The Walnut Tree Inn in Monmouthshire

Food was excellent. Staff really professional. Great evening😃

Went here for lunch. We ordered from a mixture of set menu, asparagus menu and the a la carte. Good well presented and tasty food and wine at a leisurely pace. Hard wooden chairs would benefit from cushions, especially as we were there for 3 hours. I gave a large cash tip which I saw being pocketed by one staff member, so I'm unsure if that made it's way to the various staff that served us.

Fantastic meal, highly recommend!

This is the best meal I’ve had in a very long time. The dashi broth was exquisite, and we loved the beautifully prepared, high-quality ingredients without the pretence of other restaurants or a similar calibre. The winner of the evening was the pistachio and fig Bakewell tart; absolutely to die for! If you’re in the neighbourhood (and even if you’re not) come and have dinner here!

This place is incredibly average if you want a mind blowing experience with amazing food do not go here but i will give credit where credit is due the fillet of beef was absolutely incredible but everything else was mediocre nowhere near 271 pounds

This is our first restaurant review but we felt we had to leave something after the wonderful evening we enjoyed at the Walnut Tree last night. From the moment we arrived , we were made to feel special with the relaxed but attentive service from Pauline and the Team. The food was absolutely delicious with incredible local produce and the whole ambience of the restaurant was friendly and welcoming. Our entire night was a delight - we will definitely be back.

Nice location, good menu choice, however: more high end restaurant than michelin star. Staff pleasant enough, service average the meet and greet needs working on, food underwhelming, wine selection by glass limited.

Nice location. Good food menu choice, however: more high end restaurant than michelin star. Service and staff interaction average. Food not faultless - sweetbreads 'snotty', muscles in the bourride disintegrated. Poor wine selection by the glass. Expected more!

Following a very favourable visit here 2 years ago, I decided to travel 120 miles to celebrate my 80th Birthday at the Walnut Tree. We stayed at the Angel Hotel Abergavenny, a good start. Arrived at Walnut tree to a good welcome, and it started to go downhill from there.We waited an hour to receive the starter ,chicken livers on sourdough, simple and very ordinary. The main course of Lemon sole with turnip tops and mash potato swimming in, I guess, parsley sauce was completely underwhelming. I cook this at home.. I was expecting a “Michelin Star” chef to provide me with food cooked with skills I do not have. Also,they forgot the vegetables. There was no apology to my concerns, and I established that chef had been here only 3 weeks. I have shared Shawn Hill’s food and skills many times before, and wowed his cooking. We eat at Michelin starred restaurants often so I write with knowledge and experience. To sum up, this has become a very ordinary restaurant, and with Shawn Hill retiring and only being in the restaurant maybe one day a week, I don’t think the Michelin title will remain much longer. Trip advisor rates this restaurant underwhelming, and by golly it is.

Went here for lunch today. Beautiful food, calm and attentive service and a lively atmosphere

Lovely set lunch in pleasant surroundings with excellent service.

Paid our anual visit for my wifes birthday. As allways exceptional food in a lovely setting served by staff who care about their guests. Exactly what you would expect from a Micheline star establishment withour the pretensciousness. Thank you all for an evening to remember. See you next year.

Arrived here for lunch. Started getting busy. Small que to order food at the bar. I ordered burger and chip, came with colslaw. Burger was fresh. Food well presented. The staff were very friendly. Had an issue with a drink but changed this straight away. Staff checked in to make sure everything OK. Clean and friendly pub.

Not worth the hype. On the last two visits to The Walnut Tree, the food has been average. On this occasion the food lacked seasoning. The front of house lady (Pauline ?) was ‘spikey’ to say the least. Totally unacceptable. If it was my business I would fire her. She’s damaging to the business. We won’t be visiting again. Such a shame. It used to be such a special place.

Staying 10 minutes away and googled, then booked this place. Went in with 'normal pub food' expectations but we were blown away! Fantastic food, excellent service and for food of this quality very happy with the cost. We'd gone out Christmas Eve at a similar quality restaurant in England and were non-plussed by that meal so very happy to experience the quality of the Walnut Tree. Excellent coffee and chocs too. We'll be back!

Stunning food, so delicious! We ate off the Set Lunch Menu. All staff were very friendly and attentive. It was a real treat to visit. We cannot wait to return. Thank you Walnut Tree, Abergavenny.

