Samphire
Jersey
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Plumb in the middle of bustling St Helier, Jersey's urban entrepôt, Samphire comes as something of a surprise. It's a sleek, seductively lit place run with great attention to detail by staff speaking softly enough not to disturb the restful ambience created by sumptuous Prussian blue sofas (no mere banquettes here) in the main dining rooms. There's a terrace outside, but on a deserted chilly evening, it's likelier to be populated by smokers than customers. A long window affords views of Tom Radiguet's busy but calm kitchen, where dishes with a strong note of exploratory British modernism are fettled. A yolk-yellow crimped tortellino package of gently chillied white crab is a roaring success, topped with diced ginger and surrounded by a purée of the brown meat. Monkfish for main arrives in a big, breadcrumbed, deep-fried clod, sitting in a kind of Chinese-themed salsa with lots of vinegary XO and chilli, garnished with daikon and toasted nori – a challenging but interesting dish. Pressed shoulder of lamb has good flavour, is topped with some braised sweetbread, fine marinated Santorini tomatoes and roasted baby artichoke. There are occasional misfires. A cold white asparagus starter does nothing to convince us that it is anything other than pointless, especially when garnished with its classier green cousin and spangles of cured duck yolk, while the chocolate coulant dessert (made with tip-top 70% gear) wasn't particularly helped by bedding its delicate blueberry sorbet on thick jammy compote. Still, there is more to love than regret. A classy wine list suits the deepest pockets best, especially when the Coravin gadget is all gassed up and ready to go. Twenty-eight pounds will buy you a slug of Olivier Leflaive's 2018 Puligny-Montrachet, Les Meix, a wine with all the oiliness of low-yielding grapes and the penetrating aromatic blast of thoroughbred French oak.
