The Great Western

Afternoon tea here was divine. We unfortunately got here a bit late as the sat nav/GPS/Google Maps was very off base, but we made it eventually. Was a lovely experience from there and had a fantastic time luxuriating in the afternoon with the tea and then took a walk around the gardens. Highly recommend for a wonderful, relaxing afternoon for a weekend or holiday.

Amazing

日常を離れてのんびりゆったり過ごすのに最高のところ！

This review is based on two visits to the Great Western, one for an evening dinner service and another for breakfast. Both were very good and worthy of describing separately.As with a lot of fine dining restaurants, and make no mistake this is a fine dining restaurant, dinner can be had two ways: with a set tasting menu or al la carte, of which there are both meat and vegetarian versions. I decided on al la carte and ordered the Garden Board to start and a pea risotto for the main. I was slightly disappointed with the variety of vegetarian entrees on the menu, as it was mostly different varieties of pasta, but was pleased when, unexpectedly, dish after dish came to the table courtesy of the chef and at no extra charge, turning my al la carte meal into what was essentially a tasting menu.Not all the dishes were a hit (the amuse bouche was slightly strange and contained gelatin, which the kitchen should probably know isn’t vegetarian), but the thought was there. I don’t know if these additional dishes are normally provided to guests, but it was nice regardless. I should also note that some of the dishes, like the Garden Board and ravioli, can also be had at the hotel’s other restaurant, Smith’s Brassiere. The prices are the same at both, but the Great Western iterations are slightly more elaborate: the ravioli has far more garnish, for example. Overall the meal was very good and the service was satisfactory, though they forgot to bring bread to the table until quite some time into the meal. Despite this, the dinner service is a good experience and recommended if you’re staying at the hotel or are in the area.Breakfast is a slightly different story. Similar to dinner, it can be had two ways: you can get the Full English for £20 or continental for £15. Service takes place in the main dinning room, but patrons with dogs must sit outside. I requested to sit outside despite not having a dog and the maître d′ graciously obliged. He also informed my party that we could help ourselves to the continental spread at will while we waited for our meal. Ultimately the Full English was tasty, though sparse for its listed price. It’s failing is more in that it overcomplicates what is ultimately a very simple dish. I don’t need my hash-browns formed into a perfect rectangle, for example. Though considering the Full English is only an extra £5 on top of the continental’s price, it’s worthwhile for those who want more that just a (very good) buffet.

Four of us stayed for a week at the end of September 2019. If it's good service and food you're looking for then I recommend looking elsewhere. Dined in the restaurant - opted for tap water and our glasses were filled with warm brackish water. They were not refilled all evening. The wine was put in a bucket and placed some distance from the table so had to get up from the table to refill our glasses. The roast loin of rabbit starter was tough and the cured salmon so salty as to be almost inedible. The Beef Wellington at £10pp supplement had a pastry surround resembling cardboard in both taste and texture that two of our group left it untouched. The roast loin and belly of pork was largely inedible. The belly roll was burnt and dried out. The maître d' asked why we hadn't said anything when he asked if everything was OK so I had to explain that he asked us before we had a chance to taste our meal. He was not to be seen again until he came to collect our plates. We were dining mid week at 7.30pm. By the time our mains arrived the only two other tables had departed leaving only our table in a room that can seat about 150. The maître d' did offer the two of us who had the inedible pork a complimentary desert. I declined but my mother had the baked peach alaska. This was a meringue on top of half a peach thinly sliced - no ice cream. One of our group chose the souffle but then noticed it mentioned a 20 minute wait, however, the maître d' said that was only during busy times and that it would be much quicker as we were the only ones in the restaurant - it was 20 minutes - and also tasteless. Breakfasts are a similar experience. The staff on the whole do an excellent job in avoiding eye contact before disappearing back into the kitchen for long periods. We had to wait over 30 minutes one day to order coffee and toast. The egg's benedict and eggs royale both tasted strongly of vinegar. The bacon was also very strange - I actually regurgitated the whole first mouthful. None of our table felt able to eat it. Another table of 6 felt similar and asked for it to be removed from their plates (after walking the length of the restaurant to find someone to complain to.) We mentioned the fact that there was something wrong with the bacon to the waiter who said 'it's not my fault'. Overall a very poor experience and not one we intend to repeat. If you want good food I'd recommend Gidleigh Park a couple of miles down the road.