Marmion House, Southsea | Restaurant review

On this particula r occasion the Dish Detective decided to try something slightly different by visiting the aptly-named restaurant on the eastern end of Marmion Road, which has an intriguing menu.

The excellent viewing spot featuring a classically decorated interior and a mix of festive tracks played in the foreground, contributed to an all-round cosy atmosphere that left DD and their companion well and truly in the Christmas spirit.

Greeted warmly at the door and given a choice of tables, each adorned with a Christmas-themed centrepiece complete with cinnamon sticks and a candle, we of course picked one by the great shop front windows to people-watch while we enjoyed our meal.

The menu, while relatively short, is bursting with decadence and caters to all visitors from vegan and vegetarian to gluten free. Out of a collection of small plates and three choices of large plates, which judging by the price I can only assume are made to share, my companion and I decided to order an assortment of smaller dishes and treat it like tapas.

We quickly discovered that similar to the style of the classic Spanish cuisine, they had taken a ‘less is more’ approach. Alongside two Coca- Colas (£2.80 each) served in bottles, as they should be, all dishes were presented with an excellence deserving of a Michelin star, but portions were on the small side.

My companion chose the confit duck parcels (£10) served with a candied apple, a dish they relished yet one so rich that, before even making it to the candied apple, it had defeated them.

My crab, prawn and crayfish ‘tian’ with a tomato and red pepper dressing (£9) was a dish served cold, topped with avocado and with no lack of zesty flavour. A wonderful palette cleanser, and thanks to being accurately listed as a ‘small plate’, my companion and I were relieved to have erred on the side of caution and ordered another two plates along with a respectable portion of skin-on fries (£3.50) to share.

The second two dishes came in swift succession. For my second choice I went for the double-baked spinach and cheddar souffle (£7) and my companion, tempura prawns (£8) served with an onion bhaji and a dash of mint yoghurt. My souffle was baked to the sort of perfection that forced me to believe that all dishes should be baked twice. My companion’s one criticism was that they wished there were more.

Despite our initial reservations of portion size, which can only be blamed on an ‘eyes bigger than your belly’ mentality, we left Marmion House with full stomachs, but not before indulging in one last treat.

To finish a flavoursome evening we ordered a portion of churros with chocolate dipping sauce (£5.95) to satisfy our sweet tooth. Well, these warm sugar and cinnamon-covered, deep-fried delights understood the assignment.

One of the most charming and understated aspects of Marmion House was the enjoyment of watching passers-by eye your food jealously and the overall notion of the quietly romantic setting just close enough to the buzz of the high street to be entertaining.

The Dish Detective visited Marmion House with no assumptions of what to expect, and left with a Christmas glow and with the reminder that good things come in small packages.

The impeccable quality of the presentation and almost boho atmosphere was enough to convince these two customers to return, with an eye on one of the larger platters next time that neither DD nor their companion have quite stopped thinking about.

RATINGS (out of five)

Food: 4

Value: 3

Ambience: 5

Child-friendly: 4

Tel: (023) 9279 6920

A message from the editor, Mark Waldron.

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