The Olive Tree Restaurant in Bath sits comfortably inside the Queensberry Hotel and is a nice little eatery for those who like their food pretty and conversation relaxed.
The dining room is an informal affair and was busy and had a lively atmosphere. The tables were well spaced, so you could converse in peace but didn’t feel all alone. Servers whisked about with plates loaded with great looking food, a good sign in any eaterie.
The menu is simple but effective, with an emphasis on using local produce to deliver “modern English” cuisine. The standards and presentation of the food was high.
Our starter consisted of the soup of the day, which was spicy tomato and a pea and broad bean risotto. The soup was fresh, spicy and very rich and came with parmesan beignets. The pea and broad bean risotto came with gorgonzola and sunflower shoots and was an interesting take on the Spanish classic.
They were both vibrant starters that did their job by leaving us wanting more.
Main course was a pair of potato gnocchi with tomato, ricotta and summer vegetables. The gnocchi were home-made, fried and covered in the rich sauce. Despite having had tomato for a starter, this didn’t feel too much. The sauce was light, obviously freshly made and worked well with the cheese bits.
“The Olive Tree Restaurant is simple but effective, with an emphasis on using local produce to deliver modern English cuisine.”
Desserts were a couple of portions of homemade ice cream. They were lemon, pistachio and strawberry and arrived on a large plate with fresh cherries. Each had a distinctive flavour, the lemon and strawberry were simple, sweet and very fresh while the pistachio was richer and earthier.
We visited on Father’s Day and the place was packed. It’s always a good sign and we didn’t mind. The only downside to that is that the service was let down slightly because the staff were rushed. Little things like women being seated and served first were forgotten, which would annoy the super-picky.
Other than that, The Olive Tree Restaurant served us some well-presented food that worked as well on the palate as it did on the plate. Despite the slight errors in service, we would definitely come here again.
The Bill: £55 per head
