What makes a restaurant really successful depends on a variety of factors, which although seemingly disparate, if they do not mesh together detracts against the aim of the culinary exercise. These are, in no particular order, the quality of the food and drink, the environment, and the staff. All these elements need to work together almost symbiotically to achieve a great experience for the customer. And by this yardstick, the Castle Street Townhouse scores extremely highly.
It is easy for me to say, but G and myself have never encountered such well-trained front of house and restaurant staff as we did on our visit. The tone was set for our superb evening by Kat, who tread the line between professionalism and friendly warmth with aplomb. Nothing was too much trouble: she passionately talked about the aims of the Townhouse, the menu, the drinks, in all the culinary manifesto of the establishment. But such enthusiasm wasn’t just to be found with the management, but with the numerous members of staff who helped us enjoy ourselves so much. Indeed, our waitresses Ellie seemed like she had been trained by appointment of Her Majesty herself….yes, she was that good.
As I said, separate elements that need to come together, and so they did on our evening visit to try out the recently unveiled evening menu. The food was simply superb…Our starters of the fishcakes and the twice baked cheddar soufflé set the tone for our culinary symphony, the former being prepared to perfection, the seasoning so delicate, the accompanying lemon mayonnaise the perfect counter-point to the fish, and the latter having a lightness that clearly demonstrated the skill involved in its creation. Our mains of the rib- eye steak, cooked to my instruction to perfection, accompanied with thrice cooked chips, and the roasted wild mushroom orzo tendered lovingly in basil oil, continued effortlessly the high standard.
Deserts of Honey flack-jack cheesecake and chocolate brownie completed our gastronomic adventure, and acted as the perfect palate cleansing finale. All the above was washed down with a bottle of the House Wine, which was not like any other “House wine”. Gone are the days when house wine was a euphemism for any old cheap plonk served at an inflated price. Our Rometta Trebbiano Rubicone 2015 accompanied the food perfectly, its straw yellow hue with aromatic white fruits and flowers rounding off things very nicely. Actually, what really rounded things off was our Cosmopolitan and Kats personal favourite Absinthe cocktails, the latter being a first for me at least.
The Castle Street Townhouse is a welcome addition to the many bars and restaurants that offer a great food and drink experience, but, due to a dedicated team comprising of Kat, Ellie, Dave and the wonderfully talented chef Tom, this establishment raises the standard by several notches, which will be hard for the others to follow. So head down to the Townhouse, and enjoy great food and drink in a fantastically friendly but ultimately professional atmosphere that the team creates around you. The Townhouse doesn’t disappoint. On any level.
For more information and to book a table at Castle Street Townhouse visit http://www.castlestreettownhouse.co.uk/
Steve Kinrade
