Hall & Woodhouse - Bath Food Review
Posted on: 2017-02-17
Our rating:
It's more than just a hidden gem, it's a hidden diamond
Hall & Woodhouse is a well-known pub restaurant with locations across the UK, but the Bath restaurant is so unique and special we had to go in and see if the food measures up to the fabulous interior design. Read on for our review:
It’s placed in a peculiar place, opposite the back of Jolly’s and away from the bustling shoppers on the main street. But for those who know Hall & Woodhouse it’s more than just a hidden gem, it’s a hidden diamond that Bath is lucky to have. With three floors including a roof terrace where you can enjoy drinks in the sunshine whilst looking over the city, Hall & Woodhouse is much more than a typical pub restaurant.
The décor is exquisite, with crystal chandeliers and candle light in the evening. It’s also quite quirky, but homey and cosy. There are hundreds of photo frames on the wall, along with various ornament stag heads of different sizes to give that country feel but with a twist. There is an open plan kitchen in the restaurant and the combination of low lighting and dark wooden flooring creates a romantic aura.
The food here is much more than pub grub, it leans towards 5 star dining but with a casual feel. Eggs Florentine (£5.50) was a starter option that I thought was unusual but I tried it and was pleased with the portion size, the satisfying way the poached egg yolk oozed out as I cut into it, and the generous dollop of Hollandaise sauce on top. Being fans of goats cheese, me and my dining guest also ordered the starter of goats cheese bruschetta (£6.25), which is served with chutney on beer baked bread (which the chefs bake in-house), and a chicory & hazelnut salad on the side. It was a good sized portion, with two slices of the bread and of course the goats cheese combined with the sweet chutney was spectacular, which it always is because it’s a classic combination.
The mains menu is a mix of dishes, from steaks and burgers to risotto and salad. I’ve never seen crayfish risotto on a menu so I ordered it and it was as amazing as I’d hoped it would be. I love risotto because it’s inherently creamy and comforting, especially in winter. This risotto (£12) was probably the best risotto I’ve ever had, because it was the perfect consistency, with parmesan cheese on top that had melted and made the whole thing so moreish. Rich and decadent, with the added texture of the crayfish (of which there were plenty), this risotto was heavenly.
The waiter suggested to my dining partner that the stuffed red pepper is particularly popular, so she chose it and was glad she did (£10.50). The sweet roasted red pepper was stuffed with ratatouille, goats cheese and topped with a herb & pistachio crumb. It was a tasty dish and the combination of flavours worked well, the only down side is that the herb & pistachio crumb was merely sprinkled on top so there wasn’t enough of it to actually taste the flavours of it properly.
The desserts are another example of the chefs putting twists on classic dishes, as I found with the raspberry ripple crème brûlée that I chose. For the price of £6.25 I would have liked a bigger portion, it was served in a small tea cup which was sweet but didn’t live up to the price. It wasn’t served with fresh berries which was a bit of a shame, but the raspberry coulis in the crème brûlée worked well and because it wasn’t too sweet it was quite light. The sticky toffee pudding that we sampled aswell was served with Madagascan vanilla ice cream. It was a nice big piece as you’d hope for and it was very sweet and squidgy. Delicious, with sultanas in, the pudding itself could have been warmer because it was served luke-warm rather than hot, but it was lovely taste-wise.
There’s no doubt we would return, I would personally return just to have the risotto again, and the atmosphere in Hall & Woodhouse is really something special.
Ratings:
Atmosphere 5/5
Service 5/5
Food 4/5
Value 4/5
Address: 1 Old King St, Bath BA1 2JW. Check out Hall & Woodhouse's website here and find them on Facebook and Twitter.
Article by:
Born in Bath, Safia has lived on the outskirts of the city her whole life. After studying journalism in Bristol she now spends a lot of her time searching for new things to see in Bath and soaking up the beautiful culture. You're most likely to find her sipping a soya latte in a lovely little independent cafe! Call Safia on 07468 516375 or email editor@365Bath.com.
