Bohemia
Jersey
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For nigh on two decades, Bohemia has been the brightest culinary star in all the Channel Islands – though, from the outside, it cuts a discreet figure, huddled beneath a luxury hotel not so far from the sea in St Helier. Stepping inside, there’s a whiff of a vintage ocean liner to its dusky wood-panelled walls, leather chairs and Art Deco flourishes – some have grumbled that the lighting is a little bit low, though no one seriously doubts the radiance of the cooking. Now there’s new captain at the helm, with head chef Callum Graham taking over from Steve Smith in the midst of pandemic storms – though he’s chartering the same course, with intricate and wildly imaginative menus that parade produce from Jersey’s fertile fields, and which murmur of the bountiful seas surrounding the island. Tasting menus come in vegetarian, pescatarian and omnivorous incarnations – but ground-up re-imaginings of dishes and meditations on textures are a recurring leitmotif across all. This is evident in a lavishly layered potato 'millefeuille’, which might precede cured and torched local mackerel offset by jalapeño, cucumber and buttermilk. Notes from France drift into earshot in a riotously rich foie gras parfait offset by a medley of rhubarb, pistachio and duck salad – with a duck-fat brioche on the side for good measure. Then it’s a return to more familiar shores with exquisitely executed Jersey Angus sirloin with broccoli and Stilton – served alongside a miniature and mischievous braised short rib 'sarnie’ in sourdough. In a similar way, the ‘ice cream parlour’ dessert characterises a playful artistry in the kitchen – an evocation of the joys of seaside ice cream, which arrives at your table on its own miniature cart. France dominates a heavyweight wine list, parts of which may have you reaching into the deepest fathoms of your pocket.
