Location: Abergavenny, Wales, UK
Visited: July 2010, Dinner
The Walnut Tree Inn restaurant has been famous for many years. I dined here last 10 years ago in one of it's 'hay days' and had a superb experience. In 2010, and under the helm of Shaun Hill and co, my experience lacked in some areas, and excelled in others.
The atmosphere was loud and casual and we were seated at a table for four in a low lit area of the restaurant. Visibility was low and without candle light we had all commented as soon as we squinted at the menu. The table was missing cutlery although was laid for four diners, and when we were eventually asked for our drinks order, we then had to wait for extra water glasses as two out of 4 were not present as they should have been.
So to the menu - simple and informal. Whilst I understand why, the menu lacked surprises and no single menu entry jumped out. It all looked okay, but only okay. I opted for scallops (as invariably I do) with coriander and lentils. Others had monkfish, courgette flowers with ricotta, and finally red mullet. Everyone enjoyed their starter, and all shared similar views - exquisite sauces, simple cooking, but masterfully prepared and delivered. The scallops were juicy and the coriander lentil concoction they rested on was delicious. The kind of sauce you wanted to eat as soup. The monkfish with tomato and chilli was apparently 'fab'.
For main I hesitantly (possibly reluctantly) chose the sirloin and salsa verde, others had a 'vegetarian option' tart, John dory and sea bass. All options tasted good, with good definition in the elements of the dish. It was simple but effective, and a nod to what can be accomplished with good local produce and simple techniques; a commodity many restaurants I see forget to consider, let alone strive to deliver. That said, and as I had probably pre-guessed, my Sirloin was just a well cooked sirloin and the salsa verde for me was on the wrong plate.
The desserts were a let down, nothing gelled and not one of the dishes we had was received with great applause. We would all opt for the cheeseboard next time.
Overall a good meal, although not a great 'experience'. Yes I would return, the cooking was excellent generally and the flavours were what all chefs aspire to in their cooking. It just didn't feel right and lacked something within it's informality. Probably formality - as the flavours and those coriander lentils deserved more of this.
