Dartmoor Devon B&B's, Hotels, Self-catering, Camping & Youth Hostels and Camping Barns

Cafe Green Ginger at Ashburton Food Review

 

5th August 2010.
Food review by Jill Pendleton

The Rock Inn, Haytor Vale, Newton Abbot, Devon TQ13 9XP.

Telephone 01364 661305

For a foodie treat with friends George and Linda,

we opt for dinner at the Rock Inn at Haytor,

already one of our favourite eating places and somewhere

that you do need to book at this time of the year.

In a tiny hamlet not far from the impressive Haytor Rock itself,

this pretty fronted and unassuming inn never lets us down.
The furnishings, the staff and the food are always up to the mark.

 

And as we enter the bar / dining room with it’s dark rich interior
there's a clamour of happy European voices.
Thank goodness we booked because the place is full.

 

With drinks in hand we are taken to the table with the window seat, and Sharon my favourite waitress, who always has time to chat to people, takes the order. A new waitress comes to deliver the cutlery for our first course. She is slightly hesitant, and leaves us with fish knives and forks all round, which is a bit of a surprise as Rob has chosen goat’s cheese tart, but we later find out that it is her very first day, and hey that must be a little daunting for any youngster.

All the staff wear uniform, and all are utterly charming to the customers. The large table next to us has
a happy group of German diners and a young French couple full of bonhomie are to my right. Evening is falling
and as the daylight fades, the twinkling candles at each table become more obvious and the room positively glows,
with reflections in the mirrors around the walls, lots of glinting glassware and highly polished cutlery.
At the end of a very stressful day in the office dealing with a major website problem, this is just what I need
to bring me back to civilisation. Pleasant surroundings, good company and the anticipation of good food.
Just one gin and tonic to restores the balance and wouldn’t you know, the chap behind the bar asks
if I have any preference on the gin, I ask for Plymouth Gin and of course he has it.

As well as at least 4 serving staff in the restaurant, there must be a fair number in the kitchen because we don’t have long to wait for warm bread to arrive followed by our starters. As I said, Rob chose the goat’s cheese tart, and loved it, and we 3 all chose crab spring rolls, which I know myself, if you are cooking from scratch can be tricky. They tend to reach perfection in a very short time, and 2 or 3 seconds later go from cooked to burnt and ruined. These on our plates have been watched over, as they are spot on and wonderfully tasty. Served with a sweet chilli sauce and side salad.

For their mains, George and Linda plump for Pan Fried Sea Trout with potatoes and fresh asparagus.

Rob and I take the Pan Fried Chicken breast which comes with fine beans and a very good red wine sauce.
The creamy mashed potato has onions and sage in it that goes well with the chicken, which is moist and tasty.
See photos, every bit as good as they look.The others take pudding, and I have a cream topped coffee.

They have poached apricots and chocolate tart which all get the thumbs up. A la carte prices are £6.95 for starters, £15.95 for mains, and £.5.95 for dessert, but tonight we have all chosen from the Fixed Price menu, which offers a choice of 3 starters, 4 mains and 3 puddings at £18 for 2 courses and £23 for 3 courses.
George and Linda like a good wine and the white wine of the month is a Sharpham’s which they love.

It’s just as well for us that this inn is so out of the way.
Were it to be closer to one of the Moorland towns it would be booked up all the time.

 

As it is, serious foodies worldwide beat a path to the door.

Walkers and families make full use of the inn’s pretty garden

just opposite, and no doubt locals who live at Haytor

all know it as their own.

 

The Rock offers accommodation.

Maybe they should be on my website ? They would be very welcome.

As with all my food reviews, I ask the question -

would we go again ? Sure would, and happy to recommend.
With bar drinks, wine and coffee our bill comes to £120.95

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