Review: Visit to Jersey was ‘perfect from start to finish’

Bohemia is located within the Club Hotel and Spa which is in the town of St Helier in Jersey.

Me and my mum were treated to a two night stay at The Club Hotel and Spa (cost of around £164 per person including breakfast).

Our stay also included a meal at Bohemia, a treatment at the spa and afternoon tea for two and from check in to check out our stay was nothing short of perfect.

For our treatments in the spa I opted for The Replenishing Envelopment (£68) as I suffer from dry skin so this treatment sounded just what I needed and I wasn’t wrong. My skin felt unbelievably soft afterwards, even if the treatment did feel a little strange as at one point I was essentially wrapped in a plastic sheet!

My mum went for the Pure Detox Envelopment (£68) which was very similar to mine and she was equally as pleased with the results.

Feeling completely relaxed after our spa afternoon which also included a dip in the indoor heated pool, the herbal steam room and finished off with a lie down in the Relaxation room we headed out for our meal at Bohemia.

Bohemia Bar and Restaurant was named one of the best restaurants in the UK in The Sunday Times Top 100 Food List, 19th October 2014 and it was named as the ‘6th best pudding in the UK’.

And after tasting the food I can see why.

We both ordered the Prestige menu, an 11 course set menu (£85).

While we waited for our first course we were brought a trio of canapes and a basket of bread and butter.

The menu doesn’t give too much away about what you are expected to be served, just giving the main ingredients within the dish but as this was a Michelin starred establishment I knew all would not be as it seemed.

However as each course is served the waitress gives you a description of what you have been given.

Our first course was sweet and sour grapefruit with pepper and tarragon.

This was a great first course as the grapefruit was really refreshing and set us up for a great meal.

The next course was a scotch quail’s egg with a Jersey Royal potato ice cream.

What I loved about this course was, as it was brought out to us it the dish was concealed and the waitress unveiled both our dishes at the same time and then a warm veloute was poured around the dish.

Next up was an oyster dish which both me and my mum were worried about as neither of us had ever had oyster’s before, but we needn’t have worried.

The oyster’s were served with cucumber and caviar and everything on the dish complimented it wonderfully.

Our fourth course stuck with the seafood theme and was crab wrapped in a pineapple canneloni with wasabi and yuzu dressings.

Next we had foie gras with a orange and duck salad.

The next course was the one I was most excited about as it was head chef Steve Smith’s signature dish, scallop with celeriac puree, apple, smoked eel and grated truffle.

I have always wanted to try scallops and this dish was a great one to try them with.

And it was probably the most beautiful plate of food I have ever seen.

Now on to our seventh course we were treated to a Waldorf Salad but this was like no Waldorf Salad I have ever had before with the flavours being served up as pannacotta.

We were now moving on to the last of our main courses which was a loin and neck of lamb with jerusalem artichokes and morel mushrooms.

We both really like lamb and this dish was actually the main reason we opted for the Prestige menu as this one really took our fancy.

The lamb was cooked perfectly and the other vegetables accompanied it just right.

At this point in the meal we were given the chance to choose something from the cheese board. I love cheese and they had a great selection but we decided to move straight on to our desserts.

First up was a Gin Fizz.

Now as a drink I am not a fan of Gin so did not know what to expect from this dish. It was served as a gin foam with crystallized cucumber. It was very refreshing and a great start to what would become our trio of desserts.

My mum was particularly looking forward to the next dessert as the ingredients on the menu were rhubarb, ginger and champagne. Three things she loves so she had high expectations and she was not disappointed. The flavours were served in a pannacotta type consistency.

And on to our eleventh and final course and I have to say, they saved the best for last.

We really did not know what to expect from this as the menu listed Whisky, Gujana and Malt as the components but what was served to us was a delicious slice of chocolate cake with a small scoop of ice cream.

This dessert melted in your mouth and was the perfect way to end what was an absolutely amazing night of food.

Eleven courses, a bottle of Prosecco and four hours later both myself and my mum were blown away by the food, the staff and the service we were given at the Bohemia.

We ended our stay at the Club Hotel and Spa with afternoon tea for two (£19.95 per person).

You are invited to take Afternoon Tea anywhere of you’re choosing, so as it was a bright sunny afternoon we decided to enjoy it on the outdoor terrace.

Presented on a three tier cake stand we were treated to a selection of finger sandwiches which included ham and mustard, tuna and sweetcorn, cheese and egg.

The next tier included both a plain and fruit scone which we could enjoy with a combination of strawberry jam, clotted cream and Black Jersey butter.

And the top tier boasted a colourful selection of cake.

Working from the bottom up we finally reached the cakes at the top which included a fruit tart, a mango mousse and a mint cheesecake.

Our overall stay at the Club was very enjoyable with very accommodating hotel staff who could not do enough for you and our hotel room had everything we needed for our short break.

We also had time to take in some of the sights in Jersey and our trip also coincided with Liberation Day so Liberation Square in St Helier was a hive of activity and a great chace to learn more about the history of the island.

Hopefully one day I will be able to go back for another visit.