When thinking of where to go for Sunday lunch, I must admit a hotel doesn’t first spring to mind. Maybe because, like a lot of people, you think hotel restaurants cater for just the hotel guests. I’m glad we gave The Raglans Restaurant a try.
We knew we’d be in safe hands food-wise as the executive head chef there now is John Quill. He comes with a good pedigree having worked as an agency chef in some of south Wales’s highest profile locations. He also worked at the Vale Resort as a consultant chef and was a finalist in several culinary competitions.
Having a table with an attractive view is always a bonus and we certainly had that overlooking the lake. I also like to see a perfectly laid out table with a pretty table setting and crisp, white linens. All these boxes were ticked.
Now for the main reason we were there…
The food. Starters were the smoked salmon and avocado tian and were just how you would imagine. Fresh, crisp flavours of avocado and salmon with a lovely citrus oil and coriander dressing, plus delicate edible flowers. We opted for the roasted rump of lamb, which was perfectly cooked; enough pink in the middle for our liking. This was served with a sizeable Yorkshire pudding, roast potatoes, cauliflower and broccoli cheese and roasted root vegetables. The star of the show here was definitely the rich Copthorne Jus. To be honest, as a family, we are used to slathering our plates with common old garden gravy, but this Jus was to die for. Rich, as the name suggested, but so full of flavour with the right amount of herb infusion – delicious.
The chocolate brownie sundae (brownie pieces, ice cream and chocolate sauce) was our dessert choice. Not all brownies are equal. Some are good, a lot are dry. These brownies were gooey in the middle so no dryness there. A nice touch were the cream and meringue swirls and raspberries sat in raspberry jus. Very naughty!
There was a good wine list but, as we’re off the grape at the moment, we opted for vodka tonics.
The ambiance was as good as you can get in a hotel environment, far enough away from visitors in the bar area and, of course, the view was a big bonus.
We couldn’t fault the service either – all very competently delivered.
When we think of a Sunday lunch venue again, Raglans will definitely be on the list.
Raglans Restaurant
Copthorne Hotel
To visit the website, click here.
029 2059 9100
Leave A Reply