Ocean Restaurant

Tucked away in the upmarket St Brelade district of Jersey, the Atlantic Hotel looks toward the Rue de la Pulente and the beach from a stand-offish distance. Inside, an old-school tone prevails, with attentive, well-drilled but friendly, service in the expansive spaces of the Ocean Restaurant. Here, menus are formulated to suit every eventuality, from a taster highlighting Jersey produce to a short 'market menu', vegetarian/vegan offerings and a carte. A certain air of restrained classicism pervades Will Holland's dishes, witness a ballotine of foie gras with home-cured duck breast, sour cherries and bitter leaves. For the main business, locally landed fish is always a strong suit, from pan-roasted monkfish with salt-baked celeriac, locally foraged vegetables and a dill cream sauce to butter-roasted brill fillet on hand-rolled tagliatelle with a rich Jersey crab butter sauce and a touch of chilli. There’s plenty of meat and game too – perhaps roast venison loin with smoked mushroom purée and fresh figs or a duo of pork with pickled blackberries, apple fondant and sauce of La Mare apple brandy. Desserts are very much the grand finale, with bursts of inventive flair in the likes of strawberry bavarois with pink peppercorns, shiso and strawberry ‘cheong’ syrup. A thoroughly encyclopaedic wine list strays well beyond France, even to the extent of dividing Germany into its regions (more or less unheard of now). The glass selections represent a decent range of flavours and quality levels, from good to outstanding.