The White Hart - Bath Food Review
Posted on: 2017-04-10
Our rating:
The beautiful garden is the perfect place to enjoy the great food on a sunny afternoon
Take a look at the garden picture below – is it Cote de Azure? Cannes? No, the pretty garden at The White Hart, Bath, early April, where we very much enjoyed an alfresco, three course lunch.
It’s a pub that has been there for many years without changing its name to match its image. Always popular and conveniently tucked around the corner in pretty Widcombe, just over the bridge, at the back of Bath Spa station. Why not dine and then take a stroll along the canal?
They offer a very appealing set menu for £15 for two courses or, equally appealing, the chef has designed an A La Carte menu that includes a good range of vegetarian options.
We tucked into the works! I started with linguine with a crab and salmon cream sauce which was light even if it was pasta (my ruin!) and had a lovely hint of dill. This was followed by roast Guinea fowl on a bed of barley risotto, with a chorizo sauce. Guinea fowl is richer then chicken and so it works well to have something that absorbs that richness but keeps it succulent. Delicious. My partner enjoyed a ham hock terrine followed by inventive stilton and chard Eccles cakes with salad. The pastry was light and flakey, no stodge, not greasy, just savory with a pleasing mix of texture.
The dessert menu was a mix of homemade ice creams, waffles and panna cotta combinations. Fairly standard basic desserts but all served with a slightly different twist in the flavours, and the quality was high, not at all mass produced. I went for salted caramel and macadamia nut iced parfait, and my partner the waffles with maple syrup and vanilla/chocolate ice cream. Another satisfying blend of textures, flavours and different kinds of sweetness.
The interior of the White Hart is plain and chic, usually booked up in the evening by a mature crowd. The bar has a full range of beers, wines and ciders – and their coffee is gooood. At lunch I noticed a family enjoying a birthday meal (with surprise birthday cake being presented), some locals just having a pint, in the garden with their dogs. It would not be a place I would take small children to except on a sunny day and into the garden.
The food is extremely good and the relaxed atmosphere and friendly informal staff mean that this isn’t ‘fine dining’ (which I associate with serving rituals and fuss over loads of white, starched damask) but you will undoubtedly get one of the best meals to be had in Bath there. A three course meal, for two, with drinks will cost around £65 and given the high standard of the food I feel that is good value.
Ratings:
Atmosphere 5/5
Service 5/5
Food 5/5
Value 5/5
Address: Widcombe Hill, Bath BA2 6AA. Check out The White Hart's website here and find them on Facebook and Twitter.
Article by:
Vicky is involved with the local arts community, teaching performing arts and also writing theatre/circus reviews. She's been living and happily eating her way round Bath for 12 years. And in her words "I mean to go on as I started!"
