The Garden

As other reviewers have noted, the décor is a little bland and old fashioned, but we ate here for the two nights that we were staying in the hotel and had an enjoyable meal on both nights. It gets very busy, so early booking is essential. Unfortunately the booking made on the first night at Reception was not transmitted to the restaurant but they managed to accommodate us slightly later so we had a drink at the bar first. The staff and very helpful and approachable. We mixed-and-matched between the a la carte menu and the chef's specials. I had the fishcakes to start on the first night, followed by venison, and then we had a sharing platter on the second, followed by lamb. The portion sizes are generous and we only had room for a light desert afterwards. There is a good wine list and we had an excellent rioja on the first night and a pinot noir on the second and many of the wines are available by the glass.

The decor in this restaurant is straight out of the 1990s which didn't fill me with hope for the quality of the food, but I couldn't have been more pleasantly surprised. The food was excellent and the service efficient and friendly. My only criticism is that some of the descriptions on the menu weren't entirely accurate for instance, the cheeseboard didn't come wit the promised chutney. But overall, highly recommended.

Called in for a quick lunch. The carvery was very busy so went into the bar at the staff's advice. Found the entire area to be quite dark with hardly any natural light and limited artificial light. Ordered from the bar menu by attending the bar and paid. Price quite normal for such a chain. The dishes came within 15 minutes and were hot and as expected. I would not rush back due mainly to the bar atmosphere but it is OK for a quick lunch.

We had sea bass and cod. Both were attractively presented. The sea bass was fresher than the cod. Overall, the food was just acceptable. Service was by pleasant but bumbling and casually dressed amateurs except for the young woman who took our orders, who was properly outfitted, efficient and knowledgeable.

We had reserved a table at the restaurant but arrived a bit late because our massages at the spa ran over time. The spa contacted the restaurant to inform them of our delay, which was not an issue. We were seated on the beautiful sunny patio and enjoyed our delicious meal along with plenty of tea. The service, atmosphere, and food were all fantastic.