64 | squaremeal.co.uk For fuller reviews of 11,500 restaurants throughout the UK, visit squaremeal.co.uk
Manchester House:
Because the cooking
is constantly perfect
and I love the dining
room. The lunch menu
is always incredible
quality too.
Freemasons, Wiswell:
Because it's so cool to get Michelinquality
food in those surroundings.
Porta, Chester: For its beautiful small
dishes. The owners wanted to open
somewhere they'd like to hang out in and
that's how it feels. Really chilled out with a
quirky outside space for people watching.
Chef's favourites
GARY USHER,
STICKY WALNUT
Manchester House:
Because the cooking
is constantly perfect
and I love the dining
room. The lunch menu
is always incredible
quality too.
Freemasons, Wiswell:
1 The Hardwick Monmouthshire 2 Purple Poppadom Cardiff
3 Restaurant James Sommerin Cardiff 4 Y Polyn Carmarthenshire
5 Ynshir Hall Powys
5 More Reader Favourites...
WALES
rice to roast Dartmoor venison with parsnip,
beetroot, cocoa and peanut crumble. "Really
accommodating service" is a big bonus.
23 The Seafood
Restaurant
Riverside, Padstow, Cornwall, PL28 8BY;
01841 532700 ££ NEW ENTRY
Rick Stein's long-serving ¥ agship
This is where it all began for Rick Stein, and 40
years down the line the Seafood Restaurant
still delivers "heaven on a plate" without
"overly stu y" posturing. Flavours from Stein's
travels dominate, from Singapore chilli crab to
classic turbot with hollandaise sauce.
24 Stovell's
Windsor Road, Chobham, Surrey,
GU24 8QS; 020 3589 9950 ££ [17]
Ambitious out-of-town eatery
Fernando and Kirsty Stovell's converted
farmhouse is now a classy destination with
bags of ambition. It's "always a delight" to eat
the nely honed, complex dishes strewn with
wild pickings, such as lemon sole with broad
beans, lemon verbena and coastal herbs.
"Well-timed service" is much appreciated.
25 The Walnut Tree
Llanddewi Skirrid, Monmouthshire,
NP7 8AW; 01873 852797 ££ [16]
Welsh foodie icon still going strong
Shaun Hill has put the Walnut Tree back on
the Michelin-starred map. Prices are a steal,
the atmosphere crackles and the kitchen
serves dishes such as veal kidneys with black
pudding and Marsala sauce.
26 The Great House
Market Place, Lavenham, Su olk,
CO19 9QZ; 01787 247431 £ [40]
A slice of France in historic Su¨ olk
Régis and Martine Crépy play host to an
appreciative crowd, who come for Frenchaccented
cooking with plenty of modern
ourishes, backed by faultless service.
27 The Plumed Horse
50-54 Henderson Street, Edinburgh,
EH6 6DE; 0131 554 5556 ££ [18]
Personally run waterfront thoroughbred
Tony Borthwick's Plumed Horse wins friends
with its clear- avoured dishes along the lines
of poached and roasted squab pigeon with
clapshot mousse and wild asparagus. Service
and wines are everything you could wish for.
28 Fraiche
11 Rose Mount, Oxton, Merseyside,
CH43 5SG; 0151 652 2914 ££ [20]
Extreme cuisine from a single-minded chef
A Michelin-starred one-o with 'nature' as its
theme. Marc Wilkinson explores the fringes
of "gastro science" with his "stunning" tasting
menus - from Gressingham duck with cocoa
crisp and kohlrabi to lemongrass pannacotta.
29 Andrew Fairlie
at Gleneagles
Gleneagles, Auchterarder, Perthshire, PH3 1NF;
01764 694267 £££ [25]
Premier league Scottish destination
Andrew Fairlie's two-Michelin-starred bastion
of "grand ne dining" gives native ingredients
a clever spin, from monk sh with fennel
purée and sea beet to roast Gartmorn duck
with pak choy and con t leg. "Fantastic
whiskies" and a voluminous wine list too.
30 Roger Hickman's
79 Upper St Giles Street, Norwich,
Norfolk, NR2 1AB; 01603 633522
££ NEW ENTRY
Civilised city restaurant with classy food
The best in Norwich by a country mile, Roger
Hickman's restaurant is a paragon of civility
and gastronomic excellence - a "pleasure to
visit". Sharply de ned seasonal avours point
up dishes such as blowtorched mackerel with
baby beetroot and horseradish.
"SUPER LOCATION, REALLY FRESH FOOD"
GILES PHILLIPS ON PORTHMINSTER BEACH CAFÉ
The Seafood Restaurant