The Dish Detective ate at Lysses House Hotel in Fareham - the best-kept secret in local fine dining

When he penned the phrase back in the 1800s, he explained that chefs must walk a tightrope, juggling good-looking food and the chemistry of flavour. Striking a balance between different tastes takes precision, but an artistic flair must still be on show.

Balance is the perfect word to describe Dish Detective’s recent visit to the Lysses House Hotel in Fareham. Many people, even locals, don’t necessarily seem to realise that it’s even there – and in doing so end up walking past the town’s best-kept secret every single day, as everyone who does know about it will always sing its praises.

Upon arrival, you walk through to the bar before entering the restaurant, presenting the ideal opportunity to grab a drink. You can tell a lot about a venue by what’s behind the bar, so I was impressed by the wide variety of whiskey on sale – and my companion’s cocktail was apparently the best they’ve had in ages, so high praise indeed.

It was quiet when we went for dinner, with just a handful of other guests and a book club sat near the bar. We sat by the window, were served our bread by a friendly waitress, and waited for our starters to arrive.

I ordered crayfish tails, served with a fennel and beetroot salad with a mustard and honey dressing, while my companion had a portabella mushroom with courgette, tomato and shallot, topped with smoked cheddar cheese.

Everything combined perfectly – the balance of flavour between the salty crayfish, sweet beetroot and sharp salad was an absolute delight, and a clear indication that everyone in the kitchen both know exactly what they are doing and care about every dish, even a simple salad.

As for my partner, I didn’t get a chance to ask them how their dish was as it had been eaten in about 90 seconds. An indication of enjoyment, if ever there was one – although perhaps they would have liked a second stuffed mushroom on the plate too.

Shortly after, our main courses arrived.

I had sirloin steak (medium-rare of course) with sauteed potatoes, wild mushrooms, shallots and peppercorn sauce. My companion had roasted chicken breast with parmentier potatoes, green beans, mange tout and a red wine and tarragon sauce.

Both courses also came with a side dish of vegetables, namely red cabbage, carrots and broccoli.

My steak was cooked to a perfect medium-rare, glistening on the inside – and once again the delicate balance of flavours danced to a beautiful harmonic tune at every bite. The combination of the steak with the umami flavour from the mushrooms, pierced by the pleasant heat from the peppercorns, made for a truly wonderful dish.

Some restaurants have a tendency to overcook their chicken, making it dry and dull – but not here. My companion praised their chicken as being ‘perfect’ as it was so moist and tender that it practically fell apart on the plate.

Having cleaned our plates, the desert menu appeared and my companion’s eyes widened with excitement, as they spotted a warm almond and raspberry jam tart on the page, served with vanilla ice-cream.

I opted for profiteroles, filled with whipped cream and topped with a dark chocolate sauce and white chocolate shavings.

The profiteroles were cooked so nicely that you could cut them with the side of a fork; they were crisp but light on the outside, with a generous helping of whipped cream. The richness of the dark chocolate sauce made for a delightful combination with the white chocolate shavings too.

It’s also worth pointing out at this stage that for all three courses you pay £34.95 each (with a £3.50 add-on for the steak). My companion and I both agreed that we would have happily paid a fair bit more for a meal like that.

We are already planning our return to Lysses, and I would urge anyone who hasn’t uncovered this gem of a restaurant to visit as soon as you can.

Lysses House Hotel, High Street, Fareham, 01329 822622.

Food 5

Value 4

Ambience 5

Kid-friendly 3