Vanilla Pod — Restaurant in England

I do appreciate simplicity done well, and Vanilla Pod delivers just that. From the focused menu and thoughtful drinks list to the décor and cosy ambience, everything feels intentional, calm, and quietly confident.

Tucked away at 31 West Street, Vanilla Pod immediately makes you feel welcome. Quaint yet subtly sophisticated, there are just a handful of tables, creating a sense of intimacy without feeling confined. A great find for anyone who appreciates calm, thoughtful dining.

We opted for the set menu and, between the two of us, sampled nearly every dish. A generous basket of freshly baked bread with butter to start the meal. The amuse-bouche, a chilled cucumber soup, was light, refreshing, and just right for the warm day. Each of the three courses that followed was beautifully presented and executed with care. The lamb was beautiful, paired with buttered cabbage and creamy potatoes - a combination that felt both classic and elevated.

Service was attentive throughout, striking that ideal balance between relaxed and responsive. With so few tables, it felt like every detail mattered. A handwritten bill and complimentary petit four (a chocolate orange bite that melted in the mouth) were the perfect finishing touches.

Elegant yet unpretentious, Vanilla Pod is a rare find, and one I’ll happily return to whenever...

This is a quiet, understated and intimate little place. There are only about eight tables (so booking is essential), no piped music (which makes a really refreshing change), and an unusually large number of surprisingly-youthful staff (which makes you feel pleasently pampered). All food is prepared personally by chef proprietor Michael Macdonald. The menu is therefore short, but still offers a satisfactory range of choice. The food itself is superbly prepared from locally-sourced ingredients, and represents excellent value for money. Dinner is £40 for two courses, £45 for three, with gourmand menus at £60 and £70, plus coffee and petit fours at £4. Wine is not my speciality, but the lengthy wine list included a choice of reasonably-priced house wines, and our cabernet-sauvignon was excellent. The only negative factor on the night we visited was that the unavoidable inexperience of the numerous waiting young staff meant that the odd one displayed a lack of polish which was at jarring odds with the rest of the...

The food was good, but I have to give two stars only, as the attitude of the older waiter was absolutely unacceptable. We ordered pita bread and he brought for us completely burnt bread. My husband asked him kindly and politely to change it and make a new pita bread, as we cannot eat burnt bread, it is totally unhealthy, the waiter got very angry, answered rudely “well, that’s how it comes!” and then when my husband kept complaining, he finally brought us new pita bread, but he was clearly very angry and at the end, he didn’t say one word to my husband when he was paying, not even 'thank you' or 'good bye'. We are not coming to this restaurant next time again. Chefs, cooks, waiters and restaurant owners should know that burnt bread is very unhealthy and can cause cancer and they should not get angry at a customer. This is totally unacceptable. Awful service. Also...