Great visit staff are friendly and food is really nice. We had a carvery that is really good price and nice mount of meat is given

On a very wet night, we arrived early for our table to be warmly welcomed and shown immediately to our table. An excellent dinner, with delicious accompaniments in friendly and comfortable surroundings. Very much to be recommended. We enjoyed an excellent dinner: plenty to choose from and all four of us thoroughly enjoyed it.

Before I mention the all-important food, a word about the staff: They are lovely - friendly, efficient, prompt service - everything you want. As for the food - on our last visit we both had three courses, and everything was excellent, we really couldn't fault anything. It's not often I can say that about a total of five separate dishes (we had the same lemon sole main). It was beautifully presented too, not precious - no tweezers here! - but just very attractively plated. Actually the food here is almost always excellent, and we've been coming here regularly for the whole time Shaun Hill has been in the kitchen, since 2008. I thought it was about time I wrote a review... It really is one of our favourite restaurants in the world, and we've been to a few. And the good news is, Mr Hill is only 77, so hopefully he'll be cracking on for a good few years yet...

Had a fabulous meal here with my boyfriend when we were visiting Abergavenny. Our waiter was excellent and super knowledgeable. He took his time answering our questions about the menu and wine list. If you're used to Michelin starred restaurants in super fancy places then you'll think this 'pub' in a small village is not up to standard. The food was excellent, would 100% recommend if your are in Abergavenny.

Excellent food, particularly the red mullet

Simple yet elegant, we enjoyed every minute of our visit. Cocktails at the bar to start, followed by an appetiser and three wonderful, light dishes. Relatively affordable Michelin dining, we'll certainly be looking to go back each time we're in the area.

If I could give 0 I would Terrible customer services the food was cold We stayed a couple of nights and the rooms were filthy I could wait to leave!

Booked for dinner as we were visiting the area. As foodies we like to try good eating establishments and have eaten at many Michelin restaurants over the years. Only a few days earlier we’d had a fabulous experience at another 1-Michelin starred restaurant along the south welsh coast so we were excited to try this place. I wish I’d read the online reviews in advance as that would have given a heavy hint of the mixed opinions this place receives. Sad to say we were very disappointed. The food was far too salty. Quality was very average. And presentation was no better than a lot of restaurants/pubs. It’s basically average fare at above average prices. I have no idea how this place has managed to retain a star. It’s not on a par with any other Michelin restaurant we’ve ever visited. I won’t be recommending this place to others.

Outstanding Service and great food made this an afternoon to remember.

Lovely restaurant with attentive staff. The restaurant is deserving of its Michelin star. The food is expertly cooked.

Lovely lunch, fresh and good quality. We went for a 3-course lunch. Surprisingly all tables were occupied on this midweek day. Wines great, service friendly and welcoming

Great treat to eat here and was thrilled to see a new face giving us a warm welcome on arrival. That was a bonus..Food as ever beautifully cooked, presented and delicious. Staff professional with attention to detail. Thank you very much for another memorable lunch.

Don't read me read the Sunday Times.Continues to give pleasure.Dont delay get up there.Analyse what's stopping you then discount that reason .Get on line and reserve.

One of the few restaurants that were featured in Gordon Ramsay's "Kitchen Nightmares" show that still survives and succeeded and I'll say every bit of improvement that Gordon has made are still there Shaun Hill, the head chef that Gordon recruited clearly leaves his mark on the dishes that I ordered. It was lovely as it was shown in the TV and the atmosphere was cozy Definitely worth the special trip!

A third trip here for us . This time A lovely Saturday lunch for 8 if us as a family . We were looked after really well . Other diners here - mostly groups - looked like they were here to celebrate as were we. Nothing could be faulted .. lovely flavours.

Great restaurant; reasonably sized portions for standard of restaurant.

Good and a nice experience but not really Michelin star level.

waited for 1 hour to get our food, and the food was average and salty.

slow service :( booked for a 8pm table, our main had no arrived by 10pm :(

I agree with Colin J. We too went for the set lunch. Hake was OK but nothing special. But the chicken dish was extremely insipid. Lumps of chicken sitting in a broth like fluid. Very disappointing Chocolate torte was heavy. Come back Franco with his torte with 3 liqueurs which was divine We’ve been going here intermittently for over 40 years. The setting and service are great but the food was very disappointing on this occasion

Lovely welcome.We opted for set lunch menu...£42 for 2 courses....£50 for 3 courses. The fish curry soup was just lovely...beautifully presented with warm bread....just gorgeous. 2 of the party opted for Hake as main course and absolutely loved it..one opted for chicken which was average, very bland, strange selection of sausage, sauce and vegetables which did nothing to enhance the bland chicken. Cannot fault the service but very, very over priced.

