Top marks with Scores on the Doors!

When you eat in any restaurant you never really know what's going on behind those kitchen doors. However, we are pleased to announce that Corner 5 has achieved the maximum food hygiene score in the Food Standard Agency's new national rating scheme. Scored by the local authority food safety officer during an unscheduled inspection establishments are rated on all aspects of food hygiene including food handling, preparation, cooking, storage and food safety records as well as the overall cleanliness and condition of the building. The rating scheme is intended to provide the public with important information about the overall food hygiene standard for any food serving business. There are six rating scores, 0 - 5 inclusive, and we are pleased to say that we have achieved the top rating score of 5.

Much of this achievement is due to our fantastic team of chefs, led by Head Chef Sean Hazlett, however, to achieve and maintain the high standard of cleanliness throughout all our food preparation and storage areas, a great deal of effort is contributed by other individuals including our cleaning staff, restaurant front of house and bar staff as well as the business partners. There is a tremendous amount of work which goes into running the restaurant behind those closed kitchen doors, whether it's food labelling, temperature probing, keeping the dustbins clean, relentlessly monitoring fridge temperatures or devising water-tight food management systems and cleaning schedules - it's not just simply wiping a few work tops. The challenge is greater for establishments such as ours cooking freshly prepared food as we rarely freeze any ingredients. We have to monitor all our foods very carefully ensuring a speedy turnover of all fresh ingredients with minimal wastage.

For online information about our rating score and those of other establishments click on the following link: http://ratings.food.gov.uk/EstablishmentDetails.aspx?q=bedford&pi=33&eid=354717

Fantastic New Spring Menu

Head Chef, Sean Hazlett and his team have now put together a delicious spring menu for you to enjoy. For fish lovers we have some real treats in both the starters and main courses. For a light and tangy starter enjoy HOT SARDINE FILLETS served on warm crostinis topped with a sweet tomato and balsamic concasse with creamy tartare and micro basil. If you like a little spice PAN SEARED SCALLOPS served on a cauliflower and fennel puree accompanied by lightly spiced cauliflower bhajis and a fragrant cardamom curried beurre noisette will suit your tastes perfectly. There is also a choice of irresistable seafood main courses namely SEA BREAM served with fresh crab and spring onion broken lemon thyme potatoes finished with a shrimp and chive beurre blanc sauce or alternatively a HOT SMOKED SALMON STEAK served on a lemon and herb risotto accompanied by scrummy cream cheese filled baby African red peppers.

Both the CHICKEN COBB SALAD and the ENGLISH BREAKFAST have made another appearance on our starter menu due to their popularity amongst our customers.

Other main course highlights include the ASSIETTE OF SPRING LAMB consisting of a succulent lamb rack, lamb and mint confit and a tasty lambs liver served with rosemary fondant potato, buttered greens and a port reduction. The SPINACH & MUSHROOM ROULADE has already been a hit and is served with a warm tangy tomato concasse and pesto saute potatoes.

If you still have room for pudding you can enjoy some sensational desserts this season. An indulgent CLOTTED CREAM RICE PUDDING served with fresh raspberry compote, homemade shortbread and toffee crackling is one of the highlights as well as, Sous Chef, Carl Rynsard's MUSCAT SABAYON with sweet filo crisps and fresh English berries.

Don't forget Wednesday night is STEAK NIGHT which includes a free dessert as well as a glass of wine to match your steak sauce. Click here to book a table online now.

New from Corner 5 Restaurant Bedford: Our Head Chef like you've never seen him before!

New from Corner 5 Restaurant Bedford: Our Head Chef like you've never seen him before!: "Head Chef, Sean Hazlett If you've ever wondered about who actually works behind those kitchen doors busily preparing your delicious dinner..."

Our Head Chef like you've never seen him before!

If you've ever wondered about who actually works behind those kitchen doors busily preparing your delicious dinner take a look at this fantastic caricature of our Head Chef, Sean Hazlett, brilliantly illustrated by one of our recent customers, a local professional caricaturist.

To find out more about Corner 5 Restaurant or to book a table visit our website at www.corner5restaurant.com.

Quaffing at the Dorchester

There aren't many perks to running a restaurant: the anti-social hours, the hot kitchens, the endlesswashing up but our annual trip to the capital for our wine supplier's annual tasting, this year at the Dorchester in Mayfair, is certainly one of the highlights of the year for us.

