a dried fig, port and orange puree. This original twist (pictured) on the classic duck liver, fruit and booze combo is such a favourite with regulars that Jan and Stacey dare not remove it from the menu. It’s been a staple since the restaurant opened in 2015.
Every forkful of Jan’s savoury dishes revealed arresting yet complementary flavours based around the likes of lobster, hen of the woods mushroom and Gressingham duck, with European and Asia-Pacific influences. Wine pairings were chosen to offset each course with flair.
Final destination
For pudding, Stacey’s dark chocolate dessert was a magnificent example of some formidable pastry skills. It combined sweet-vanilla-pickled jerusalem artichoke with a luxurious Valrhona Guanaja mousse and sobacha (Japanese buckwheat tea) crémeux. Puffed sobacha and crystallised hazelnuts lent crunch, while a jerusalem artichoke ice cream soothed the palate with sublime velvety richness.
The final destination on this culinary safari also provided plenty of gastronomic punch: a delicious and unapologetically British cheeseboard. By the time we’d docked at the final course on this first-class voyage, we were already planning a return journey.
