Restaurant at The Greenway

Emma Reuvers (22 March 2007)

I am not sure that many of the other guests that evening at the delightfully decadent Elizabethan Manor House and restaurant, the Greenway, would have caught a bus.But we did.

A bus from Cheltenham town centre will drop you almost exactly at the foot of the long drive that leads you to the luxurious and imposing hotel situated a short drive out of the popular Spa and festival town of Cheltenham.

Travelling by bus also saves a little bit of money, is better for the environment and allows you the pleasure of enjoying your wine – knowing that you won't have to drive yourself home at the end of the evening.

It also gave us the opportunity of walking up the long drive toward the beckoning, warming lights of the 16th Century Manor House. We were able to savour the moment, to take in the old stone, ivy covered structured and drool at the fancy Jaguars and BMWs parked on the gravel drive.

It also gave me the opportunity to ponder our reception. So often in this type of setting you find that unless you are an obvious member of the Cotswold Aristocracy (and yes they do still exist) you are, to an extent, shunned. I did not know anyone personally who had eaten at the Greenway and so was unsure what to expect.

For this reason I breathed a sigh of relief when we were cordially greeted by a suited and very upright waiter. He took our coats and invited us to enjoy a drink in the large, airy lounge and bar – perhaps better described as a drawing room?

We sat ourselves on two upright, old-fashioned armchairs, the type you could imagine smoking a fat cigar in with a group of elderly 'gentlemen', and ordered aperitifs.

Once we had made ourselves comfortable and cast our eye around the room, having a quick look at other guests and at the interesting antique furniture and huge, central, copper surround fireplaces, we were presented with a tray of canapés and a couple of menus.

I could not resist tasting the canapés prior to even opening the menu. A selection of fat and juicy black and green olives, a small bowl of pistachios – shell on, a rich and flavoursome rabbit pate and a creamy dollop of feta on a tiny pile of beetroot puree, nestling on a crispy cracker. All very petite, tasty and encouraging. What was next?

When the waiter returned to take our order we enquired over the six-course tasting menu. He seemed a little unsure but said he would ask the chef. We thought for a moment that perhaps the tasting menu had to be pre-ordered, but the waiter returned promptly to let us know that this would not be a problem and ran through the menu with us. We then chose our wines (one red and one white!) and were led through to the dining area.

The restaurant itself is split into a number of different sized rooms. All very spacious with large, heavy, wooden tables, each covered in long, crisp white table cloths, spaced well apart.

The room itself was beautiful – dark wooden panelling along each of the walls – the type that makes you think of hidden doors leading to secret underground libraries – and large, stone surround windows.

First things first and the wine was bought out to the table. We both opted for the soft, fruity white to begin as we new the first dish was Brill. From the very extensive wine list (like a fully bound book) and on the waiter's recommendation, we had chosen a Macon-Villages, Henri de Villamont.

Prior to our first dish being presented we were each served a small Velouté of Cauliflower topped with tiny slices of truffle and truffle oil. This was the first time I had eaten truffles and the saltiness perfectly accompanied the light, creamy, cauliflower. With this we were both presented with a selection of breads and chose an intensely salty Rosemary and sea salt roll.

Our first course was Pan Fried Brixham Brill, Casserole of White Beans and Parsley Essence. The Brill was perfectly cooked and fell apart as we cut into it.The dainty beans and parsley essence a superb accompaniment. Cooked to perfection.

Following this we were served Roast Woodpigeon, Cauliflower Puree and Curried Almonds and Apricots. A divine, meaty dish. The woodpigeon intensely flavoured and perfectly complemented by the apricots and almonds.

With the pigeon we decided to have a glass of our chosen red wine, a 1997 Chateaux de Gaillat. Soft and oakey, with a lovely rich after taste.

Next up came Caramelised Diver Scallops, Celeriac and Raisin Puree, Crisp Belly Pork and Madeira Roasting Juices. A divine dish apart from the Belly Pork being a touch too crispy. We were unable to fault any other aspect of the dish, however, the flavours working together beautifully, the scallops cooked to perfection.

Finally we were served Farced Saddle of Rabbit, Braised Lamb Tongues with Sweet Carrots and Parsley. A very interesting dish which confused our waiter somewhat. When asking him to explain the various morsels dotted on the plate he informed us that the Lamb tongues were mushrooms. After a quick consultation with Head Chef, Marc Hardiman, he returned with the correct information. It was my first taste of lamb tongues and I found them to be delicious, as did my partner. The rich flavour of the lamb distracting somewhat from my childhood dislike for offal.

Onto dessert! We were firstly served a delicious pre-dessert of dainty caramel parfait. A beautifully light, daintily textured dish which prepared our taste buds for the main event. Rum Roast Banana, Coffee Jelly and Pistachio Ice Cream. The three flavours perfectly complementing each other. The strong, bitter taste of the coffee, the sweet, creamy pistachio and the alcohol infused banana creating a divine combination.

Following this were invited back to the spacious lounge and bar where we both enjoyed a fresh cup of coffee and were presented with a small row of divine chocolates – difficult to fit in on top of the full meal we had eaten but a must! Silky Turkish delight, rich chocolate truffle and intensely dark, bitter, bite size squares of plain chocolate.

Our meal at the Greenway was worth every penny and was everything we had hoped it would be. Despite fears of snobbery we found none there. The atmosphere was warm and inviting, giving way to a gentle hum of other diners and the soft tread of waiters' feet.

Following on from coffee our waiter very kindly ordered a taxi for us. We had missed the last bus home!