The Edwardian Grill is Bovey Castle’s main dining experience. Situated in the heart of Dartmoor in the UK’s second largest county of Devon, the hotel and restaurant offer some outstanding views of the surrounding moorland and the castle’s championship golf course.
Headed up by Marc Hardiman, the restaurant is beautifully decorated in an art deco style and is immediately welcoming and comforting due to the gentle music, low lighting and comfortable furniture. Everything about it made me feel at ease, I felt I could sit there all evening and I wasn’t rushed through every course. Service was with a smile and I was well attended to but not suffocated. Glancing around the room between courses I took in the large dining area and admired how the room with its high ceilings and tall windows could feel so cosy but it did.
Down to the business of food … For my starter I chose scallops, which were served with smoked bacon and a caper and cauliflower puree. The scallops were light and tender as expected and were perfectly complimented by the typical crispy bacon accompaniment and caper puree. Caper is not a favourite of mine but it did work well with the dish.
I was pleased to see halibut on the menu so I chose this for my next course. A refill of wine and next up was my locally caught fish, which was served with lobster, potato and broad beans. Broad beans happen to be my favourite pulse and I believe they are a winning combination with meaty fishes such as turbot and halibut. The portions were fulfilling enough and the only let down was the very chewy (I couldn’t get through it) yet tasty lobster. The dish didn’t need it as it was tasty enough and didn’t bring any extra excitement to the plate.
After another few sips of wine my anticipation started to build for the dessert. I had gone for something not often seen on a dessert menu, something only a brave chef, in my opinion, would offer up in a busy restaurant – a soufflé. The berry soufflé was served with vanilla ice cream and looked scrumptious. The soufflé was so light, fluffy and marshmallowy and offered a welcome surprise of a gathering of bittersweet berries at the bottom of the dish.
I returned to the Oak Bar where I had made my menu choices with a drink on arrival to enjoy an aperitif before heading back to my suite. (Read my full hotel review here)
In a nutshell
All in all the dining experience was a pleasing one for me, I was happy with my food choices and the cloud-like soufflé topped off the meal nicely. I could have done without the chewy lobster but you can’t have it all! I enjoy food and eating, and being comfortable and relaxed while dining is a must for optimum enjoyment – The Edwardian Grill did it for me.
Address: Bovey Castle, North Bovey, Dartmoor National Park, Devon, TQ13 8RE
boveycastle.com
Book a table today on 01647 445000
