The Grumpy Mole Review

For Her

THE GRUMPY MOLE

One of our all-time favourite, destination gastro pubs, The Grumpy Mole is synonymous with quality food, service and ambience. Now with 5 Grumpy Mole Inns in Surrey you can be safe in the knowledge you are never far away from a great dining experience. Be it a casual lunch with friends, an afternoon tea or an a la carte dinner – The Grumpy Mole caters for every diner and special occasion.

The Tadworth Grumpy Mole first opened its doors back in 2007 and you can now choose from Brockham, Epsom, Cheam or Oxted. Or why not try them all?!

The Grumpy Mole buildings themselves are steeped in history and all have a unique charm. Tadworth has a traditional 17th Century roaring log fire, Brockham is on the famous Brockham Green, Cheam has a beautiful and cosy heated outside garden terrace, Oxted has superb views over the charming countryside while The Amato in Epsom has a bright, airy dining room that backs onto their immaculate pub garden.

OUR EXPERIENCE

would prefer to sit in the Restaurant or Bar Area. We opted for a less formal dining experience in the bar area.

The first thing we noted was how wide ranging the menu was, with something for everyone. From the 9 scrumptious

starters available we went for the Crispy Bacon and Melted Cheese Potato Skins with Sour Cream & Chive Dip. Cooked perfectly with crispy bacon and lashings of cheese - a real treat! We also selected the Homemade Satay Chicken Kebabs with a delightful Peanut Sauce and Cucumber, Chilli & Coriander Salsa. The chicken was tender and superbly marinated – perfectly offset by the sweetness of the Peanut Sauce and tanginess from the Salsa. A definite must try.

FOR MAINS

With 17 wide ranging Main Course options including The Grumpy Mole’s famous Steak on the Stone, Chargrilled Burgers, Sri Lankan Curry, Traditional Beef Stroganoff and

Fresh Sea Bass; selecting just one was a real quandary!

As it was a cold February day we opted for the popular Steak & Ale Pie with Creamy Mash and Seasonal Vegetables. There was an abundance of lean, melt-in-the-mouth steak in the pie, a crispy top pastry case and the gravy was packed full of flavour. It’s also good to hear of the choice and diversity of The Grumpy Mole menu as there are 3 different

pies to choose from depending on the day – and you can choose to have with fries or new potatoes if you wish.

Our second main was the Pan Roasted Rump of English Lamb, another Grumpy Mole favourite. On arrival it looked almost too good to eat – served colourfully with a Minted Pea Puree, Sauteed Peas & Chorizo, Dauphinoise Potatoes, Seasonal Vegetables all drizzled in a delicious Honey & Thyme Jus. An absolutely superb dish. The lamb was succulent and cooked to perfection with the sides packing just as much punch and flavour as the lamb. This is the sort of dish our tasters described as being more akin to the quality of a Michelin starred restaurant. Well done Grumpy Mole!

FOR DESSERT

Not that we had much room.... but we were intrigued to see if it was up to the high standards of the Starters and

Mains – and indeed it was. We had the Chef’s Own Crème

Brulee which was deliciously creamy with a perfectly blasted sugar coating that cracked upon tapping with our spoon. It was served with a fruit compote and homemade shortbread biscuits garnished with strawberries and blueberries and dusted in icing sugar. It looked and tasted divine and we were sold. All three courses were perfect – we will definitely be back again soon.

One of, if not, the best gastropub we have ever visited. CONTACT There are 5 excellent Grumpy Moles to choose from. The menus are the same at each establishment so you can be sure you are getting the same quality and service wherever you choose to dine out. The best way to book your table is online via their website:  www.thegrumpymole.co.uk Or you can contact the venues directly: Epsom

 01372 721309  epsom@thegrumpymole.co.uk Cheam