Union Hotel

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Rather dark in here, in the restaurant at the back end of this fancier-than-average pub.

I need to order from the bar. The place is “casual.”

Pan Fried Gnocchi
8/10

Oyster mushrooms, sweetcorn, asparagus, almonds & goats cheese cream.

The gnocchi is soft on the inside, but browned on the outside. There’s not a huge amount of sauce here, but the soft gnocchi doesn’t really require it. The plate is full of interesting textures, such as the juicy sweetcorn , and especially the very crispy almond slivers. I can’t really see much in this light, so I just scoop up forkfuls of feed, and see what interesting things come up. Mushrooms and asparagus add more wacky textures.

Dark Chocolate Brownie
7/10

Rum caramel, candied pecans, poached pear, banana ice cream.

The brownie here is a bit on the sloppy side, and the caramel sauce has a very bitey rum flavour. The banana ice cream has an authentic banana taste, but is icy, and therefore not particularly creamy, which is what a brownie would want.

This dish is a bit confused. The elements are all fairly good , but it’s not clear what’s a garnish for what. Any the spicy pear slice doesn’t really have a home at all. The roasted pecans were a nice nibble, but don’t go with anything other than the brownie. I probably should’ve combined them with the brownie and either the rum caramel sauce or the banana ice cream. Dessert shouldn’t require this level of puzzle-solving ability.

:(
Noise
:) :) :)
Parking