Review: The Dower House

Situated on Bath’s famous Royal Crescent, the hotel is rather breath-taking. Through the hotel’s modest door you’re escorted into a sizable, pretty garden that leads via a little path to The Dower House restaurant. Although you’re in the heart of the city, you feel like you could be in a Cotswold Retreat!

We were greeted by the friendly and attentive Head Waiter, Eduardo and seated in the luxurious bar where we enjoyed  pre-dinner drinks. Following the hotels recent win of Best Wine Selection at the Bath Good food awards my guest couldn’t wait to view the wine list - and try some of the recommendations. He opted for the Pinot Noir Alamos which smelt divine and, apparently, tasted equally amazing too! 

Our drinks were quickly followed by some pre-dinner nibbles delicately seasoned savoury nuts (I will definitely be trying Almonds and Rosemary at home) and pork crisps with plump Olives.

We were then brought the menu where we had a choice of the tasting menu, vegetarian tasting menu and A La Carte. It didn’t take much deliberating, one look at the dishes on the tasting menu and we were sold! The Head Sommelier Jean-Marc Leitao, then took our wine order. Jean-Marc’s passion for his job, the wine and restaurant is infectious, we really enjoyed speaking with him and he listened to our tastes - recommending a Montepulciano D'abruzzo to compliment the tasting menu.

It was early Friday evening and guests were filtering into the bar where the atmosphere was incredibly warm and relaxing. Although we were excited to begin our meal we soaked up the surroundings a little longer and we loved that we didn’t feel rushed.

When we moved into the restaurant I was delighted that we were seated in one of the bay windows overlooking the garden. Although it was dark, the garden was beautifully lit and it was such a wonderful setting to enjoy our meal.

A selection of homemade breads arrived shortly after we were seated and although delicious we tried not to eat too much - because we didn’t want to ruin the seven courses we had ahead of us!

The first dish on the menu was Cep Soup with Roast Pistachio, Pickled Mushroom and Truffle Essence. The delicate creamy and rich earthy flavour of the ceps melted in the mouth and was perfectly complemented by the contrasting texture and crunch of the nuts. The truffle essence made a decadent finish which really set the standard for the courses that lay ahead.

Our next dish was Tea Cured Organic Salmon, Avocado Wasabi, Japanese Radish, Shiso and Oyster Yogurt Soup.  This was my favourite course! The salmon was so delicate and cured wonderfully.  The the accompanying ingredients really brought out the fresh flavour and soft texture of the fish without over powering.

The Slow Cooked Duck Egg, Chicken Essence, Iberico Ham, Mushroom and Chicken Crisp was my least favourite dish. I found it a little too rich for my taste and the egg was slightly runny and seemed to over-take the plate and the rest of the food - but this was simply my personal opinion!   My guest didn’t share this view in the slightest and thoroughly enjoyed the dish. I think you have to love duck eggs for this plate – which are quite an acquired taste.

We then had a ten minute break before the main course. We were just discussing the beautiful building and garden and couldn’t believe our eyes when it started snowing. A window seat overlooking a snowy garden while enjoying the chef, David Campbell’s culinary creations takes some beating!

Our attention quickly turned away from the snow when our main arrived; Everleigh Farm Venison, Beetroot, Horseradish Potato, Red Wine Salsify and Rainbow Chard. The pink venison was rich and gamey in flavour  and was complemented by the mashed potato which had just a subtle hint of horseradish but didn’t overpower the Venison’s intense meaty flavour.

We then tried the optional supplement dish; Westcombe Park Ricotta, Parsnip, Apple, Charcoal Emulsion, Red Dorset Watercress and Toasted Spelt. This was a very interesting dish and we’d never had cheese prior to pudding before but we certainly will again. The earthy flavours really neutralised the palate ready for the Grande Finale!

The first of the two puddings really surprised me when I saw it on the menu. Black Forest Gateau – I thought this was a bit safe for The Dower House but I should have had more faith. This was not your 80s style decadence! This was an explosion of juicy berries; I loved that although it was creamy, the chocolate and fruit had a real bite. It was simply divine.

Just when I thought it couldn’t possibly get any better the Banoffee arrived. Banoffee pudding is my favourite desert, but after this I think I will always be disappointed. The banana, cheesecake, popcorn and sauce were beautifully presented, individually, on the plate which meant you could savour each flavour and texture and fully appreciate the chef’s thought behind his take on an old favourite. Catherine Locke, the Head Pastry Chef is clearly extremely talented and recreates famous classics with all the finesse you'd expect from The Dower House.

Although we had worked our way through a very large menu we felt pleasantly full and enjoyed a lovely cup of Assam Tea.  Yet again we couldn’t believe our eyes when a tray of petit fours were delivered to the table.  Macaroons, fudge, chocolate and hazelnut sweets, we couldn’t resist and devoured all of these surprise treats.

As with our arrival, we didn’t feel rushed to leave and in fact we enjoyed a long conversation with Eduardo and Nicki Macfarlane, the Restaurant Manager. Their passion for the hotel, the food and the service is so clear and you can see that they clearly genuinely love their job and take huge pride in what they do. We thoroughly enjoyed hearing about the evolution of the hotel and are looking forward to visiting again and seeing the very exciting developments which are afoot – and of course indulging once more on their delicious menu.