The venue is new, having only been open a few months. It’s well proportioned, well laid out and has a nice, calm feel to it.
The décor includes a lot of brown, but in a good way. It’s an earthy, well-grounded décor, with dark furniture to complement. The tables are well proportioned and well positioned, with the inclusion of a chef’s table at the edge of the open kitchen.
We began with a pre-starter of sourdough crisps with hummus and caramelised onion with a glass of Moet. The dish was lovely and went well with the crispness of the champagne, a great start.
We elected for Mulligatawny haddock and smoked beetroot salad for starters. The Mulligatawny was served with spices and lentils. The levels of flavour in the spice was perfect, just the right level of heat and depth.
The smoked beetroot salad came with goats curd and toasted walnuts. The leaves were fresh, the beetroot crispy and the walnuts were toasted to perfection. Both starters were excellent and we were already looking forward to our mains!
“The Aalto Restaurant is well proportioned, well laid out and has a nice, calm feel.”
Those main course dishes were char-grilled pork chop and rib eye steak. The pork was served with endive and apple sauce and was utterly delicious. The steak was Lake District rib eye, served with a red wine sauce, horseradish and chips. We also had sides of mash and Jersey Royal potatoes.
The meat was a joy to eat. Both were succulent, well prepared and almost fell apart on the fork. The accompanying vegetables were fresh and equally well prepared. The entire course went down very well indeed.
Having saved room for dessert, we elected to try the apple and blackberry crumble and the Bakewell tart. The crumble came with custard and Calvados cream, making the dish very sweet and very rich. The combination worked well. The Bakewell tart was soft, sweet and was served with clotted cream.
Our meal at the Aalto Restaurant was excellent. The quality was good, the portion sizes decent and the service was fast. For a new restaurant in a new venue, that’s a very good start. We would happily visit here again.
The Bill: £54 per head