Since we opened Hallgarten Druitt http://www.hallgarten.co.uk/ in the shape of top wine merchant Kevin O'Rourke http://www.wineman.co.uk/ has supplied us with high quality wines imported from across the world. Every winter they host a fabulous tasting event at a top London hotel where restauranteurs and retailers come face to face with the growers themselves. Over 600 wines are available to taste.

We have the opportunity to taste new wines from our favourite growers, to compare prices and tastes of similar wines and grape varieties and to learn more about the places they are grown and who grows them - all this so we can improve the service and products we offer in the restaurant. We use the day as an opportunity to find alternative wines to those that are delisted, to replace less popular wines and to find better value great tasting wines to balance our list and ensure excellent wine as affordable as possible for our customers.

It's a great fun day out too and the kind of event where you might run into the likes of Oz Clarke and other celebrity faces. Here are some of the new selections we have made:

Sadly for those who enjoy the stunning Spanish Enate 234 Unoaked Chardonnay will be disappointed to find out it has been delisted. In it's place we are considering a Spanish Alborino namely Serra da Estrela. Find out more about it here: http://www.adegasvalminor.com/en/wines/serra-da-estrela/. We'd love to know what you think.

We have decided to shake up the top end of the whites as well. We will be replacing the George Vernay Condrieu and the St Clair Wairau Reserve (despite how much we love them) with the Domaine Jean Goulley Petit Chablis Special Cuvee and the St Clair Block 3 Sauvignon Blanc which came personally recommended by St Clair's Head Wine Maker Matt Thomson. We are acutely aware that in this current economic climate our customers are tightening the purse strings and we feel that these changes will allow them great wines at more affordable prices.

In the red corner we have decided to swap the Chilean Echeverria Carmenere with the same grape variety instead from Vina Edmara in Chile's vast Central Valley. The wine still enjoys the depth of flavour of its predecessor but with a little less spice and pepper which might suit the more finely tuned palate. This will be wonderful with steak or lamb.

Tell us what you think of our wine selections on Twitter.

Wednesday night is Steak Night

We are finding our Steak Night is gradually growing in popularity in 2011. Alongside our normal a la carte dinner menu, every Wednesday night we offer our customers a choice of Ribeye, Sirloin or Rump steak with a choice of sauce and a glass of wine to accompany it, as well as any dessert off our menu all for £18.50.

Sauce is served on the side and is a choice of Pink Peppercorn, Creamy Stilton or Port & Madeira. We don't just offer you a glass of house wine... we like to make sure our customers enjoy excellent quality so diners can choose from:

WHITES
The White Viognier - A stunning big hitting wine from Australia's Berton Vineyard with intense buttery, peach flavours which works well with creamy sauces.
Foundstone Unoaked Chardonnay - an elegant and zesty Chardonnay also from Australia. We are finding that Chardonnay is reducing in popularity as it is known for it's oakey, harsh tastes thanks to cheaper versions. If you wouldn't choose a Chardonnay we recommend that you try this unoaked version with it's soft tropical flavours. Just ask one of our waiting staff and they will gladly pour you a splash to taste.

REDS
Ondarre Graciano Rioja - This is a very popular wine and is fabulous with a steak. It is entensely rich and elegant, as a good rioja should be, full of dark fruits, hints of coffee and sweet spices.
The Black Shiraz - Packed full of strong flavours this wine is more intense than you would expect of a shiraz so it's perfect to enjoy on Steak Night.

For more information about our wines check out our wine list which can be found at www.corner5restaurant.com.

If you would like to book a table for steak night click on this link.

Countdown to Valentine's

Valentine's Day is looming and this year it's a Monday. As it's such a popular day for eating out we are open on Monday 14th February and are serving a delicious Valentine's menu for all you lovebirds out there.

We have a 'Trio of Corner 5 Favourites' as a starter. This is a selection of three dishes which have been some of the most popular starters with our restaurant customers over the past two and a half years. For main course we are serving a choice of Beef Tornado Rossini, Vegetable Wellington, Sun-blushed Tomato Mozzerella Chicken and Seafood Linguine, wich has been a huge hit on our current menu. For dessert we have another trio for you celebrating what is truly a Valentine's favourite - Chocolate!

If you're not into the romantic scene but simply fancy a nice night out with friends then make the most of our 'gooseberry discount' of 10% off your food bill for tables of 3 or more so you don't need to be partnering up to enjoy our delicious Valentine's dishes!

For more information call 01234 846223. Click below for the full Valentine's menu.

http://corner5restaurant.co.uk/interface/downloads/valentines_2011.pdf