Much as I hate the phrase “fine dining”, the Walnut Tree is it. Although it manages it in a straightforward way with none of the unnecessary bells and whistles that some Michelin starred restaurants get by on. We’ve known Shaun Hill’s food since his time at the Merchant House in Ludlow, which marks both him and us as being of a certain generation. This was a return visit to the Walnut Tree and it was good to see it’s still the essence of Modern British food – take good seasonal ingredients and don’t do too much to them. There’s a snack to to start which jumps the English Channel in the form of a tangy Roquefort biscuit topped with tapenade. And there’s excellent bread – we were offered more once we’d scoffed the first lot. So, there’s a soufflé to start for one of us. Light as a feather, using Lancashire Bomb cheese (the finest Lancashire you’ll come across, IMO) and a grating of Welsh black truffle. It’s delicious. The other starter was summer itself. A filet of red mullet, perfectly cooked with the all important crispy skin, topped with crab. It sits on chopped Isle of Wight tomatoes. Just lovely. Rack of lamb, nicely pink is accompanied by a mix of tiny haricot beans and shredded cabbage. And a surprise sweetbread tucked in amongst it. It manages to combine elegance with being a “proper plate of food”. The other main featured lemon sole and shrimps. There’s the flavour of dill and a seasonal hit from asaparagus and samphire. The first time we ate Shaun’s food, all those years back, we were served Jannsen’s Temptation and it was good to see it’s still prepared. It really is one of the tastiest potato dishes. For desserts, there was a peach trifle and a chocolate torte. The former had layers of peach and sponge, topped with a light, frothy sabayon. The torte was a much more butch affair. Very rich chocolate ganache, accompanied by malt ice cream and a slice of poached pear (more, please). Both work well. Coffee comes with petit fours – a coconut truffle (think a posh Bounty bar) and a cube of fudge. Service was excellent with things happening so seamlessly that you hardly noticed it was happening. A thoroughly excellent evening.

A Friday night for a special family occasion saw our first visit to The Walnut Tree. Given it's star rating and pricing I'd say our visit was a mix of excellent and average. Excellent for service and presentation, bar atmosphere and some of the dishes (Lemon Sole, Lamb and Red Mullet starter. Quite average for some of the other dishes, beef and Pork which were disappointingly bland and unremarkable with some over salting. It was also nice that we weren't rushed and the pricing was fair rather than astronomical although the wine list is pricey. Overall a fairly positive experience in a lovely setting.

The evening didn’t start well as we asked to move tables due to the noise from a large party. The starters, both fish, were lovely but the main courses disappointing. I had to send my beef fillet back to the kitchen as I was presented with what was mainly a large piece of gristle. The replacement was OK, as was my partner’s lamb, but neither were up to Michelin standards. We enjoyed our shared dessert. Service was pleasant and efficient at all times. Overall we expected more than just a nice meal.

We had a fantastic meal out with family visiting over from New Zealand. The food was out of this world. Everyone loved their meals and the service was very attentive.

My wife and I visited with our infant son for lunch. The food was absolutely delicious, and the staff were incredibly accommodating of our needs with the baby (the baby change facilities were great!).

Feel like we were politely robbed. For the price and the Michelin Star we expected so much more. I had the sole which was littered with bones to the point where I couldn't eat it and it was so salty that my lips felt as if I'd just been in the sea. My partners main was bland. The cocktail was uninspired. Decided to cut our losses and not have a dessert.

I wasn't a fan of the food, I expected more from a Michelin star restaurant. I've had far better meals at a more reasonable price, which is unfortunate when this was for someone's birthday.

Beautiful ambience and gorgeous food

The Walnut Tree hardly needs another 5 star review, as it is famous for its fine dining, but here goes anyway. As former Abergavenny residents ourselves, we dined here with relatives who have been coming to the Walnut Tree since the 1970s. Despite the many changes it has been through over the years, the Walnut Tree continues to offer exquisite dining in a relaxed and welcoming restaurant with friendly and efficient service, just as it always has. Our meals were - as you'd expect - delicious, beautifully prepared and presented, reminding us that although the Walnut Tree is undoubtedly expensive by local standards, sometimes you really do get what you pay for.

Excellent restaurant - top quality service with fantastic food. Beautiful setting, good wine options. The duck deserves a special mention - 4 course lunch set menu is great value as well.

