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The Elephant by Simon Hulstone

Devon, Torquay - Modern British - Restaurant - £££

Overall Rating: Very Good

Uniqueness:Does the establishment stand out in the context of the local area? Very Good

Deliciousness:How delicious is the food? Very Good

Warmth:How warm is the service and the hospitality in general? Good

Strength of recommendation:How enthusiastically and widely would you recommend the establishment? Very Good

Torquay's finest is barely more than a rope-throw from the Marina, a double-fronted, expansive space run with serene efficiency. Simon Hulstone oversees a long-established, venturesome kitchen that reliably brims with good ideas, against a backbone of mainstay classic dishes that ensure the locals keep coming back. The base price shifted sharply upwards with the transition to a prix-fixe format, but there is no doubting the integrity and class of the cooking. A favoured pairing of gently poached scallop and savoury chicken wing in bone-marrow dressing with sea buckthorn is a masterful exercise in counterpointing flavours and textures. In its spring season, Wye Valley asparagus might be smartly accoutred with barbecued pineapple, a hash brown and macadamias, while the same imaginative energy is on dazzling display in a main dish of poached cod with pink grapefruit and carrot in a coconut curry sauce. That said, confirmed traditionalists will find nothing lacking in a serving of heritage...

Torquay's finest is barely more than a rope-throw from the Marina, a double-fronted, expansive space run with serene efficiency. Simon Hulstone oversees a long-established, venturesome kitchen that reliably brims with good ideas, against a backbone of mainstay classic dishes that ensure the locals keep coming back. The base price shifted sharply upwards with the transition to a prix-fixe format, but there is no doubting the integrity and class of the cooking. A favoured pairing of gently poached scallop and savoury chicken wing in bone-marrow dressing with sea buckthorn is a masterful exercise in counterpointing flavours and textures. In its spring season, Wye Valley asparagus might be smartly accoutred with barbecued pineapple, a hash brown and macadamias, while the same imaginative energy is on dazzling display in a main dish of poached cod with pink grapefruit and carrot in a coconut curry sauce. That said, confirmed traditionalists will find nothing lacking in a serving of heritage pork with its glazed cheek and black pudding, alongside grelot onion and pearl barley. The voguish savoury approach to desserts sees apricot parfait served with toasted rice and chai foam or gariguette strawberries fragranced with bay leaf flan and peppered caramel. The wine offering doesn't change much with the passing years, other than for the initial offering headed 'seasonal wines we like', which are always worth a flutter – perhaps a Sardinian Vermentino or Rhône-style red from Cucugnan in the Aude.

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VENUE DETAILS

3-4 Beacon Terrace
Torquay
Devon
TQ1 2BHGB

01803 200044

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OTHER INFORMATION

Wheelchair access

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