This restaurant & The French Pantry feature in our Discount Directory, where you can also find many other exclusive cardholder offers. If you don't have a LWL Discount Card, click here to find out more - and start saving! Clos du Marquis has always been one of our favourite restaurants and as we hadn’t visited for two years decided it was about time to re review. It was like arriving home; a very warm welcome awaited us four LWL as we entered and I can assure you that everyone is greeted in the same manner. Clos du Marquis has the perfect combination fabulous food served in a genial atmosphere.There have been changes; I have already written a review of their wonderful new delicatessen The French Pantry, it is well worth a visit to buy some very unique delicacies. Glanis is always happy to give advice or to answer any queries you may have. Adjoining it is Germain’s new cookery school, why not let a French Chef teach you how to cook authentic French dishes? All details of his courses are on the website; knowing Germain we are sure they will be good fun and informal! The restaurant and bar haven’t changed and gorgeous Garth is still there overseeing proceedings though we are sure his French accent seems to have got stronger since our last visit! Maranda has taken on a stronger role in the kitchen and she does it very well having learnt from the master! We sat by the roaring fire enjoying our G & T’s, served with some lovely canapés, whilst studying the new Le Menu du Terroir, a choice of two courses for £19.50, (available Tues – Friday for both Lunch & Dinner & for Saturday lunch. Saturday nights, A la carte only). There are 4 choices of starters and 6 of main courses and the dishes of the day change according to what is seasonal. (Both this menu and the A la carte are on their web site and whilst you are there do have a look at the Christmas menus.) It was difficult to decide but in the end, in the interests of research, we did all manage to choose something different!
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Our starters: Rognons d’agneau sauce diable (Pan fried Lamb kidneys, devilled sauce), Mousseline de poisson de la Riviere Test (Mousseline of fish from the Test River, sauce Nantua a favourite of Clarissa Dickson-Wright!), Endive au jambon gratine (Chicory and ham gratine), Salade de canard aux cepes (Salad of duck with wild cep mushrooms). Our mains: Foie de veau sauté aux oignons (thin slices of calves liver with onions), Morue grille aux herbes (Grilled Cod with herbs), Filet de collet d’agneau braise (Braised fillet of lamb collets served with a mint and garlic scented sauce), and finally Germain’s famous Le cassoulet aux haricots tarbais (Traditional cassoulet from Les Landes, with duck confit, Toulouse sausage, lamb, Pyrenees ham and haricots tarbais, a supplement of £3.95) Our puds: Le dessert des Huguenots du Cap, a light date & walnut dessert from the cape with lavender ice cream & brandy sauce and Les trois desserts, Millefeuille, Croustillant aux noisettes, La truffe noire, 3 great desserts, Millefeuille layered pastry with crème patissiere, Crunchy hazelnut biscuit on a chocolate mousse The Black truffle: a truffle chocolate biscuit. The food here just gets better and better, satisfying all the senses, it’s flavoursome, aromatic and beautifully presented! And its plentiful, such generous portions, sure to please the largest appetite. We drank a delicious bottle of Viognier, so delicious that we were delighted to find we could buy it in The French Pantry. Perhaps it was just as well that by the time we got into the shop we were so full we managed to exercise a little control but not a lot. Everything is so tempting we left with several bags of goodies. We highly recommend Clos du Marquis and suggest you allow plenty of time for your visit; not only to enjoy your food but also for browsing the shop! Cost: ££££££ Please help to spread the word by telling any restaurants you visit that you tried them because you were recommended by LWL in Hampshire... Thank you!
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LWL Gold Award - Awarded November 2011 - Cost ££££££ 
