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restaurant review WHITE HART MODBURY
W
e were vey excited that our first post-lockdown restaurant review
was for the ‘new’ White Hart in Modbury! Why – because we had visited there immediately prior to lockdown and couldn’t wait to enjoy Chef Chris Simon’s food a second time. He did not disappoint. Not that Chris has been idle these last few months. The five comfortable letting rooms in this historic coaching inn have all been refurbished and refreshed, as has the generous function room available for private hire with its own bar. The dining areas in both the main restaurant downstairs and the smaller section upstairs are spacious and now fully COVID compliant. The White Hart still retains its traditional ‘village’ pub feel at the heart of this charming Georgian town whilst serving food you would happily travel the length and breadth of the South Hams to enjoy. Chris acquired the tenancy
just before Christmas and one month later had turned a sad, sorry hostelry into an inviting venue. Rather than bemoan the subsequent lockdown, he seized the opportunity to complete his vision for the White Hart and it was wonderful to return and see the finished product. Collaborating with irrepressible
BY AMANDA BLOOMER
Catherine Gillen at Brownston Gallery, the restaurant offers an additional showcase for local artists ensuring interesting talking points as you dine. The gorgeously scented Fifth Sense provides spa boxes of toiletries in the rooms and exquisite fresh flowers are sourced from talented local florist Claire Kenyon. “This is the community where I have chosen to settle and The White Hart should play its part in that community”.
“It is hard to conceive that one can enjoy such quality and creativity at such incredibly reasonable prices”
This ethos extends to sourcing
his ingredients – the lavender for his lightly perfumed ice-cream comes from fields ‘just over there’, he points and the flavoursome oils
for dressings courtesy of a lady ‘who lives just up the hill’. Having spent the last few
years as Chef on superyachts in the Caribbean, along the Mediterranean, or other exotic locations, his five year plan was to acquire his own venue back home. Chris achieved it in under four and offers a unique combination of experiences and culinary influences from his travels using our amazing local produce and ingredients. Chris wholeheartedly embraces the nose-to-tail/nothing wasted principle; his butchery skills were learned in southern France. Everything is cured, smoked and bakied in house. The portions are satisfying; the presentation is restrained and attractive (without the need for tweezers!) and the
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