The Elephant Restaurant — Restaurant in England

We visited the Elephant on a Thursday evening as a treat meal during our holiday in Exmouth. We opted for the Tasting Menu and it was a delight to explore the regional delicacies of the region explored so well in the menu.

The meal began with Sourdough, Whipped Beurre Noisette, Sea Salt and Goats curd with elderflower, pickled onions and radish. The sourdough was well risen and the curd offered a sharp, slightly bitter flavour softened by the sweet elderflower and benefitted from all the additional acidity goat's milk has over that of cows or sheep. A great start.

The first course was Salt Baked Cheltenham Beetroot with White Almond Gazpacho, Gooseberry and Granola. It seemed to smile up off the plate at us.

The second course was Brixham Crab, Sour Apple Jelly, Exmoor Caviar, Rye Bread and Apple Marigold Sorbet. The crab was so delicately picked that without the flavour you would never have known it had been in a shell. The Rye bread was a crumb which had been roasted so that it was crisp. Crisp enough for my husband to mistake it for shell in his first bite, before realising it was breadcrumb. The surprise of that crunch with the very sour, sourness of the apple worked well with the saltiness brought to the dish by the samphire. The dish was pretty and the flavours excelled expectations, plus the crab had come such a short distance, from Brixham, the lights of which we could see from the quay just below the restaurant.

The seafood theme continued into the next course, which was Hand Dived Devon Scallop, Whey Butter Sauce, Verjus Jelly, Fennel Pollen with puffed rice and pickled black and green grape slices, yes, grape slices. The pickling of the grapes was very gentle, but it complemented the grape juice in the verjus exceptionally well. The whey butter sauce played a role in bringing the whole dish together. A bit rich on its own, it complemented the firmness and flavour of the scallop perfectly.

Our fourth course was again from a local fish supplier, a Fillet of Brixham Turbot with Roasted Chicken Sauce, Devon Eel, Girolles, Turnip Fondant and Sisho leaf. The lightly flavoured tempured sisho leaf gave a crunchiness to the dish, the eel a lovely strong counterpart to the strength of the turbot itself. The girolles were like little bursts of summer on the plate, soft and oleaginous, having one or two of them on the fork with every slice of fish made the fish taste even better than it normally does.

The meat course was a Dry Aged Beef Fillet with Beef Fat Carrot, Oyster Emulsion, Heritage Carrots and Rocket Pesto. The tenderness of the meat was perfect, the jus rich and tangy. The carrot puree was smooth and sweet. The carrot could have been a meal in itself. A thorough delight.

The cheese course was Sharpham Camembert toasted and served on a slice of Malt Loaf with Crispy Shallots on top served with a green tomato chutney. The cheese oozed over the loaf and together with the crispiness of the shallots made a perfect combination.

The innovative pre-dessert also had more of the flavours of a herb or vegetable course than of a dessert one, which suited me. The Wild Dill Ice Cream covered by Fennel Foam had a sharp Lemon Gel through it. I love the taste of dill and this was enhanced with the sharpness of lemon making this tiny palette cleanser one of my favourite dishes of the meal.

The dessert was Poached Apricot with Elderflower Granita, a Yoghurt Sorbet and White Chocolate Crumb. The apricot tasted perfectly of apricot; the elderflower was under the sorbet which had the delightful acidity of a Greek yoghurt.

The meal finished with Espresso with Petits Fours - these were Coconut and white chocolate sponge, Blackcurrant jelly with Thai basil gel and White chocolate with passion fruit centre. My husband commented that this place had a perfect sense of what a petits fours should be.

Overall a most wonderful meal, with delightful flavours...

A long review so if your not a reader then short version= book a table, you will not be disappointed.

Such a beautiful restaurant, the ambience is so relaxing and the decor thoughtfully laid out to optimise each individual tables view point and enjoyment.

The service was excellent from start to finish, with each and every front of house member being warm and welcoming. Also they have that amazing way of keeping you well looked after but in a fully non intrusive way. Touch of class.

As for the food, I opted for three courses from the set menu. It was actually nice to only have two options per course, it made me try a dish I wouldnt normally try and each course was truly sublime.

The tomatoes had me in pretty much a giddy delight. Even the bread and butter was to die for, which helped get every last drop from the starter. The venison was so tender it practically fell apart and every single element of the plate worked in harmony, nothing was there just for the sake of it. (The main included mushroom, I really dislike mushroom, snaffled the lot!)

The pudding was delicious with elements of suprise in the eating. Again it included mascarpone, usually hate, wolfed it!

After three courses, 2 very large drinks and 2 sides for the main I was truly and utterly stuffed! When you consider how much was consumed and that I put a bit extra down (service and food truly deserved it) my total bill was still only just over £65, this value is as mindblowing as the food, service and the restaurant itself.

Simon, Katy and the team should be so proud. What you bring goes past food and goes into an experience.

I lost my dad two years ago, he was a chef, he loved the finest restaurants in the world (he even got to Dine at in El Bulli) and I swear he was with me every moment of that meal, that is something very special so thank you ❤️❤️

Oh and I adored the artwork and wallpaper by kristjana williams. Loved hearing the story of how chef...

So The Elephant review: On arrival greeted accordingly by a waitress. Shown our table with a generic Happy Anniversary card (surely could have been easily personalised) and immediately asked what we would like to drink. We asked for wine list. We agreed on two glasses of Prosecco. All fine. But began to notice the owner Katy was saying hello to others who were sat down or entering. Remember this is our first visit and they know this. I had told them. Ordered food, all good, but not a single smile from the wine waiter or the waitress. All very clinical. Food was fine. Had to ask twice for another bottle of sparkling water. Only when the meal was ended did Katy come to our table and asked if we would like tea or coffee. She smiled. But no attempt to enquire after us and our reason for being there. Now I have no doubt that in Torquay it outshines all other restaurants for food. But on the basis that it asks for reviews then the success of a return visit to a restaurant for a first time guest must also be reflected in the welcome they receive and ultimately how the staff react to you. It felt that the Michelin star also required aloofness and seriousness. So I/we?left the restaurant not feeling as if we had been treated special in any way. We know much lesser acclaimed local restaurants without Michelin stars who make you feel that you are important to them. Surely a Michelin star is not just based on the quality of the food? The delivery of the food and the way it is delivered must also play an equal role? All with the ultimate objective of wanting you to return when it’s not just a special occasion. Thank you to the staff member who chased after us with our missing cardigan. Much...