Restaurant-Guide.com
hand picked restaurants

Lurking amongst the gastronomic giants of Ludlow is the much to be welcomed Ego Café Wine Bar which merits an international label for the breadth of cuisines that it explores and presents, often with its own little flourish. Starters might include pork kebabs with satay sauce, to be followed by Turkish baked baby aubergines in yoghurt and garlic. As ever I would have severe problems in resisting the bananas, pan-fried in rum, followed by some of the best coffee it has ever been my good fortune to taste. All of this for an amazingly gentle raid on the wallet.

Just when you thought that there must be something missing from the restaurant scene in Ludlow, suddenly you find that it has even got a Japanese restaurant - a rarity in the Shropshire rural areas.

It is owned by a delightful Japanese lady, Mari Kure, who along with her staff makes you feel very special indeed, and if you don't know anything about Japanese food, don't be concerned as they would be very happy to explain everything to you and even have a helpful leaflet on the table.

The décor is fairly minimal, but comfortably so; and the place only seats around twenty eight people, but even so there is plenty of choice on the menu, with excellent sushi in the evening on the four course £22 menu.

If you thought a visit to Ludlow is complete once you've explored its many historic attractions you could be wrong, for its ancient streets are home to some very well-known dining destinations and many people refer to it as the gastronomic capital of Shropshire.

The Unicorn is a charming dining venue that attracts diners with its black-and-white exterior and offers the services of a spacious bar, a gallery kitchen, and the Oak Room to enjoy pub games and private parties.

The Unicorn's regularly changing menu is built around seasonally available local produce and it is clear that food is an important part of the business. Consider the chef's homemade soup served piping hot with Ludlow bread and butter to give your meal a soothing start. Move on to a main course of deliciously rich local braised lamb shanks or enjoy the house special fish pie made to a traditional recipe with cod, salmon, smoked haddock, prawn and free range eggs before signing off with the dark chocolate torte served with fresh cream.

Ludlow Brewery and Wye Valley Brewery supply The Unicorn with exciting lagers, mild, Guiness and real ales.

The Feathers Hotel has, for centuries, been an important meeting point for the local community. This local jewel in the crown is known for its beautiful Jacobean architecture and The New York Times even described it as 'the most handsome inn in the world'. Together with many other listed buildings and Ludlow Castle, it has today earned for itself a fine international reputation.

Whilst forty bedrooms provide guests with many modern facilities to keep them comfortable, the much acclaimed AA rosette restaurant offers the best of traditional and innovative contemporary cuisine created by Head Chef Martin Jones.

Among the starters pan-fried local ox tongue is paired with wild mushrooms and seared spinach with mushroom and tarragon cream, while marinated tiger prawn tails are matched with an oyster mushroom risotto and caviar and dill cream. Stuffed and rolled pork tenderloin with bone marrow, confit garlic, roasted asparagus, and a potato and shallot purée with cep cream plays its main course role fantastically well.

The bar is a lovely place to enjoy a cocktail before dinner.

Ludlow is often referred to as the gastronomic capital of Shropshire, and in the midst of its many food fairs, speciality food shops, splendid new Food Centre, and restaurants, an authentic Thai dining venue called Chang Thai has firmly marked its presence in the market town's historic streets.

Led by Head Chef Phokong, the restaurant imports fresh herbs and spices from Thailand to ensure diners get to sample the most authentic flavours. Stand by to enjoy some of the most exciting creations that range from a classic gaeng keow wan moo or green curry with pork, peppers, bamboo shoots, courgette and basil cooked in coconut milk to ped yang pad khing, slices of roasted duck stir-fried with ginger, spring onion, soybean and peppers.

The à la carte offers more than ninety eclectic dishes that delicately balance the cuisine's five fundamental flavours, sometimes all in one dish such as the tom yang goong prawn soup.

The Globe Bar, known by the locals as 'The Thai Bar', offers guests a chance to relax over a glass of wine and Thai tapas in a peaceful garden lounge atmosphere.