I Can Remember The First Time I Went To The White Horse pub, which newly opened eaterie 'The Donkey' used to be. I was told firmly by my father, 'Whatever you do, don't look at or touch the dog.' Advice I took seriously. Unfortunately, some people didn't take this advice - anyone looking at Toby the dog would have their legs humped vigorously. For a surprising length of time...
But no over-amourous dogs in sight this evening, as a heavily-pregnant Mrs. Otter and myself arrive in a vastly altered space. A small bar leads to a very spacious restaurant, in three sections, with large windows looking out onto patio seating.

At lunchtimes, a 'British Tapas' menu is available (a term coined by Jason Atherton). This consists of small dishes priced around £3-4, of which you are to order several of, like your own little tasting menu. Sadly, this is not available in the evening, where a Dinner menu replaces the lunchtime fun. I think I would like to be able to indulge in the British Tapas concept at any time - it would really set them apart from other food destinations in the (admittedly broad) area.

The evening started well - a board of breads arrived, with a white balsamic and a nut oil, plus lashings of butter. There were three different breads - unfortunately only one stuck in my mind, mainly because its eccentricity eclipsed the other two. White chocolate and blue cheese bread anyone? It worked, sort of, but I did struggle to detect the blue cheese.
Starters were good. Shetland Mussels in a whiskey cream were plump and tender, the whiskey providing a comforting backdrop in its creamy medium. Oddly, these came with wafer thin wheat biscuits, the hexagonal kind you can buy in shops. The flavours went together, granted, but really these should have been scratch made. Mrs. Otter's Asparagus with pink grapefruit was approved also.
Main courses were slightly less than anticipated. For one thing they came with a lap full of tonic water, as the waitress knocked Mrs. Otter's glass and cascaded the liquid off the table onto yours truly. The waitress was mortified, but a hearty laugh from me soon smoothed it all over! Early bath over with, we tackled our dishes. My rump of lamb was juicy and well rested, but did not come pink as I was informed it would be. Although local lamb, it lacked any special depth of flavour and was not a noteworthy piece of meat. Black olive gnocchi, which should have provided a foil to the lamb, was uninspiring and gave far too subtle a hint of olive. A more generous ratio of olives would have helped this, perhaps a more pungent olive also. The bed of shoots and mushrooms the lamb rested on neither complimented or ruined the dish - it was under-seasoned.

An onion and caperberry risotto with chicory and beetroot puree was again underseasoned, overcooked and a bit oily. Flavours worked well together though, the sweetness of the beetroot countering the bitter hit of the chicory.

Desserts were well executed - a treacle tart for Mrs. Otter was well presented and said to be 'the best part of the meal'. My Jaffa Arctic roll with orange gel and chocolate candy was an interesting creation - an orange ice cream wrapped in sponge and covered in chocolate, with chocolate covered 'pop rocks', sat in the orange gel. Despite all the orange-ness, the actual orange flavour was surprisingly subdued. The chocolate was of a decent standard, and the popping candy was less ferocious being wrapped in chocolate, creating a pleasant fizz. The gel had a gloopy consistancy, so less would have been more. A good concept, but further development needed, I felt. Perhaps using mandarin or satsuma may give the dish a more distinctive taste, and a thinner coating of dark chocolate would lighten things up a touch but keep an intensity of flavour. A cheeseboard of British cheeses finished us off - some pleasant examples but nothing to get worked up about.
All in all, The Donkey shows promise - the menu is not pretentious but innovative, championing local produce where possible. The technique is not spot on right now, but hopefully things will improve - a Wednesday night in Suffolk with a 1/3 full restaurant is not to be sniffed at. I certainly feel if they could extend the Tapas menu into the evening they'd be on to a winner. Service (aside from the baptism!) was polite and unhurried - a little wait for food and drinks, but again I expect this to improve. The maitre d' for the evening was superb. Meal for two including cheese and three rounds of soft drinks came to £68. However, as their sole card reader was inoperable last night, I've yet to pay, and was trusted to return to settle the bill. Glitches, of course, which only seem to endear me to the place even more. I really want this place to work, so time will tell.