The restaurant offered a blend of good food and service. Unfortunately, bread and butter served here should not be served in a high standard restaurant. Despite that, my partner and I enjoyed superb starters. The main course showcased perfectly cooked fish and filet, although my fish was overly salty. Dessert, unfortunately, fell short of expectations. Overall, while it's worth a try if you're in the area, it didn't meet our expectations for a Michelin-starred experience. I wouldn't advise traveling long distances specifically for this dining experience.

What a top class restaurant! (We didn't stay at the hotel so this review pertains only to the restaurant). We had a delicious 5-star meal at The Walnut Tree. Presentation and taste couldn't have been better along with staff that were delightful. The friendly and professional atmosphere that the team provided lifted the experience even further.

Always the outstanding dining experience I know.

Fantastic food! Unbelievable stuff. Staff very pleasant. Baked vanilla cheesecake with honey ice cream was to die for.

Lovely little Michelin star restaurant tucked away just outside Abergavenny. Stunning food and excellent service.

Fabulous food and charming service in an iconic restaurant from one of the country’s most storied and historically important chefs. Thank you for making my birthday special.

The food and service was outstanding, couldn't fault a thing.

A lovely birthday meal for my wife. Well worth the hours drive from Herefordshire for this fine dining haven! The cheese Soufflé starter and the beef dishes were amazing! Only slight disappointment was I had emailed and rang ahead of our booking to ask for a special birthday treat - said not a problem but it failed to materialise. We’ll be back though the experience and restaurant staff were superb!

Went for birthday treat lunch..⁰ Can't fault anything . AMAZING

Delicious food and excellent service but, the dining room is stuck in the 1970's. It's such a strange experience, like going to a Berni Inn and not a very kitsch one! Even the paintings on the walls are disconcerting.

The food and attention to detail is outstanding. Thoroughly recommend.

Came here for lunch on the 8/02/2024 with my two employers from The Pen Y Cae Inn. Being a first time experience for me to have the opportunity to try a Michelin Star Restaurant this one certainly doesn't disappoint. The experience as a whole in terms of the food, beverages and service was fantastic and second to none. We had all three courses I had Cheese Soufflé 🧀 with black truffle to start it was delicious, but delightful with a slight kick of mustard perfect enough for me. Followed by for the main meal I had the Pork Chop served with baked beans that on a whole for me was the best dish of the day one in which I recommend. Last but not least for dessert I had Chocolate Torte delicious, delightful but incredibly rich which was good enough for me as a lover of dark chocolate etc. I highly recommend this restaurant to anyone who's passing the area I'm certainly going to come back to this restaurant again in the future. Service with smiles all round well done to everyone who works at The Walnut Tree.

Food and service always very good; We can walk to it so location is ideal

It has got a Michelin star for a good reason, but unlike some other establishments, you don't leave still hungry. Fantastic meal with great service.

Outstanding service and food; thank you.

Beautiful dishes of food and wine.

Excellent meal. Food was first rate and the service matched it, what a team they have all were very attentive, friendly and knowledgeable. Highly recommend

We visited this evening had a 3 course meal. Service was very professional, food was one word outstanding! Definitely worth their Michelin star! Highly recommend and will definitely be back

Lovely 3 course meal, would return

We celebrated a couple of birthdays a last month. A very warm welcome and friendly staff. The entire team were extremely attentive and helpful with drink selections and all had a great sense of humor.

Had dinner here. What a treat. Great unpretentious place with the MOST friendly staff possible. I started with the Cornish fish stew which I still dream about to this day. Main was Mallard which was delicious and desert was cheesecake (best I've ever had). HEARTY portions and as I was driving was very happy to see a great mocktail menu. I will definitely be returning.

Outstanding food in a beautiful part of Wales. Staff were really friendly and helpful.

We didn't stay rather we just had dinner in the restaurant. The food was fabulous and I would highly recommend it. We were lucky in our reservation as I guess there had been a cancellation, but we were traveling back to South Wales from Birmingham and wanted to stop off en route. We had heard about The Walnut Tree previously so as there was an opening for the evening, we decided this would be a great stopping off point. Each course was fabulous, and for a Michelin restaurant, you was (in our humble opinion) reasonable, but that's not to say cheap. The location of the restaurant is a little out of the way, but if you are staying here, I'm sure it would be great. Tbh, whilst we had read about the restaurant previously we were unaware of its Michelin star until the following day. It was clear that this was a great restaurant though. Highly recommended.

