The Restaurant at Cowley Manor is a high class but relaxed venue set inside the impressive Cowley Manor Hotel near Cheltenham.
The restaurant is a good reflection of the host hotel. It’s high class, well decorated and furnished, the staff are friendly and welcoming and the food is very good indeed.
We began our evening with a cocktail in the lounge, we had an apple crumble Martini and a Cowley Cosmo. Both are bespoke cocktails devised by the people at the hotel. Both were delicious, especially the apple crumble Martini.
We also indulged in a raspberry Mojito and had an after-dinner cocktail of a Cowley shake, a mixture of vodka, Baileys, Kahlua and vanilla ice cream. An excellent palate cleanser.
One finished, we moved on to dinner. Starters were Jerusalem artichoke soup and a red onion and goat’s cheese tart. The soup was dressed with truffle oil and was a real treat. The artichokes tasted fresh and green, while the truffle oil added a richness that complement it well.
The red onion and goat’s cheese tart was just as good, with fresh, flaky pastry and warm gooey goat’s cheese. The onion was tasty but not overpowering and set us up nicely for our main course.
That main course was fillet steak and pumpkin gnocchi. The steak was served with potato rosti, honey glazed baby parsnips and a tarragon sauce. The steak was juicy, meaty with hardly any fat whatsoever, it was also cooked perfectly.
The pumpkin gnocchi tasted much better than it sounds and was served with wild mushrooms, Chantenay carrots and artichoke puree. Despite having artichoke in the starter, it didn’t feel overdone. The flavours were both complex and simple at the same time, a great main course.
Dessert consisted of rhubarb and custard and Cowley trio of chocolate. The rhubarb and custard was a lovely, modern take on the children’s favourite. This one had poached rhubarb, saffron custard, vanilla foam and a pistachio brittle. Certainly more refined than the school dinners of my youth!
The Cowley trio of chocolate was a chocolate brownie, warm chocolate ravioli and white chocolate truffle. Another dish that tasted much better than it’s name suggests.
The service and the standard of food at The Restaurant at Cowley Manor was superb and we would certainly dine here again.
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The Bill: £85 per person
