The Abode Exeter is in what used to be The Royal Clarence Hotel. We managed to get a table at the restaurant while we were in the city to try one of his tasting menus. Michael Caines was born in Exeter and it apparently is still close to his heart, so we were looking forward to eating here.
The location was a grand old building in the centre of Exeter, in Cathedral Yard. This affords diners an excellent view of the Cathedral and sets a nice, refined scene for a lovely meal.
The tasting menu used to be something of a niche event. It’s nice that the idea is catching on and that other restaurants are offering them. A tasting menu is a great way to try new things and see what a chef is really capable of. This particular one was made up of some great dishes that we thoroughly enjoyed eating.
“Michael Caines tasting menu is innovative and seems to make the best use of local ingredients. We would visit again.”
The menu here was made up of 7 courses, with a wine for each. The amount of food in each course was ideal for tasting and was just enough to get a flavour of the food while leaving room for the others.
The menu is innovative and seems to make the best use of local ingredients. The cooking and presentation are outstanding and the sauces appetising and flavoursome. All the meat and fish dishes were cooked to perfection.
The highlights of our menu were the pan-fried Brixham scallops with celeriac purée and truffle soy vinaigrette. The poached monkfish tail with smoked paprika, lemon purèe, sweet peppers and chorizo foam.
Also worthy of note were the saddle of venision with braised pork belly, chestnut purée, braised salsify and jasmine raisin sauce was superb. The pork belly was succulent and tasty while the nutty character of the puree made it almost soul food on a quality scale.
The selection of local cheeses to finish was also worth mentioning. Each was fresh, tasty and left a very nice taste as we left.
The wines included an excellent Macabeo 2010 from Spain, Verdicchio dei Castelli Superiore 2010 and a Rioja reserve 2006 from Spain. The other wines were great too, but these three stood out. Each worked with their chosen course perfectly.
Our experience at Abode Exeter was a great one. The food was excellent, the wines perfectly matched and the service was spot on.
The Bill: £104 per head
