Eating out F
rom fine dining restaurants to quirky cafés, homely gastropubs and everything in between, Devon has so many options for summer
dining that the only downside is having to choose between them. So don’t – enjoy eating your way around
our glorious county and let lots of these eateries tantalise your tastebuds and compete to become your new fave. To start you off, here are just some of our many local summer dining highlights.
What’s new? Exciting new openings have been turning up the heat on our local dining scene, including two celebrity chefs opening restaurants in Devon this year (and we’re only halfway through 2013!). Cookery colossus Marco Pierre White opened Marco’s New York Italian next to the new Hampton By Hilton hotel at Exeter Airport in May, serving quality Italian-American food such as fresh pasta, steaks, seafood, burgers and hand-made pizzas. See the next issue of Exeter Living for a full review. Fellow celebrity chef Gary Rhodes
made a welcome return to the West Country in January when he opened Rhodes @ The Dome perched on Plymouth Hoe overlooking Plymouth Sound. Gary began his career at The Castle Hotel in Taunton, retaining its Michelin star when he was just 26, and with his new venture he has breathed new life into a waterside landmark
Sumptuous afternoon tea at Bovey Castle
building. It features Rhodes Kitchen, a 105-cover restaurant, plus 70-cover Bar Rhodes and an outside terrace for alfresco dining and entertaining. The Cosy Club opened in Exeter’s
Southernhay Gardens in April of this year and offers all-day informal dining (read our review on page 26). RUBY Modern Diner in Exeter’s Queen
Street is another new kid on the block – a proud independent with a chic ‘gastro’ take on the American diner concept, bucketloads of original ideas and serious talent in the kitchen. An instant hit since it opened in January, it’s a must-visit. Fancy being fed by someone who’s
cooked for the Royal Family? Simeon Baber is head chef at The Salty Pigeon on Magdalen Road, another new dining destination opened by Tanya James and her son Ryan Mell who’s a student at Michael Caines Academy. And in April, Ian Spencer and Lotta Blombergsson opened El Olivo, an intimate meze and tapas restaurant in The Strand, Exmouth, boasting authentic Mediterranean flavours.
Hartnoll Hotel is a much-loved dining destination
Exeter eateries When many of us think of summer dining in Exeter, we think of the lovely alfresco dining area where Cathedral Yard meets Cathedral Close, with breathtaking views of our city’s most famous landmark. Here lies Michael Caines Bar & Grill at ABode
Exeter, which has a vibrant new summer menu featuring tempting sharing platters (starting at £10.95, choose from artisan cured meats, Brixham fish platter and the vegetarian platter) and starters such as grilled asparagus with poached egg and hollandaise sauce, warm salad of Cornish sardines with Thai purée and fennel salad and smoked salmon with pickled ginger, cucumber, capers and granary bread. For fine dining, the Michael Caines
Restaurant at ABode Exeter is offering a two-course lunch for £14.50 or a three- course lunch for £19, and in the evening in addition to the à la carte menu there’s a special Early Dining menu. Nearby Tea On The Green is famous
for its alfresco tables and that view. Even though it looks like a café, it describes itself as a “café-style restaurant”, cooking ‘proper’ meals to order as well as offering classic café fare including a wicked (in every sense of the word) cream tea. The Magdalen Chapter hotel in
Magdalen Street was the hottest new opening of last year. In its restaurant, head chef Ben Bulger and his talented team serve up nothing but winning dishes, such as (for summer) Cornish hake with samphire, poached ham hock with an English mustard dressing, and spider crab bruschetta with lemon and herbs. The restaurant overlooks an immaculate lawn and pool, and there’s a terrace with alfresco tables so you can dine in the sunshine. And
MORE DINING p18
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www.mediaclash.co.uk Exeter Living 17
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