FOOD REVIEW: The Guildhall Tavern

Did the recent news of the The Guildhall Tavern's new ownership give you a surprise?

It certainly came as a shock to us; being completely honest, my husband and I were rather worried our favourite restaurant would no longer hold all the features that made it our go-to for a date night.

We gave it a try last week, and I'm delighted to report that it is still The Guildhall Tavern we know and love but with improvements which we wouldn't have thought possible.

As soon as you enter the historic building, you can feel that upgrades have already been made; the decor feels fresh and clean while still maintaining a cosy and nautical vibe. Little additions such as luxury white table linen make it feel even more special. 

The menu is largely the same (much to our relief), but more modern cooking styles and a slightly different direction has been applied. 

I selected my 'usuals' to see how similar the menus were. It was obvious when our starters arrived that Ian, The Head Chef has taken huge amounts of care to lovingly enhance the existing menu. The French classic Bouillabaisse Fish Soup was beautifully garnished and boasted generous amounts of fresh fish including salmon, cod and mussels, scattered with fresh salty samphire. There was clearly no expense spared and the aromatic bouillabaisse was flavoured with fennel and saffron. 

Whole 'Canoe Boned' Sea Bass with saffron and mussel paella was my choice of main. Although I've sampled many sea bass in the past, the canoe boned method is new to me. Essentially this style keeps the bottom sealed which really locked in all the flavour and moisture. The fish was stuffed with paella which was sympathetically seasoned to enhance the flavour of the fish. It was truly delicious!

My husband had grilled sardines on toast, the sardines tasted fresh out of the sea. Followed by the Whole Lemon Sole with samphire, crayfish and butter. He seemed even more relieved than me that the menu has not been replaced but simply lovingly enhanced.

The dessert menu seems largely different (or we just hadn't paid attention to it before) but the Ice Peanut Butter Parfait (dark chocolate dome, hot cherry and Kirch sauce) absolutely wowed us!

All the reasons we loved The Guildhall Tavern are still there; it still feels special without being pretentious, the atmosphere is relaxed, staff are knowledgeable and efficient without being over-bearing and the food and wines are exquisite - but it just feels like it's undergoing an exciting new lease of life.

We can't wait to try their Sunday Lunch menu (launching for the first time in the restaurant's history on Mother's Day) and to experience the new upstairs cocktail bar (opening in June). 

Lots of reasons to keep going back and we hope you enjoy your experience of the rejuvenated Guildhall Tavern as much as we did.

Find out more or book Guildhall Tavern HERE!