There has been an injection of va va voom at The Little Angel, Henley-on-Thames for it’s re-opening of the garden from 12th May and for indoor dining on 17th May.

Olivier Jolly who has previously run The Ship at Wandsworth and Smiths of Smithfield’s is the new Patron, well he is French, of The Little Angel. He has partnered with Mark Dunlop, landlord of the ever popular Angel on the Bridge to produce a great looking ‘franglais’ menu of British and French dishes.

Blessed with some rare sunshine, Experience Henley was invited along to dine outside, have a sneak peek at the menu and try out a few of the dishes.

Image: Pork Rillettes

From the bread and smoked butter brought to your table at the beginning of your meal to the dessert at the end, it was all created with care and detail and most importantly tasted great.

A particular nod to the Bouillabaisse, if this is your bag, you’ll love it. It’s good. Fabulous bisque, you can taste the subtle nuance of aniseed with the bold, punchy flavours that a good bouillabassie should deliver. And a special mention for the croutons and rouille. The croutons were a crispy, crunchy delight, delicate not teeth cracking and the rouille an excellent balance of saffron and garlic.

The lamb rump was deliciously butter like and tender with the smoothest courgette and mint puree alongside earthy turnips bathed in a perfectly reduced confit shallot and ramson caper sauce.

The other special mention is the Calvados Ice Cream which is served with a ubiquitous French apple tart, clean and soft with the merest hint of Calvados. Delicious. Oh, and yes, if you’re going to have a crème brûlée made by a French man, it ought to be good…and it is.

If you would like to try it out for yourself, they are now taking bookings.

For the full menu and to book a table visit www.thelittleangel.co.uk