We had an excellent, quality meal,in a relaxed setting. Well worth the journey from Pembrokeshire.

One of the best meals I’ve ever had; a real highlight of our trip to Wales. Wait staff were all excellent & the food was exquisite

There can always be a sense of disappointment if you go to a restaurant that is supposed to be good and has been recommended, and then it doesn’t live up to your expectations, but this was most definitely NOT the case with the Walnut Tree. The food, drinks, wine and service were absolutely exquisite; we really were very impressed. The only thing that would make a small but significant difference in the restaurant, would be to have tablecloths on the tables - it would really add that final touch. We also stayed at the Angel Hotel, which was lovely with an absolutely fantastic breakfast! Highly recommend both places (for a special trip, of course!)

Out of the way, but what an excellent experience the evening was. Everything about the evening was perfect

Didn’t stay at the hotel but had a wonderful dinner. Cocktails (including mocktails) were lovely. Amuse bouche and starters delicious. The white Sardinian wine (with starters) was excellent as was the half bottle of Chianti (with our mains). Thoroughly enjoyed the main courses (although chilli oil on the carrots was not noted on the menu and a little spicy for our liking, and kale was rather too salty - and I usually love salt). Only issue with desserts was which ones to have from the extensive choice available! Great dessert wines, coffee and petit fours to round off the fantastic feast - throughout which we’d enjoyed fabulous service, too. Will be back when next in this part of Wales, for sure!

We live 14 miles away so haven't stayed, We eat there every now and then, and think it's outstanding, I have had much less delicious Michelin starred meals, I suspect the setting isn't grand enough for 2*s, but the food is lovely. I'm a wheelchair user and they are always helpful in getting me seated,

I totally agree with the last reviewer. Food was good but personally I didn’t think this was at the usual level of a Michelin star restaurant. Nothing wrong as such, but lacking the innovation and overall execution expected of a Michelin star restaurant. I felt that I could prepare similar food at home. For example, the fillet of beef came with what was basically half a jacket potato, it wasn’t anything special. Usually in Michelin star restaurants I wonder how they created the dish and I want to eat everything. Didn’t feel like that here. Wine was good though and service was good too.

The food was tasty but compared with other fine dining establishments I have been too I didn't think it was exceptional and it seemed quite expensive. The wine seemed very good and was not overly expensive. Service was very good.

Great food and lovely staff went as a special treat and it was great! Thank you

I recently visited The Walnut Tree in Abergavenny, with a lot of expectations built up from its reputation and past reviews. I must admit, the restaurant lived up to its name in terms of food quality. Each dish served was nicely prepared and had a delightful taste, worthy of potential attention from the Michelin guide. The kitchen staff are doing an excellent job and have my commendations. Furthermore, the younger staff members were amiable and inviting. They provided attentive service, ensuring that our dining experience was pleasant. Their polite and respectful attitude was greatly appreciated, proving that they are truly an asset to the restaurant. Regrettably, however, not all experiences at The Walnut Tree were as pleasing. A senior staff member named Pauline displayed an off-putting demeanor which considerably diminished our dining experience. Pauline's dismissive attitude was hard to comprehend, and it created an unwelcoming atmosphere. Surprisingly, this issue has been mentioned in numerous reviews dating back to 2012, yet it seems no action has been taken to address this problem. Pauline, who according to these reviews has been with The Walnut Tree for 50 years, seemed to treat regular customers differently. This bias is concerning and left us feeling like lesser valued customers. Unfortunately, it seems the restaurant has not been responsive to these past complaints, and as of my recent visit in 2023, the situation remains unchanged. In conclusion, The Walnut Tree offers high-quality food and mostly excellent service, but is held back by a staff member's poor attitude. I am hopeful that my review might serve as a catalyst for change. It is important to remember that a restaurant is as good as its staff, and having experience does not give anyone the right to be disrespectful to guests. This might be an opportunity for Pauline to learn from her younger colleagues and help maintain the stellar reputation of The Walnut Tree. The restaurant has so much potential, and I hope they take heed of this and make a positive change.

Beautiful and historical restaurant but the food was hit and miss the mahi mahi curry starter was fantastic but the main course of duck was quite bland I expected more from a Michilen starred establishment in all honest. The desert was pretty forgettable too. All in all there’s better value for money elsewhere in Abergavenny

First Michelin starred restaurant experience and it was lovely! My boyfriend wasn't a huge fan of the lambchop dish; he felt the chops were a little small and said some of the beans were too firm but I thoroughly enjoyed the pork dish. We both agree that the John Dory and dessert were wonderful. We also felt the prices were extremely fair.

