THE first time we went to Fusion it had only been open for a couple of weeks and was still very much the new kid on the block.
But even though that was nearly two years ago, I can still remember the little touches that made a big impression on us.
Things like the waiter letting us try a selection of the wine before deciding which bottle to order.
And the bite-size morsels served before courses that got the tastebuds limbered up for the main event.
Two years on, I’m happy to report that Fusion is still as good as I remember – and perhaps even better.
Before our starters arrived we were served up something in the kind of glass jar you’d normally find lip balm or skin cream. Thankfully, the green pea soup, with a hint of goats’ cheese, tasted a lot better than lip balm and promised a meal of amazing flavours.
My first course of scallops with chorizo stew and squid ink linguine more than lived up to the hype.
The scallops were perfect – seared on the outside and soft in the middle while the chorizo stew was timid enough to let the seafood do the talking.
My wife had the hen egg tart and took great satisfaction in piercing the perfectly-poached egg so it oozed yolk all over the spinach, squash and Beaufort cheese filling.
Her only criticism was that the dish was under-seasoned.
Mini-course number two was an espresso cup of blood orange sorbet. Slightly bitter, it was the perfect palate cleanser.
When I ordered my pan-seared venison main course I was a bit worried that it wouldn’t be cooked to my liking because the waitress didn’t ask.
Fortunately, when it arrived it was perfectly pink – a heartening sign that Fusion doesn’t care much for wimpy customers who want their venison well-done (ie ruined).
Served with a peppery haggis wrapped in cabbage, swede puree and a whisky sauce, it wasn’t the biggest plate of food I’ve ever seen, but that only made me slow down and savour every bite.
My wife’s fillet of beef was blushing pink inside – just as she likes it – and sat upon a slightly lacklustre horseradish mash. That said, flavours from the chanterelle mushrooms and gratin made from Comté cheese meant her tastebuds weren’t getting bored.
As the menu offered three courses for £27.95, I thought it would be rude not to give their puddings a try too.
My banana and bitter chocolate bread was lovely but the accompanying pistachio ice cream was served in a silly cone the size of my little finger and so therefore totally inadequate. What’s wrong with a scoop?
The blood orange pie on the other side of the table was a refreshing way to end the meal, although if it wasn’t called “blood orange pie”, I’d have sworn it was lemon pie.
But these were minor quibbles over a meal that was good enough to rocket Fusion up my list of favourite places to eat.
Classy, fun and relaxing, it won’t be another two years before we return.