The Olive Tree - Bath Food Review

Posted on: 2017-03-13

Our rating:

Fine dining with a Michelin Star feel and astonishingly perfect food


The Olive Tree is set in The Queensberry Hotel and is one of Bath’s longest established independent restaurants. It’s fine dining with a Michelin Star feel to it and fresh seasonal dishes, with many ingredients sourced locally. We went to try their famous tasting menus and boy were we in for a treat.

Squid ink crackers, appetizer - The Olive Tree

The welcoming staff took our coats as we entered the basement where the restaurant is located and we were in awe of the chic décor and the unique touches such as the view of the wine cellar from our table. It’s much bigger inside than the outside suggests and the atmosphere was fabulous.

 

We were given two options of tasting menus consisting of between 8 and 9 courses. One was the seasonal menu (£67.50) which is due to change soon for Spring and there is the popular signature tasting menu which is £80 with the option of having accompanying glasses of wine for each meal (£40 with the seasonal and £55 with the signature). We had the wine tastings with our meal and if you want a really special experience I highly recommend you go for this aswell. The hugely knowledgeable restaurant manager described each wine she put in front of us, and why it would complement each particular meal.

Pigeon with sweetcorn at The Olive Tree - Bath

The seasonal menu I had isn't on the restaurant’s website so let me explain what was on the menu to give you an idea of this restaurant’s calibre:

  1. Appetizer
  2. Mackerel, cured, avocado, cucumber, pink grapefruit
  3. Pigeon, sweetcorn, iberico ham, popcorn
  4. Monkfish, Jerusalem artichoke, Alsace bacon, enoki mushroom, lemon thyme
  5. Venison, loin, celeriac, grelot onion, hazelnut, pickled blackberry
  6. Rhubarb, duck egg custard, tonka bean, churro’s OR
  7. Peanut butter parfait, milk chocolate, salted caramel
  8. Petit Fours

Venison at The Olive Tree - Bath

Me and my taste buds were absolutely blown away and I have never had a meal like it in my life. Every single thing was perfect and I was in food heaven. The appetizer was cheese profiterole with squid ink crackers topped with fish eggs and mousse. So unusual but so delicious.

 

The mackerel dish was light with lovely unique tastes and a mix of sweet and savoury flavours. My 2nd starter of pigeon was another great combination of sweet and savoury flavours and the pigeon was so tender it was almost as soft as butter. It had a slight liver-ish taste but the chef told me later on that this is typical of the expensive bird that they use for this dish, not the usual wood pigeons that most restaurants use.

Roquefort cheese at The Olive Tree - Bath

My main course of monkfish was beautifully cooked and it wasn’t bland at all which is normally the problem with white fish. It was well seasoned, and the dish had a slightly salty flavour overall which was perfect with the fish. Swiftly followed by the 2nd main course, the venison was cooked rare and again was so easy to cut into. The hazelnuts were a surprisingly delicious pairing with the venison and it worked well with the slightly tangy blackberries. So far I had experienced a new taste sensation and there was more to come.

Lemon curd at The Olive Tree - Bath

On the seasonal menu there is a choice between two desserts at the end but I was lucky enough to be given both to try so that I can describe them to you. I love rhubarb so when I was given the eye-pleasing rhubarb dessert with a creamy duck egg custard I was in heaven, especially as the custard was like crème brûlée. I thought it couldn’t get any better until I was given the peanut butter parfait. Now that was something else. It was like peanut butter inside a chocolate bar, with stunning salted caramel and nuts underneath the ice cream for texture. It was one of the best desserts I have ever had and I have been dreaming of it ever since!

Rhubarb dessert at The Olive Tree - Bath

I don’t think I have ever felt so full but we had to squeeze in the petit fours to finish, which were two little blocks of white chocolate and cardamom fudge, with two chunks of bittersweet orange jelly. A delightful end to an exquisite meal and we had the opportunity to meet chef Chris Cleghorn who has trained with world-renowned Michelin Star chefs Heston Blumenthal, Michael Caines and Adam Simmonds. His passion for the food he creates shines through when talking to him so it was great to see.

Peanut Butter Parfait at The Olive Tree - Bath

My dining guest enjoyed the signature tasting menu as much as I enjoyed the seasonal menu, so this is what you can expect:

  1. Appetizer
  2. Crab lasagna, basil
  3. Duck liver, poached and roasted, orange, chicory, walnuts
  4. Brill, pan-fried, cauliflower, shiitake, dashi broth
  5. English Rose Veal, loin, yeasted mash, black truffle, shallot, wild garlic
  6. Roquefort, Muscat grape sorbet, celery
  7. Lemon curd, fennel, liquorice meringue
  8. 70% Valrhona chocolate, mandarin mousse and granite, stem ginger
  9. Petit fours

Chocolate dessert at The Olive Tree - Bath

Her favourite meals, even though she loved every one, were the Roquefort cheese and the lemon curd with the amazing liquorice meringue; the taste of which stayed with her for hours afterwards.

 

We can’t recommend The Olive Tree highly enough and feel it would be the best restaurant to go to if you’re having a celebration, or just want a night that is really special with friends or family. You’ll wish you went sooner.

 

Ratings: 

Atmosphere 5/5

Service 5/5

Food 5/5

Value 5/5

 

Address: The Queensberry Hotel, 4-7 Russel St, Bath BA1 2QF. Check out The Olive Tree's website here and find them on Facebook and Twitter.



Article by:

Safia Yallaoui - Editor

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.