Latest Restaurant Review (The Falcon Hotel, Bridgnorth)
The Falcon Hotel, Restaurant & Bar is a historic grade II listed building situated in the lovely picturesque market town of Bridgnorth.
The Falcon has recently undergone a major refurb and has been transformed since we last visited a few years ago. Although it now looks very chic, with a great use of natural colours throughout the restaurant and bar, they have retained many of the great character features including beamed ceilings and panelled walls. It has a very light and airy feel and has been finished to a very high standard. The new coat of paint on the outside of the building certainly makes it stand out. The car park can be accessed from Severn Street or you can drive through the archway at the front of the hotel to the car park at the rear.
We had visited on a Friday evening so had the choice of ordering from the main menu or the new Fish & Fizz menu. The fish menu had a choice of starters and main courses and the fizz menu had a range of cocktails and gins to choose from.
While we browsed through the menus we both ordered a French 75 (£5.50) from the Fizz Menu – which is a glass of Prosecco with lemon and Gin – I think I have found my new favourite drink – it was amazing!
For starters Nik chose from the fish menu and ordered the Crab Roulade with soused mackerel, Serrano ham, chilli, cucumber, spring onion and coriander (£7.50). I ordered off the main menu and opted for the Goats Cheese Mousse with pistachio crumb, goats cheese honeycomb, pickled fennel and beetroot crisp (6.95).
Nik’s crab roulade was filled with a light and creamy mousse, perfect with the slight saltiness from the Serrano ham. A soused mackerel fillet with a hint of a pickle flavour, which was superb with the shards of spring onion and delicate balls of cucumber.
My goats cheese mousse was deliciously creamy and soft with a tasty pistachio crumb around the outside, the goats cheese honeycomb had a slight chewiness to it and the pickled fennel was lovely, the beetroot crisp I saved till last which was a great end to my starter.
For mains, Nik stayed with the fish menu and had the Lobster Thermidor with triple cooked chips, onion rings, watercress and pea shoot salad (£24.95). I also chose from the fish menu and had the Curry Buttered Cod with Amritsar salmon fishcakes, kachumber, mustard pea purée and tandoori potatoes (£16.95).
My cod was coated in a delicious curry sauce; the tandoori potatoes were well seasoned with spices and full of flavour. The kachumber was a mix of tomatoes, peppers, spring onions, red onion and coriander which gave the dish a lovely freshness; the pea purée was creamy and soft. The fishcakes looked like small scotch eggs with a lovely crispy shell and were amazing. A very tasty dish, full of a great mix of flavours that all worked well together – I would definitely order this dish again and would highly recommend it!
Nik said his lobster thermidor was a real treat, the meat was perfect, white, meaty and extremely tasty. Served with some splendid onion rings and some golden, uniformly cut chunky chips, perfect for mopping up the deliciously rich thermidor sauce. The salad added a nice freshness to the dish.
For dessert Nik selected the Trio of Rhubarb – rhubarb crumble, rhubarb fool, rhubarb semifreddo (£6.95). I was tempted by a good old classic the Sherry Trifle (£5.95).
Nik’s crumble was sweet but had a nice sour kick from the rhubarb, the fool was a lovely light mousse with a delicate hint of rhubarb flavour, the semifreddo was a firmer mousse with a sharper taste of rhubarb. Overall this dish offered a range of depth of rhubarb flavour but served in a variety of textures – amazing!
My trifle was served in clear glass so that you could see all the layers with a light soft sponge at the bottom, strawberry gel, strawberry mousse and topped with cream and toasted almonds – a great finish to a fabulous meal.
Sunday roasts are available between 12-6pm but the main menu is also available between 12-8pm on Sundays. A special 2 course lunch at £10 is available Monday to Friday. Afternoon Tea is popular at The Falcon and is available between 3-5pm Monday to Friday, please to call to book in advance. Afternoon Tea can also be arranged at weekends for special occasions.
If you fancy making a night of it, you can book a room at the hotel from just £70 for a double – please check with the hotel for their latest offers as dining/room packages are often available. Not all the rooms have been refurbished yet, but they will all hopefully be completed by the end of the year.
Bookings are now being taken for Christmas and New Year – see the website for full details.
We were very impressed with our visit to The Falcon and the transformation of the building is amazing. The quality of the food was exceptional and overall it was a great evening – definitely a venue we will be returning to!
by Fleur & Nik Abel
