PLATE BATHWICK
Lydia Tewkesbury celebrates the last night before lockdown 2 in style at The Bird’s brand-new restaurant
O
ur review of Plate Bathwick was scheduled for the day before lockdown. That strange, purgatorial Wednesday that also happened to be the first frost of the season, the suddenly frigid air reflective of the general mood of the country. That evening, I wrapped myself in my coat and scarf, pulled on my gloves (the cosy, rather than antibacterial, kind), checked the news for updates on the US election for perhaps the 10,000th time that day – there were none, of course – and tramped along the tow path and down Bathwick Hill to meet a friend for a pre-lockdown last hurrah at Plate Bathwick, the new restaurant at The Bird Bath hotel. The team have installed chef Leon Smith at the helm of their newest venture. With experience at The Pony and Trap (known for being one of only a handful of pubs with Michelin stars) and a spell at The Royal Oak at Paley Street, where he earned three AA rosettes, and
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a pedigree in great British meals made from the best, locally sourced produce – seriously, he forages some of it himself – Leon’s new menu is filled with hearty, warming dishes that are comforting to the soul and a luxurious treat all at the same time. Within moments of deciding to order a small glass of wine, I was talked into a cocktail I wasn’t planning on – it wasn’t hard, to be fair. A posh twist on a classic, the Champagne Colada was creamy, sweet – and a little bit too drinkable, to be honest. My guest stuck to her guns with the wine, and on advisement from our waiter, went for a rich Rioja Crianza from Sierra Cantabria – she had her eye on the venison (we’ll get to that shortly) and we all agreed it would make for the best accompaniment. While the menu is undeniably heavy on the meat, Leon is known for his passion for veg, and this shone through – which, as Bath Life’s current resident vegetarian, I appreciated. We selected our starters from the West Country Tapas menu – me going for the spiced parsnip
