insideSUSSEX Magazine Issue 12 - February 2016 | Page 52

FOOD+DRINK SPOILED ROTTEN AT THE PASS BY DONNA MARTIN I’ve come to the realisation, and will shamelessly admit, that I love (really love) to be spoiled. Spoiled rotten. No, no, not the tantrumthrowing child kind of spoiled. I mean the kind of spoiled accompanied by “would you like some more Champagne with your canapés?” When the words ‘I’ and ‘spoiled’ come together in one of my sentences, I can guarantee it involves food. When you hear me use ‘I’, ‘spoiled’ and ‘Michelin star’ in the same sentence, you’ve found me in my happy place. I recently used those three words together after visiting Matt Gillan at The Pass at South Lodge Hotel. Invited by a colleague who has introduced me to some of my other ‘happy place’ restaurants, I was keen to experience this much talked about establishment for myself. South Lodge Hotel is impressive in and of itself. The 5-star country house hotel exudes luxury; just looking at it from the gravel drive makes you wonder if your jeans and jumper are appropriate, but once you cross the threshold, you realise that South Lodge isn’t about pretentiousness. It’s about comfort, enjoyment and making sure guests really don’t want to leave. Head chef at The Pass, Matt Gillan, began his career at The Hen and Chicken in Froyle, Hampshire, and navigated his way through some of the country’s top kitchens – Restaurant Gordon Ramsay, Midsummer House and The Vineyard at Stockcross – before finding his way to South Lodge in 2006. Starting as sous chef in The Camellia Restaurant, Matt’s expertise and creativity in the kitchen proved that he was just the man to head up South Lodge’s new concept restaurant, The Pass, in 2008. Since its launch, The Pass has earned 4 AA Rosettes and in 2011, a coveted Michelin star, which Matt has retained each year. I’d heard about The Pass (seriously, who hasn’t? Matt’s win on BBC’s Great British Menu in 2015 has certainly caused quite a stir), and though familiar with the name Matt Gillan, The Pass and South Lodge Hotel, I intentionally didn’t ask around or do any in-depth research before dining there. I wanted to see what the hype was all about, without the hype (if you know what I mean). Upon entering the restaurant, I almost felt as though I’d stumbled into a room that should be marked ‘Staff Only’; only I knew it was where I was supposed to be, with the obvious ‘Matt Gillan at The Pass’ words etched on the double doors. The open concept couldn’t be any more, well, open – giving diners a wideangle view of the kitchen and chefs, busily but calmly working their gastronomic magic. And that’s the overwhelming appeal of The Pass – they have taken the Chef’s Table concept to a whole new level, allowing customers to have an intimate glimpse into the inner gears and cogs of the Michelin-starred kitchen, while providing an unexpected balance of privacy and social interaction. So…the food. Was it as mind-blowingly good as I was hoping it would be? Whoa nelly, let me tell you, was it ever. The Pass offers set lunch menus – your choice of four, six or eight courses – with the option of accompanying wines or juices. The menus are cleverly written, giving you a sexy strip tease of what’s to come. A few of my courses’ descriptions were: chicken/sourdough/ radish, skate/salsify/liquorice, honeycomb/mead/ fennel. No lengthy wordsmithery, no embellished foodie sales pitches; just a few simple words, to the point, that make you painfully curious and full of anticipation. 52 Our first course, appropriately called ‘snacks’, was a colourful smorgasbord of delightful, and somewhat strange-looking mini morsels. One in particular made me raise my eyebrows – a small white cup filled with potato foam, some sort of lime at the base, and crispy puffed smoked rice on top. Potato, lime and smoked anything, I wasn’t so sure; but one taste and I was confident that Matt could put any edible substance in front of me and I would deem it my favourite thing in the whole wide world. Five courses followed, each accompanied by an expertly matched wine, ending with not one, but two sweet treats – my favourite being the honeycomb/mead/fennel course that was a crazy but beautiful combination of flavours and textures that I could never have come up with in a million years. That’s why Matt Gillan is a chef, and I am not. As far as Sussex dining experiences go, The Pass is a restaurant I will not soon forget. So many of the meals I’ve enjoyed in the past end up morphing into one giant memory, and I can’t remember what I ate where. Not this meal; I can guarantee my lunch at The Pass won’t get lost in my mind – this was the definition of being spoiled. Prepare to be impressed. Matt Gillan at The Pass South Lodge Hotel Brighton Road Horsham West Sussex RH13 6PS 01403 891711 www.southlodgehotel.co.uk @SouthLodgeHotel @MattGillan