On this occasion our menu review took us to the heart of the beautiful Gloucestershire countryside to a small village called Berkeley, the village is quaint and quiet and the feeling we'd travelled back in time soon was upon us!

The Malt House
Marybrook Street
Berkeley
Gloucestershire
GL13 9BA
Tel: 01453 511177
Website

Gazette 2005 Good Food Guide

Awarded to The Malt House
'Voted the best Pub or Restaurant by Gazette readers'

The moment my companion and I entered the Malt House we were greeted with friendly smiles from all the staff, as well as the hotel guests and locals, our drinks order was taken promptly. I ordered a pint of lager for myself and my companion after much deliberation opted for a Bacardi and Coke which arrived cool with a succulent piece of lime.

We then ventured through to the restaurant; we were taken back by the sheer beauty of the Malt House, and amazed by its Tudor style and quality traditional feel. We were seated promptly and then greeted by a genuinely pleased to see us waitress, she was lovely, really friendly and made us feel at ease, a real credit to 'The Malt House'.

With a young happy family to our left and a group of business men to our right this large spacious traditional dining area really does cater for all and boasts a large round dining table, which comfortably fits twelve people. The Malt House regularly caters for parties of twelve.

Waking us from our tranquil trance our friendly waitress then approached us for our food order, we both found it hard to choose as the choice of food was excellent. From ethnic to traditional cuisines there was a lot on offer. I decided that for my starter I would try out the 'vegetable soup of the day' while my partner opted for 'Lucy's Crab cakes'.

The menu really does cater for all from traditional eaters to the more adventurous of you out there! It's great for all your family and friends and generally all groups of people whether it be business or pleasure. It has a terrific kids menu with dishes such as 'turkey dinosaurs' and 'fish tiddlers' on offer.

There is also a chef's speciality board, which changes weekly with many new dishes added.

It seemed after no time at all our starters had arrived, I was served a generous portion of thick creamy vegetable soup, which was accompanied by an oven fresh warm baguette, My partners Crab Cakes were delicately flavoured and served with a generous helping of salad and sweet chilli sauce she commented about how tasty they were, and with both starters only costing £8.90 for both we were thrilled about the evening we had ahead of us.

For our main dish I opted for the traditional 'Steak and Ale Pie', which came with a choice of chips or mash (Chips all the way!), and my partner continued her fish theme and went for 'Grilled fillet of Halibut' we had a chat with the waitress about all the fish dishes on the menu and she informed us that all the majority of fish arrives fresh and when after a short wait our main courses arrived my partner was pleased with the quality and flavour of the grilled halibut and the tasty sauce.

My steak and ale pie contained tender chunks of steak cooked in a rich 'Theakstons' gravy and was delicious.

We were also served with a separate dish of hot, perfectly steamed vegetables which included carrots, runner beans, broccoli and cauliflower.

The 'grilled fillet of halibut' was well priced at only £10.95 while my 'steak and ale pie' was just £7.95, we really felt that the food was sensibly priced and good value for money.

Despite feeling pleasantly full after the excellent food we found it hard to resist dessert and gave into the tempting taste of 'Chocolate Fudge Cake and Banoffee Roulade with a choice of ice cream or cream.

Compliments to the truly talented chef and all the friendly, hard working staff at The Malt House.

The Malt House is a truly unique building with excellent cuisine and roomy facilities, and provided the best night out I've had in a long time! It was shame we couldn't stay the night in one of the 12 spacious hotel rooms.

Enjoy!

Barry Mason