There is also something nice about returning to the same places again and again, developing routines and habits and I recently returned from a weekend in Stratford to see 'Midsummer Night's Dream' with one of my closest friends. It's an annual jaunt and we tend to visit the same lovely places for food. This year, however, we branched out a little and found two very good restaurants to try if you're ever in the area.
Shakespeare himself had a lot to say about food and drink (the quote that forms the title of this post is from Othello: act 2, scene 3) and dining out is always a big part of our trips away.
This time we opted to try the new RSC Rooftop restaurant in the recently renovated RSC Theatre.
RSC Rooftop Theatre
Tel: 01789 403449
http://www.rsc.org.uk/visit-us/stratford/rooftop-restaurant/menus.aspx
The theatre itself is a beautiful building, with faithful use of the older elements and some intruiging new design features. There's a lovely little tribute to Shakespeare near the Riverside Cafe part of the building which was especially interesting to me, as a big Shakey fan.
We opted to eat in the Rootftop restaurant because of the ease of getting from there into our seats for the performance and also because the online pre-theatre menu had sounded both intruiging and value for money. The restaurant itself has amazing views of the river and the park in Stratford and also boasts a round room for private hire. The bar is also worth a visit for one of the lovingly made cocktails (I sampled a very fine and very peachy bellini).
Menu
We both chose the three course set menu, and plumped for the confit duck with peach and shaved fennel to start. The duck was tender and well cooked, moist but not greasy, and the taste combination of the sweet peach with the aniseed taste of the fennel was a new one for me. As a starter it was perfect; light but with enough different tastes and textures on the plate to keep you interested.
As both of us have foodie interests (my companion is more of a baker and cake maker than I) we opted for different main courses to better sample the menu. I went for roast hake which came on a tower of crushed potatoes and with a gorgeous creamy pea, lettuce and bacon sauce. The other main was corn-fed chicken with turnip, broccoli and wild mushrooms which recieved glowing praise for the tenderness of the chicken and the general quality of the dish.
Hake
Chicken
We were encouraged to order sides by our server and went for french fries and vegetables. These were very tasty but not really necessary and in future, I'd avoid the tendency to fall for the encouragement of the waiting staff to add a few sides to the order.
For dessert, we went for different forms of cheese based dish; I went for a selection of local cheeses which were served with some unusual crackers, a fruity and spicy chutney and some small shards of fruity marmalade. My friend (a confessed lemon addict) went for the lemon cheesecake with raspberry compote which was wonderfully presented with a tuile and some creme fraiche.
Cheese
Cheesecake
Overall, the set three courses for £18.50 is an absolute bargain. The service is attentive and polite, the views are lovely, and the food is good quality but with a few extra details that make it something a little special. There's also a good range of wines and a premium wine and champagne list for those celebrating a special occasion.
A quick visit to the website shows that the set menu has now changed with the season but, either way, the dishes on the new menu sound equally delicious as the ones we sampled on the weekend.
Moons Restaurant
9 Chapel Street
Stratford-upon-Avon
Tel: 01789 267069
Foregoing our usual Sunday lunch at The Dirty Duck (see below) we tried out Edward Moon's Brasserie , foregoing the assumption that this was in any way related to David Essex's character in Eastenders. This branching out from our usual routine turned out to be an excellent idea - Moon's offered a reasonable set lunch of £11.99 for two courses and its a la carte menu is also very well priced with starters averaging at £5 and mains starting at around a tenner for sausage and mash and rising to £15-£16 for steak or duck.
The Sunday lunch menu was concise but tempting and I opted for a goats cheese and beetroot salad to start whilst my companion forewent the starter option. The salad was light and fresh with a slightly acidic dill dressing. The cheese was soft and plentiful (I always worry with a cheese-based salad that I'll be faced with two slices and that's it!) and worked well with the beetroot. It's a tried and tested combo and this one did not disapppoint.
For the mains I went with beef and all the trimmings which was also very good. The portions were'nt huge which was a relief and contained two well cooked and still pink slices of roast beef, a lovely herby yorkshire pudding, perfect roasties and a selection of vegetables. The other dish sampled was roast pork with crackling and roast apple which recieved equally high praise from my friend.
There are no photos of this meal, sadly, but for a well-priced and well cooked Sunday lunch with friendly service, we'd certainly return there on a future trip.
Other recommendations:
The Dirty Duck - a lovely old-fashioned pub which serves huge Sunday lunches and can often be a watering hole for the actors from the RSC. David Tennant was spotted here several times during his tenure as Hamlet in 2008.
Will's Place -The restaurant of the outstanding Legacy Falcon hotel, this place offers some excellent food and good pre-theatre set dinners.
Ettington Chase Not strictly in Stratford but only a short drive away (around 7 miles) this is a stunning country house location that offers some divine and reasonably priced afternoon teas (with or without champagne but, let's face it, why say no to champers?)
No comments:
Post a Comment