To start
We ordered bread with butter and olive oil. The bread and butter were good but the olive oil, which on first taste promised to be delicious, left a bitter, acrid after taste that was really unpleasant.
Now I would normally list all the starters but there were 6 of us so I can’t really do justice to each one but I will talk about 2:
- Organic
Salmon & Cod Fishcake with Crab Mayonnaise, Deep Fried Ortiz Anchovies
and Lemon
- Pan Fried Diver Caught Scallops & Crispy Breadcrumbed Gloucester Old Spot Pork Belly & Black Pudding with Apple & Mustard Sauce and Fennel & Dandelion Salad £5 Supplement
I had the
scallops which were very very good, sweet and smooth but weirdly appeared to
have been cut into rectangles to match the shape of the pork belly (?) This looked
like slices of terrine and the black pudding was running through it like seams
in a coal mine. The portion was huge! In all honesty I would have preferred the
black pudding served separately – the seams running through the pork belly were
very thin and so they were lost in the über savouriness of the pork.
He had the fishcake, which he said was good but
could have done with being a little more crispy on the outside.Mains
- Roast
Rib of Herefordshire Beef with Yorkshire Pudding, Roast Potatoes,
Seasonal Local Organic Vegetables and Gravy - Deep
Fried Cod in Beer Batter with Triple Cooked Chips, Lemon and Tartar Sauce
I had the beef and lovely and beautifully
cooked it was too with the biggest best Yorkshire pudding I have seen in
a long time. One of the children with us who ordered it had a huge grin on his
face from the moment it appeared from the kitchen. Roast potatoes were good and
cooked in goose fat (mmm…) so a real treat. The veg was a little disappointing,
all boiled, with kale that had enough salt to sink a battleship.
He had the cod which was apparently very good
indeed with a crispy, flavourful batter.
Desserts
- Vanilla
Panna Cotta with Fresh Strawberries
Service
This was the element of the meal that let The Hardwick down for me last time and I’m afraid the experience wasn’t much better this time. Despite having a small army of people there, trying to get hold of someone to take a drink order was hard work. We also had to ask several times for the bill (after a 25+ minute wait) despite being the last people there. When I have to explain what a double espresso is I also have to raise an eyebrow. I know you won’t all agree, but I would much more readily forgive the couple of minor issues with the food if the dining experience was a bit more friendly and competent. Having spoken to a few other people it seems that I am not the only one to think so.
Final thoughts
A good menu that should have an option to satisfy everyone. It was a real pleasure to be able to eat somewhere of that quality and see children being equally well catered for. However in my opinion the service lets the kitchen down.
Will I be back for a third time? Hmmm…
The Hardwick is a restaurant in
Abergavenny, Monmouthshire. Stephen Terry is the head chef.
http://www.thehardwick.co.uk/index.php/restaurant

Great review! A real shame it wasn't up to standard.
ReplyDeleteAn interesting review, when I reviewed The Hardwick back in April I said that the Olive Oil was "bitter and vile". I guess they didn't change the brand.
ReplyDeleteI'm glad that you seemed to have a better food experience than we did, but we had issues with the service too. Interestingly they lost their Bib Gourmand status in this years Michelin Guide.
It's such a shame that six months after we did people are still complaining about the service.
Having just been to the hardwick for dinner and stop over incl breakfast , I would say that someone has listened . The olive oil and bread was great and the service fist class. The breakfast was the same ,great as aws the morning service and at no time did we ahve any problem with getting any member of staff to see to any request.
DeleteExcellent! Glad you enjoyed. No doubt I'll be back there at some point.
DeleteHere is Corpulent Capers' review. They really need to do something about that olive oil!
ReplyDeletehttp://www.corpulentcapers.com/2011/04/22/the-hardwick-abergavenny/