Gara Rock Hotel, East Portlemouth, Salcombe, Devon
Gara Rock Hotel stands high up on the clifftop not far from East Prawle on the coast of South Devon; once a coastguard stations, now a luxury hotel where an unforgettable dining experience is to be had. You can opt for the Restaurant or the Pudding Bar & Lounge, or both, but booking is essential because this is very much a sought after venue for foodies.
The head chef likes to work in tune with the seasons and with local producers, so ingredients are the finest and have been raised and grazed or grown in the area – much of the fresh veg and herbs come from the hotel’s kitchen garden. The perfect evening would start with cocktails in the lounge, or if the weather is being kind, out on the terrace where the coastal views are incredible and the sunsets can be magnificent. Then you’d take your seats in the Restaurant where an A La Carte menu features mains like Champagne chicken & bacon pie served with mash, chicken gravy and Gara HP sauce, Aged Charolais fillet of beef with beef fat carrot, beer onion, millionaire chips and gravy mayonnaise, or if you don’t eat meat, Wild mushroom truffle.
You might move onto the Pudding Bar & Lounge for a curated dessert taster menu, if you have room in your belly. Otherwise, you can book this as a stand alone event, and what a treat it is! Start with infused spirits -perhaps banana peel and cocoa rum, or blackberry and bramble vodka; then it’s onto miniature desserts, a savoury cheese course and petits fours. Exquisite flavours, a unique experience.
If you’re passing by on the South West Coast Path, you can swing by the Garavan and pick up something for sustenance.
Open: Restaurant – 5.30pm-9.00pm Pudding Bar & Lounge - every evening and Sunday lunchtime
T: 01548 845946 All information correct at the time of writing