This is the only Michelin-starred restaurant we visited in Devon. It holds 2 Michelin stars. The restaurant is owned by Michael Caine and it is in a Relais & Châteaux hotel located within Dartmoor National Park. The hotel itself is a beautiful manor house and it occupies a huge piece of land.
We were not that impressed when we entered the restaurant though. Apparently, jeans are not allowed. The maître d' didn't inform us about that when we made the booking. However, we were treated as guilty parties and were shipped straight to the table so that our attire won't upset other guests!
Then, we asked for sparkling water and a bottle of still water was brought out. Also, the waiters don't speak very much English (or French!). The service was definitely not great. I wonder how it obtained its Michelin stars!
Anyway, we quickly decided that we don't want the degustation menu so we ordered a la carte.
We were not that impressed when we entered the restaurant though. Apparently, jeans are not allowed. The maître d' didn't inform us about that when we made the booking. However, we were treated as guilty parties and were shipped straight to the table so that our attire won't upset other guests!
Then, we asked for sparkling water and a bottle of still water was brought out. Also, the waiters don't speak very much English (or French!). The service was definitely not great. I wonder how it obtained its Michelin stars!
Anyway, we quickly decided that we don't want the degustation menu so we ordered a la carte.
Canape were supposed to go with aperatives either in the garden or the bar. Since we were told to go to the table, we had them served on the table. The waitress English was barely understandable. Anyway, the canape is as follow: fried ball in some green sauce (possible pea), salmon terrine with lemon jelly, some beef with sauce.
Appetiser was lobster jelly with cream and caviar. The caviar and lobster flesh was tiny. The jelly was very herbal (I don't really like it).
Tartare of tuna and scallop. It is visually attractive with lots of colours. I like the texture and the combo of flavour. I am such a sucker for raw seafood. SP didn't like the sauce though because he thinks it overwhelmed the seafood. The dish was served with Austrian Riesling.
Then, it was the main course. The food arrived without the wine. We had to chase it up before it made the way to our table!
SP picked the pigeon with morelle mushrooms, which turned out to be a combination of wild mushrooms, with no morelle to be found. When asked, the manager said that morelles are 'out of season'. No apology, no nothing. We think they should have updated the menu to reflect that!!! Anyway, the sauce is OK but it was too runny. The pigeon is quite nicely cooked but it wasn't totally deboned. Food served with a typical Bordeaux red.
I ordered the scallop, turbot with pork belly. It is an interesting combination and I think it worked quite well, especially the texture. The scallops are not very meaty. I wish they have more because the pork belly was much thicker. The sauce is nice but it is quite ordinary. No surprise elements. The dish was served with a Burgundy red.
The English-speaking waiter explained the choices very patiently. I tried the champagne cheese, which was quite special. They were a bit stingy with grapes though. I had two whole grapes to go with my cheese!
SP and I both ordered the trio of chocolate for dessert. The presentation was great. From left to right (which was eaten the order way round!): dark chocolate mousse, chocolate with hazelnut filling, chocolate thins with white chocolate ice cream. The chocolate thins with white chocolate ice cream was a bit light. The chocolate thins was almost tasteless. The chocolate with hazelnut filling was way too sweet and sticky! The dark chocolate mousse has slightly more chocolate flavour. It is not strong enough though. I wished it has higher percentage of cocoa in it. Though I like the waffle-like base.
Overall, the meal was OK. We didn't have the greatest time, mostly because of the poor service and attitude. One of the managers walked up to SP while I was in the ladies and to ask him what we thought about the meal. He was obviously interested in what I was writing down during the meal. When SP told him that the meal wasn't very special, he seemed disappointed.
The bill was hefty and let's just say that I won't be going back there anytime soon. Interestingly, a couple of weeks later, I met someone who lives very close to the Dartmoor National Park. He mentioned that Gidleigh Park is a very overpriced restaurant and he recommends the Dartmoor Inn in Lydford. You know where to go if you are planning a visit! :)
For more information:
Gidleigh Park
http://www.gidleigh.com/restaurant/
The Dartmoor Inn in Lydford
http://www.dartmoorinn.com/pages/restaurant.html
Gidleigh Park
http://www.gidleigh.com/restaurant/
The Dartmoor Inn in Lydford
http://www.dartmoorinn.com/pages/restaurant.html
2 comments:
Hahaha, I didn't realise that you actually took notes at the table Ms K! :)
Well, it's already late November and I am writing about a meal from August! Of course I need notes! :)
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