I hadn't expected a good meal that evening.
Plans remained mysterious, and all I knew about our destination was that it was "5 minutes away from the M40" - a phrase which led me to genuinely expect us to be heading to a Travelodge and dining in a Little Chef (actually - as unpleasant as eating in Little Chef is, I would quite like to visit the one that has had the benefit of the Heston Blumenthal makeover).
But I had very much underestimated Graham's proficiency at finding a beautiful country house hotel (found via this aptly named website) earlier that day during his 5 hour transit wait in Moscow. We had an amazingly luxurious room in the main building of the Mallory Court Hotel, and the wonderfully friendly staff recommended we visit The Brasserie for dinner. Not quite sure what to expect, we made the two minute walk to the restaurant in the hotel grounds.
We were greeted by more friendly staff and had a drink in the stylishly art deco bar. There was none of the usual downfalls of hotel restaurants - oppressive silence and lack of atmosphere being the worst offenders. Instead there was the great combination of smart interiors, helpful staff, a good number of other diners and a relaxed atmosphere. We perused the various menus (a la carte, daily specials and vegetarian), which had a good mix of options without being over-long, and we chose quickly (although I found it difficult to decide between halloumi or a blue cheese souffle starter).
We were then shown to our seats in the restaurant, which had a totally different feel to the bustling brightness of the bar. It was a romantic atmosphere, with tables in a softly-lit conservatory. We quickly ascertained as we were given the choice of a variety of bread rolls, that this was the most classy establishment that we'd had dinner at together.
Graham's starter was the exotically named 'King Crab Thai Style Nage' (we didn't know what a 'nage' was - neither did the waitress- although she found out it was pronounced 'nagee') - it was under the 'soup' section and sounded good, and I opted for the pan friend halloumi with salad, lemon and capers. Both dishes were beautifully presented. The 'nage' was a white, creamy crab soup which was given a kick from spring onions, and was much enjoyed.
My first impression of my halloumi dish was that it was a small portion, but the amazing taste, quality and richness meant it was actually just the perfect size. The halloumi wasn't as overly salty as it can be, and the richness was wonderfully offset by the capers and tomatoes.
The high standard of food in terms of quality, flavour and presentation, continued to the main courses. Graham opted for the daily special - beef bourguignon with mashed potato and carrots, and I went for the penne with butternut squash, sage, parmesan and parma ham. It was the best pasta dish i'd had in a very long time. The parmesan and butternut squash made for a velvety smooth cheese sauce with the deeply robust flavours of the sage and the ham. It was blissfully good!
As Graham had opted for beef, I couldn't sample his dish, but he rated it very highly, and we were both far too stuffed to contemplate dessert.
Overall:
Atmosphere: There were just the right number of other diners and it was classy without being oppressive- the bar was stylish but relaxed and the restaurant was romantic but still relaxed. Ideal in terms of atmosphere.
Food Quality: Wonderful! Only complaint would be the slightly dry bread rolls, but the mains and starters were quite perfect.
Service: Friendly and attentive without being obtrusive.
Value for Money: Even though some of the dishes on the menu are pricey, our dishes were great value. The dish of the day is £8.50 and includes a glass of house wine, and a starter for £3.50. I didn't go for the deal so my starter was £6, but my main course was only £6.50. So excellent value considering how satisfied we were with our meals.
Overall: 9.5/10 This is a fantastic restaurant in its own right, but I found it even better comparing it to other hotel eateries that i've experienced, as it gets atmosphere, food and price right, which is a rare find in these situations!
Plans remained mysterious, and all I knew about our destination was that it was "5 minutes away from the M40" - a phrase which led me to genuinely expect us to be heading to a Travelodge and dining in a Little Chef (actually - as unpleasant as eating in Little Chef is, I would quite like to visit the one that has had the benefit of the Heston Blumenthal makeover).
But I had very much underestimated Graham's proficiency at finding a beautiful country house hotel (found via this aptly named website) earlier that day during his 5 hour transit wait in Moscow. We had an amazingly luxurious room in the main building of the Mallory Court Hotel, and the wonderfully friendly staff recommended we visit The Brasserie for dinner. Not quite sure what to expect, we made the two minute walk to the restaurant in the hotel grounds.
We were greeted by more friendly staff and had a drink in the stylishly art deco bar. There was none of the usual downfalls of hotel restaurants - oppressive silence and lack of atmosphere being the worst offenders. Instead there was the great combination of smart interiors, helpful staff, a good number of other diners and a relaxed atmosphere. We perused the various menus (a la carte, daily specials and vegetarian), which had a good mix of options without being over-long, and we chose quickly (although I found it difficult to decide between halloumi or a blue cheese souffle starter).
We were then shown to our seats in the restaurant, which had a totally different feel to the bustling brightness of the bar. It was a romantic atmosphere, with tables in a softly-lit conservatory. We quickly ascertained as we were given the choice of a variety of bread rolls, that this was the most classy establishment that we'd had dinner at together.
Graham's starter was the exotically named 'King Crab Thai Style Nage' (we didn't know what a 'nage' was - neither did the waitress- although she found out it was pronounced 'nagee') - it was under the 'soup' section and sounded good, and I opted for the pan friend halloumi with salad, lemon and capers. Both dishes were beautifully presented. The 'nage' was a white, creamy crab soup which was given a kick from spring onions, and was much enjoyed.
My first impression of my halloumi dish was that it was a small portion, but the amazing taste, quality and richness meant it was actually just the perfect size. The halloumi wasn't as overly salty as it can be, and the richness was wonderfully offset by the capers and tomatoes.
The high standard of food in terms of quality, flavour and presentation, continued to the main courses. Graham opted for the daily special - beef bourguignon with mashed potato and carrots, and I went for the penne with butternut squash, sage, parmesan and parma ham. It was the best pasta dish i'd had in a very long time. The parmesan and butternut squash made for a velvety smooth cheese sauce with the deeply robust flavours of the sage and the ham. It was blissfully good!
As Graham had opted for beef, I couldn't sample his dish, but he rated it very highly, and we were both far too stuffed to contemplate dessert.Overall:
Atmosphere: There were just the right number of other diners and it was classy without being oppressive- the bar was stylish but relaxed and the restaurant was romantic but still relaxed. Ideal in terms of atmosphere.
Food Quality: Wonderful! Only complaint would be the slightly dry bread rolls, but the mains and starters were quite perfect.
Service: Friendly and attentive without being obtrusive.
Value for Money: Even though some of the dishes on the menu are pricey, our dishes were great value. The dish of the day is £8.50 and includes a glass of house wine, and a starter for £3.50. I didn't go for the deal so my starter was £6, but my main course was only £6.50. So excellent value considering how satisfied we were with our meals.
Overall: 9.5/10 This is a fantastic restaurant in its own right, but I found it even better comparing it to other hotel eateries that i've experienced, as it gets atmosphere, food and price right, which is a rare find in these situations!
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