Fabulous 👌 food and staff were amazing

Wonderful food, very attentive staff,

Where's Gordon Ramsay's evidence of presence?

Amazing meal by Shaun Hill with great service from the young waiting staff in a quiet atmosphere. We have been lucky enough to eat at numerous Michelin starred restaurants and whilst this didn't compare on experience the food offering was good and the service great. The menu is a bit chefy but I think there's enough choice for all palettes. We stayed elsewhere for our own preference so I cannot comment on the rooms.

Beautiful dining with delicious produce - the asparagus was incredible and the setting in the country side peaceful and cozy.

First ever Michelin-starred restaurant on my first ever trip to Wales. It did not disappoint. I've never experienced white-glove service before, and from the beginning to end of the meal the service was top notch. And the pricing was incredibly reasonable. After the complimentary amuse bouche, we started with the john dory. I cannot get over the incredible depth of flavor that was in the dashi broth. Hands down it was my favorite part of the meal. My lady got the pork dish for her main course and I had the rack of lamb. She thoroughly enjoyed every bit of her dish and I was a big fan of mine as well. For dessert, we ended with the poached pear, which was quite delectable. All in all, it lived up to its expectation and set the bar for all subsequent Michelin-star meals I hope to have.

Top place. The whole time was a great experience, staff were welcoming, attentive and professional, and the food was sublime.

A little difficult to find but fully justifies its Michelin starred rating. A special dining experience!

Had a lovely evening with my husband. The staff were brilliant and the food outstanding. Will definitely go back.

First visit here and had a stunning lunch time meal. Some of the best food we have ever tasted in a restaurant. Parking can be difficult here when it's busy but that's a minor issue. Would return in a heartbeat!

Excellent service, fine dining at its best. We have wanted to visit for sometime. The holy grail for any food lover. Perfectly executed dishes elegant flavours & cooked to perfection. We had the Red mullet , Sea bass & lemon sole. Sweet breads wow melt in the mouth. Heaven on a plate. We will be back soon. Thank you to Shaun and your wonderful team. First class.

Table booked for 18.30, arrived just after 18.00, a very warm friendly welcome by the guys behind the bar. Service was brilliant all staff smiling and friendly, food was incredible, so tasty, hot and ample amounts... well worth my 5 star review.

Been going to Walnut tree for 40 years food is generally excellent but on this occasion was not up to standard Both starters were poor goose was meagre in size and dal was no where to be seen on other Main course one was missing mussels clams and cider and mushroom sauce bland at best Other contained items of beef cheek and cauliflower not ordered First time we have been disappointed at this restaurant Shaun is a fantastic chef so comes as a great surprise to us

We visited on new years eve and had a lovely evening. Service was great very attentive. The menu is classic fine dining executed perfectly. Everything was beautifully cooked and presented. We can't wait to visit again in the future.

Good restaurant , not sure if worthy of a Michelin Star though ! The food was really good, the service was attentive, even if a bit pretentious (what's with the white gloves !?) . Atmosphere of restaurant a bit lacking what with gas fire in the fireplace , uncomfortable Bistrot style seating , and air conditioner units heating that gives constant draft of warm air over tables. What was really weird was how fast service was , for what's supposed to be a gastronomic expérience, we were done in 90min tops, with aperitif, amuse bouche and 3 courses !? Normally I really just complain about slow service, but here it felt too fast for what's supposed to be an evening filling dinner experience.

Really great service, quick and polite

Nothing about our visit was good, except one starter. The menu doesn't describe the meal very well. I ordered sole. I had to ask what it came with and was told it came with mashed potato, broccoli and smoked asparagus. The smoked. Asparagus must have been in the green sauce and the mash. Everything tasted like smoky bacon crisps. Even the broccoli had anchovies on it. It was all horrible. Worse meal I have ever had. Couldn't eat hardly any of it. My daughter had pork loin, which was served with baked beans, black pudding and sausage. It was ok but too salty. She ate about half of it. She ordered pate for starter, which was like stuffing. That was ok and she ate about half of that. The only good part of the whole meal was my starter which was monkfish in watercress sauce. The decor is uninviting and the staff not particularly friendly or helpful.

Stars well-deserved. Enjoyed spiced partridge and chestnut soup, followed by mallard duck with morels, kale and Jerusalem artichoke (both roasted and purée). Fabulous food, faultless service. Worth every penny.