We’ve visited The Black Bull in Sedbergh several times over the last few years. There’s always a warm welcome at this 17th century inn with its roaring fire and stylish hotel rooms above the pub.
The food offering at The Black Bull has always been good, but their new restaurant Tsuchi with 7 course tasting menu and optional wine or sake pairings showcases incredible Cumbrian cooking with a unique and innovative twist.
Chef-owner Nina Matsunaga showcases a concept which shows true commitment to sustainability and a respect for nature. ‘Tsuchi’ is the perfect name for the restaurant, meaning ‘earth’ or ‘soil’ in Japanese, and this new menu pays homage to the ingredients that are grown in the ground.
With Nina’s heritage fusing Japanese and German with a passion for true Cumbrian produce, the result is an exciting culinary journey from start to finish, in a beautiful dining room on the ground floor of the Black Bull.
On arrival, we’re greeted and taken down the corridor through to the back of the restaurant – a separate area where we’re seated and given the menu and a traditional sake which has been fermented in house for 4 weeks, served in a traditional ochoko cup.
Bite sized starters arrive next of fermented beetroot and smoked eel, Shetland mussel and Scottish crab. The beetroot tartlet is full of earthy sweetness and eel umami unctuousness. A perfectly formed cube of toasted sourdough is topped with succulent Scottish crab which we devour in almost one mouthful!
Once we’re finished, we’re led through to the main dining room – the perfect cosy country restaurant with twinkling window lights, banquette seating, drop lighting and rustic wood flooring.
Here, we’re treated to fresh sourdough bread served with cultured whipped beef fat butter and nori seaweed butter – both as delicious as they sound.
Lakeland venison follows, the tartare – rich and flavourful, offset by the sharp acidity of Yorkshire rhubarb with added texture from the puffed wild rice.
Our next course is the hand-dived Uig scallop from the Isle of Lewis, served with white asparagus and wild garlic. These sustainably harvested scallops are the perfect choice for a menu which celebrates Nina’s ethos.
Wild turbot wrapped in kohlrabi is beautifully balanced – the white flaky fish complimenting a peppery freshness and minerality. Our wine for this particular course is a gorgeous pairing – a Domaine Lissner from Alsace which uses a Japanese ‘Fukuoka’ inspired viticulture and translates as ‘do nothing’ to focus on the soil’s natural fertility. Its vanilla and citrus notes work harmoniously with this dish.
Our final main is a cleverly constructed plate of several very different flavours brought together. First, there’s the British white beef presented two ways. It’s a rare British cattle raised on grass-based systems and known for its fine marbling, so there comes the exceptional base flavour. Then there’s the accompanying velvety smooth Japenese aubergine and cordycep mushrooms which each give the same earthy, nutty, umami notes. Watermelon kimchi both lifts the dish and adds some diversity.
We wash this down with a Find Your Happy Place Pinotage – a South African blend which is juicy and spicy and a jovial delight with the beef.
We skip the cheese course (available as a supplement) as we’re getting so full, so it’s on to desserts with the aromatic shiso and apple – a creamy green sorbet with a herbaceous basil-like taste and sweet apple topped with a sprinkling of chocolate crumb.
Finally, Tomlinson’s rhubarb served with white chocolate and yuzu is delicate and delicious – the spoon glides through the entire dessert with the same smoothness as it tastes. This is paired with a crowd-pleasing Golden Diamond with honeyed and tropical notes owing to the influence of noble rot. It’s an incredible wine from the historic Changyu estate and the perfect note to end on.
With many tasting menus flooding the market, it’s difficult to come up with a new concept. But Nina’s heritage combined with her love for Cumbria really does bring something nourishing, grounded and exciting to the table. The Tsuchi tasting menu is priced at £85pp with optional sake or wine pairings. Available Wednesday to Saturday. Book your table here, you’ll be so glad you did.