Entertainments | Dining Guide | Eaton Court
Eaton Court |
Eaton Court is primarily a hotel, but one which has built up a solid reputation for, well, solid food.
And that's the thing here, this isn't exactly the pinnacle of cooking prowess, but it offers a good varied menu adequately performed and with great hospitality.
The first thing of real note was the friendliness of the staff. Diners are treated as guests in the hotel rather than moneymaking additions to the week, and even though it was clearly a quiet night everything was beautifully done.
The style is laid-back and hearty. You won't get a wine waiter with a tea towel draped over on arm, but you will get asked if you're OK, regular refills and friendly guidance through the menu.
The dining area is, sadly, rather dull and characterless. It's tidy, but exactly how the makers of picnic rugs would decorate a room.
On to the food, which arrived promptly. My lobster and prawn bisque was packed full of flavour, not too rich despite the cream and, all in all, a thoroughly welcome dish on a cold wet night. There was a little too much salt, but that was almost certainly because I added to it without tasting. Definite credit marks.
My partner had the star starter - fresh melon and pineapple with ginger and a strawberry coulis, described as 'refreshing and of delicate flavour with a real tang of ginger'.
I was upset to end up on the wrong half of the draw when it came to main courses. My fillet steak Rossini was simply unspectacular. A good bit of meat cooked as I had asked it to be, but with a pate home to a slightly synthetic aftertaste and mash with a bit too much starch. The tongue was unimpressed even if my shirt was rigid with the steam.
Rachael's main course was very good - a chicken creole with peppers, onions and a herb and creme fraiche sauce, all served up on fresh taglietteli. The meat was moist and tender and the sauce absolutely lovely, again not too rich but certainly a treat.
The only downer on her whole evening out was a small piece of tin foil in said sauce - well, the food was served promptly, very promptly indeed, even suspiciously so.
In the end the verdict on my dinner was, well, solid, with Rachael's a little better than that despite the tin foil incident.
The price? Well, not too bad but a little over the odds all the same. I felt a bit aggrieved rolling off £35 of notes for the food - without a bottle of wine - even if I can claim it back on expenses. The friendly treatment was worth a little extra, but the extra was enough to cause some brow knitting.
Our rating: 3/5
