The Cross at Kenilworth

There’s something reassuring about The Cross. This isn’t a kitchen that anxiously twists and turns classic combinations for the sake of it; it celebrates ingredients, knowing that loin of lamb is peerless when cooked pink and served with French beans, charlotte potatoes and lamb jus, or that a crisp duck egg, soft-yolked, is equally glorious with crushed celeriac and cep sabayon or peas, bacon and baby gem. Chef-director Adam Bennett, lauded by one Midlands peer as ‘a real chef’s chef’, sets a professional tone at this much-loved Kenilworth restaurant. It filters through the smart front-of-house team so that eating here feels special. The shaded terrace with abundant flowering pots is a delightful spot for a summer lunch, but you can keep an eye on the pass in one dining room, or sink into the traditional comfort of dark red button-back leather banquettes in another, if you prefer. To begin, a perfect sphere of crimson radish and a cherry tomato, its bottom severed so it stands up straight, can be scooped deliciously through deep-gold mayo; house sourdough with Ampersand butter, and a pair of cheese croquettes are exemplary. With the three-course carte costing £80 (a six-course tasting menu is £105), unexpected snacks are an appreciated touch. Follow with beetroot salad, classically served with goat's cheese and a sharpening raspberry vinaigrette, or chalk stream trout, fresh with cucumber from the nearby no-dig Mill Piece market garden, plus a mild horseradish/buttermilk cream. Crushed potatoes under milky-soft plaice come with a tangle of wild mushrooms and a power-shower of devilishly luxurious Tasmanian black truffle which ripples through the sauce too. Finish with a hazelnut soufflé so fairy-light it seems to evaporate on the tongue, its sweetness tempered by Chantilly cream. The notable wine list is arranged by grape and shows well-placed love for Burgundy's Pinot Noir, but encourages exploration that might lead to the minerally, lime-juice freshness of a Polish Hill Riesling made in tiny volumes by the Grosset organic/biodynamic winery in Australia's Clare Valley, or a minimal-intervention Touriga Nacional from Langhorne Creek which could please followers of Cabernet Sauvignon’s sultry, black-fruit personality.