Restaurant Review (Hadley Park House)
Hadley Park House is a luxury independent hotel and the 18th century grade 2 Georgian house retains many of its original features and is surrounded by two acres of beautifully landscaped gardens. It is obvious to see why this has become such a popular venue for weddings and they are delighted to have recently won the Regional Wedding Award 2015 for the best town venue in the West Midlands.
Hadley Park House not only boasts a fantastic venue and location but also an AA Rosette restaurant, which they have held consecutively for 10 years. The restaurant is called Dorrells and is situated in the large elegant conservatory.
All dishes are created in-house and Head Chef Kev Fellows uses locally sourced ingredients from local suppliers and producers wherever possible to create distinctive, innovative dishes.
We were seated in the bar area while we perused the menus, there was the option of selecting from the classic menu, which includes more traditional options or the seasonal menu that reflects the changing of the seasons by using the best produce available at that particular time of the year and it also includes the ‘People’s Choice’ winning dishes, which were chosen by diners as their favourites.
Nik decided to trust the judgment of the voters and ordered his starter from the ‘people’s choice’ recommended starter, seared scallops, Buttercross Farm pork belly, pork scratchings and apple emulsion. I chose the hoi sin marinated duck confit, which was served with delicate potato pancakes, cucumber ribbons and spring onions.
Nik’s scallops were fresh and clean and seared to a lovely buttery golden brown and were served along side three perfectly cut cubes of wonderfully tasty belly pork, the cleanness of the apple emulsion cut through the crispy skinned pork portions but didn’t distract from the delicate scallops. The 3 three long thin sticks of pork scratching added a lovely crunch to the dish. It’s easy to see why this dish this made it as the top customers favourite.
My duck fell apart easily and had great flavour from the sweet hoi sin sauce; with the freshness of the cucumber ribbons and the zing from the spring onion it was a real taste sensation.
For our main courses I decided to try the ‘people’s choice’ which was the pan fried sea bream with crushed citrus new potatoes, caramelised cauliflower and parmesan puree and charred baby leeks, Nik opted for the braised lamb shank.
My dish had three crispy skinned portions of sea beam which were perfectly cooked, the crushed new potatoes had a refreshing citrus taste which was lovely with the fish, the charred baby leeks and pureed cauliflower added great texture and flavours to the dish.
Nik had a large braised and slow roasted lamb shank, which was so tender it fell apart with no effort at all, this was served with smooth creamed potatoes, finely shredded savoy cabbage, garden peas and pancetta with a rich fruity redcurrant Jus. Fantastic with a really good glass of red from the well stocked wine cellar.
As always it didn’t take long to choose our desserts, Nik chose the raspberry and vanilla cheesecake mousse and I ordered the banana parfait.
Nik’s dessert was a tall cylinder of light and fluffy raspberry mouse sitting on a biscuit base topped with a thin layer of raspberry jelly and was served with a smooth white chocolate ice cream and had freeze dried flakes of raspberry scattered across the plate to add an extra sharpness to the dish.
The banana parfait was soft and creamy with a subtle banana flavour and was served with a delectable caramel sorbet and a couple of delicious chocolate ganache shortbread biscuits.
Its not just the food that is great at Hadley Park, the staff were extremely polite and attentive throughout our visit.
A popular treat at Hadley Park at the moment is the ‘Afternoon Cream Tea’, which you can enjoy in one of the private small cosy lounges or outdoors in the sunshine (weather permitting!); enjoy a selection of sandwiches and cakes on the china tiered cake stands – perfect for small groups of friends or family.
Hadley Park House has 22 individually designed bedrooms, including a four-poster suite, with some rooms set in the main house and others in the more contemporary West Wing. There is also a self-contained Mulliner Suite makes a stunning venue for private events and conferences.
Dorrells Restaurant is the perfect setting for intimate dining in an airy and comfortable atmosphere, with no compromise on quality of food and service. It is an ideal choice for those who are looking to enjoy a meal with friends and family, celebrate a special occasion or simply indulge in some tasty freshly cooked food.
Reviewed by Fleur & Nik Abel
