MPW Steakhouse Bar & Grill – Cadbury House – Sunday Lunch Review
Posted on: 2017-06-01
Our rating:
I do find myself asking that all important question though. Would I rather eat this roast again, or one of my mums? I’d love to answer, but she’ll more than likely read this and I don’t fancy an angry phone call.
Walking through the majestic scenes at Cadbury House, on the outskirts of Bristol, was, in all perfect honesty, a faultless way to start off any Sunday lunch. Female guinea fowl roam the grounds, doves sit resting in their little perches and you get views of the countryside as far as the eye can see. It sounds like a fairy-tale but, believe me, it is very much real. The perfect ambience to sit back, relax and enjoy your Sunday afternoon.
After taking in the majesty of the grounds around Cadbury, it was time to step inside and take our seats. The beautiful décor through the dining room was the perfect fit to the glory that was the outside. The soft colours and ambient lighting set up an immediate relaxing feeling as you sink it a very comfortable booth. Like most British people, I have the highest expectations and standards when it comes to my Sunday roast. I wasn’t here at Cadbury to mess around. I was here to see if it lived up to the most classic of British traditions.
We were greeted by some of the friendliest and most attentive wait staff I have come across when dining out. It wasn’t just the fact they were good at refilling your water and held the utmost professionalism during their job, they also, as they say in Northern Ireland, were good craic. They wanted to chat with you informally and ask you about your day and weekend. The waitress and waiters make you feel at ease and that you are having a Sunday Roast at your nan’s house, and one of your cousins you haven’t seen in a while is just catching up with you. Got to tip my hat to them and advise Cadbury House to keep up the good work!
We sat down to browse through the menu. The menu isn’t the biggest in the world and offers a seasonal selection of the best local produce, which is what I prefer to see. When it came to starters my partner and I opted for the Smorgasbord. A selection of different of cold meats, fish, vegetables and a canteen of soup. Each dish, which arrayed beautifully, tasted incredibly well prepared and I really loved the informal feel of walking up and helping yourself to your starter, a real talking point of the meal. There was also a chef on standby to talk you through any of the dishes on display which was showed Cadbury’s emphasis on service and making sure you are treated right. The duck hoisin bonbon was a personal favourite of mine, although there were a few tight contenders from this meat, fish and veggie platter.
The soup was a delicious and buttery cauliflower one, which when put together with a nice bit of crusty bread and some croutons was stunning. My only problem was the portion size when it came to the soup. If there had been steps or a ladder dropped into it, I probably could have gone for a quick cauliflower dip. However, I shall touch on portion size later.
When it came to mains my partner opted for the striploin of beef (medium rare) and I went for the pork loin. The pork was accompanied with roasts potatoes, crackling, jus and a Yorkshire pudding the size of your head. The beef came with all of the above but with a much richer jus. This was all followed by a delightful board of carrots and parsnips, pickled red cabbage, apple sauce, thick beef gravy and for all of you cauliflower cheese fans out there, it made a welcome appearance on this board. Both types of meat were cooked to perfection.
Tender and juicy enough I could have cut through them with a spoon and packed with flavour. The Yorkshire was homemade and beautiful, oozing over the plate and reminding me what a proper Yorkshire pudding should be, none of this Aunt Bessie’s stuff around here. The pickled red cabbage added a lovely bit of acidity to cut through the richness of the roast and it was needed.
As I am comparing this to my Northern Irish mother and grandmothers Sunday roasts I do have to be critical or I fear a chase around a house with a slipper at some point. Much like my Smorgasbord, the portions were incredibly big. I know there will be people now saying ‘yeah but that’s the whole point of a Sunday roast, a big old feed of comfort food!’, and while this is a valid point, I don’t like being fed until the point of uncomfortable and I don’t like seeing food go to waste. Both my partner and I agreed there was far too much on the plates for two people and they could cut it by half and I would still be greatly satisfied.
The roast potatoes didn’t do a lot for me either. When I think of a proper roast potato I think crisp and golden on the outside, and fluffy and light on the inside. These were neither. The skin was rather limp, and the potato not fluffy. The carrot and parsnips were also over cooked until the point of near mush. They had a lovely sweet taste, but again, not the consistency I really wanted from my veg.
These little things were disappointing as you associate a Marco Pierre White restaurant to have exacting standards and not let these little mistakes come out of the kitchen. Although putting them aside, I did still enjoy my food, and they did make it very flavoursome.
We both opted for desserts, and I know I said I was full, but I needed something cold to cleanse my palette. I went for a selection of sorbet and my other half went for the lemon posset. This too me was a real highlight of the meal. A mixture of passionfruit, vanilla ice-cream, and apple sorbet was just what I needed after a heavy, rich meal. The Apple was incredibly sharp and was a joy to eat, whilst the other two were smoother than silk.
The lemon posset was also a real joy to eat. A beautifully made posset, with just the right amount of lemon coming through. There was also a gorgeously homemade piece of shortbread, and a sweet berry compote to accompany this, which when all mixed together blended beautifully to create a dessert I could eat time and time again.
When reflecting on my experience at Cadbury House, I must say that I am impressed. I mean, yes, there was faults with the food, however, when matched against with the incredible service, the magnificent grounds, and the overall relaxed atmosphere that they provide I can forgive some of the mistakes. Priced at £19.50 per person for three courses, you also can’t really beat them on price.
I do find myself asking that all important question though. Would I rather eat this roast again, or one of my mums? I’d love to answer, but she’ll more than likely read this and I don’t fancy an angry phone call.
For any further info on Cadbury House visit their website at - cadburyhotelbristol.co.uk.
Food 3
Value 5
Atmosphere 4
Service 5
Article by:
Matt, originally from Belfast, has only lived in Bristol for a year now and is studying Media & Journalism at UWE. He wants to concentrate his writing and media skills in Bristol's culinary culture, delving into what fine feasts the city has to offer and where the best places to go for food really are. Along with an aspiration to interview some of the influential people shaping Bristol and some who are simply passing through, Matt really is trying to make Bristol his new home! For any other info check out his Facebook or Twitter.
