Shropshire Magazine

The elegant wood-panelled interior of the restaurant.

Sebastian’s in Oswestry is a restaurant that has been providing quality French cuisine in the town for many years. Our reviewer finds that standards are as high as ever

Head chef Richard Jones and sous chef Simon Walton (left).

February being the month of love – St Valentine’s Day provoking millions of fluttering hearts the country over – thoughts naturally turn to the perfect place to dine tête à tête.

Let me assist you. If you’re seeking out a romantic setting with top-notch food to impress the man or woman in your life, look no further than Sebastian’s. 

Admittedly, if you live in Ludlow, it’s a fair old haul to Oswestry. But think of the shark-infested waters and sheer cliff faces that the Milk Tray man negotiated with nothing but a black polo neck and snorkel to protect him – and all to leave the woman in his life nothing more than a box of chocolates. The A49 doesn’t seem like much of a challenge by comparison.

I write, of course, with the smugness of one who lives a mere 20 minutes away, so it was with little effort that I whisked my wife Vanessa there for an evening of wonderful French cuisine with a little candlelight and oak panelling thrown in. Cosy, intimate, just made for gazing into one anothers’ eyes and whispering sweet nothings.

It seemed the ideal way to belatedly celebrate our wedding anniversary. Now, I hear you ask, what kind of stingy ratbag treats his wife on their anniversary and gets someone else (ie The Shropshire Magazine) to pay? In these austere times, there is method in this. I was called upon to provide a grand husbandly gesture and we needed 1,000 words to fill this space. The two requirements seemed, to me, to be mutually compatible. Killing two birds with one stone seems to be the way forward until we come out of this economic decline – and dining out twice in the same week just looks swanky.

When so many are struggling, even those who don’t need to tighten their belt can feel a little guilty about lashing money around (Manchester City aside, obviously). 

Sebastian’s, Willow Street, Oswestry.

As a sobering testament to where we’re at, we drove past the vast cavernous hall that once was Oswestry’s Woolworths. What a chasm that has left. Our five-year-old son Sam certainly misses its cheery brightness with the gaudy promise of toys, children’s DVDs and pick’n’mix. We adults are more pragmatic. We feel for the redundant staff, shed a silent tear of lost youth for ourselves and move on. In this case, we moved on 600 yards up the road to Sebastian’s.

It’s a tough time for restaurants too but I reckon we need entertainment and diversion like never before, and being waited on, fussed over and served delectable food eases a million strains and stresses. Others clearly think so, too: Sebastian’s was full. 

This is great news. We all need escapism, and places as good as this must survive. Man cannot live by bread alone – pan-fried langoustines with pork belly every now and then help to sustain the spirit. 

That was my second course after we’d both enjoyed an appetiser of sweetcorn and chilli soup, a creamy and warming velouté on a chilly winter’s evening. Accompanying it was a basket packed with different varieties of delicious home-baked fresh breads.

My juicy shellfish combined beautifully with the small parcels of tender pork meat topped with a hint of salty crackling. The sauce was wonderfully rich with its tomato and bacon flavours to the fore.

Foie gras and potato terrine with tossed French leaves and pesto dressing.

Foie gras can illicit the same ambiguous feelings as, say venison does to people who love Bambi. It’s difficult to justify how foie gras is produced, but when it’s offered on a plate it’s hard to say ‘no’. Vanessa sipped her G&T and wrestled with her conscience for all of a minute before ordering the foie gras and potato terrine, which came with tossed leaves and a pesto dressing. It tasted heavenly and, when all’s said and done, we were in a French restaurant. When in France . . !

After a refreshing champagne sorbet which cleansed the palate to perfection, we enjoyed our sumptuous main courses. Vanessa’s fillet of beef was delicious, cooked bleu the way she loves it. It came with garlic mash and a watercress and spinach purée. Vanessa and I have always diverged over how our meat is prepared. She accuses me of cremating it, whereas I’ve always suspected her of secretly belonging to some underground blood-drinking cult.

My roast loin of lamb came well done as ordered and was certainly not lacking in taste because of it. The red-wine sauce was a treat for the tastebuds, and Puy lentils and baby glazed onions were an ideal accompaniment.

Our mains came with a simple side dish of lightly steamed vegetables – carrots, potatoes and mangetouts – which is all you really need  with such richness already on your plate.

Coconut and white chocolate pannacotta with mango and mint salsa.

Vanessa’s dessert of coconut pannacotta was light and creamy and made doubly refreshing by the accompanying mango and mint salad.

My sticky toffee pudding was a calorie-laden sponge of magnificent lightness while the caramel sauce positively melted in the mouth. The scoop of vanilla ice-cream topped off a dessert with genuine ‘wow’ factor. 

We washed it all down with a Chateau de Gironville red from the wide choice available.

The home-made truffles and petits fours at Sebastian’s always make the coffee worth having, and Vanessa’s espresso and my latte were a grand way to round off the meal.

Service, as ever, was excellent – efficient and cordial without being intrusive. We’ve never had a bad evening there, and though the bill of £120 for two might seem steep to some, it is for five excellent courses and drinks. In that respect, it represents good value for money.

Mark Sebastian Fisher is an accomplished chef of many years experience and knows what people want, cleverly putting a Gallic twist on dishes he realises will appeal to his mainly English clientele.

His wife Michelle is simply superb at front-of-house, and I defy anyone to say that their special occasion has not been added to by her finesse.

Together they make a winning team, and long may they reign.

REVIEW: NEIL THOMAS

PICTURES: RUSSELL DAVIES

• Sebastian’s, 45 Willow Street, Oswestry SY11 1AQ. Telephone 01691 655444; www.sebastians-hotel.co.uk