Having been to Stratford-Upon-Avon a number of times during my childhood, I have already done the expected/ mandatory sight seeing. This trip was just about joining my mum and one of our close friends for a night away and a much needed catch-up.
We arrived in Stratford-Upon-Avon around lunchtime so after dropping our cases at the hotel our first stop was something to eat.
The Encore
On the day we arrived in Stratford-Upon-Avon, the summer was in full swing. We had booked to eat in the restaurant at The Encore but when we arrived we requested to sit outside to make the most of the sunshine.
There were a good number of tables and some had umbrellas so we chose to sit at one of these to take advantage of the shade. The Encore occupies a good position near where the River Avon and Stratford Canal meet.
We opted to eat from the all day menu as this has a selection of small plates to choose from and this was definitely the right decision.
Here’s what we ordered for three people…
Pan-fried Wild Scallops which came with fennel, saffron veloute, risotto, green pesto. The scallops were nicely cooked, they remained juicy with a lovely searing. The risotto was a colourful yellow, was well flavoured with a good moist texture. The little red sweet peppers (at least that’s what I think they were) also added another pop of flavour (and colour) to the plate.
Plate no 2 was Chipotle Sticky Chicken which was karaage fried chicken with a smoky chilli jam. When we were considering ordering this, I did have a fleeting concern that it could be quite spicy. As it turned out I didn’t need to be wary, the sauce was nicely sweet and sticky with a mild hint of smokiness and heat. The chicken could have been cooked a little bit less so that it was slightly more succulent but overall it was a good dish.
Sticky Beef Dumpling accompanied with soy sauce & chilli dressing, black onion seed and pink pickled onion. When this arrived it definitely wasn’t what I had envisaged. The menu accurately describes what was served, but I think in my head when I read dumpling, I thought that I was going to be eating dim sum or gyoza. The dumpling outer was made of some form of pastry, which was fairly thick – almost like a scone pastry. I personally thought it could have been a little thinner as the pastry to beef ratio was little too much in favour of the pastry. The combination of the sauce, which was maybe crème fraiche, the pickled onion and the sticky beef were nice. This was the least favourite of dishes that I tried, it was fairly good but I probably wouldn’t order again if I return here.
The forth dish we ordered was pan-fried king prawns with chilli & feta. The prawns were served in a tomato & chipotle chilli sauce, with lemon gremolata, a rosemary pangrattato crumb and ciabatta. I’m not keen on feta but my dining companions seemed to enjoy.
We also ordered a dish of the Fries & sea salt. There was little confusion around the fact that these are normally ordered with main meals rather than small plates so these did arrive a little later than the rest. They were skin on fries and were fine enough.
All of this we washed down with a couple of bottles of Rose. The bottle we ordered was on the Specials wine list and was a Cote De Provence – I didn’t make note but think it might have been the Chateau de Berne as it came in their eye-catching square bottle. It was a perfectly balanced rose – not too dry and not too sweet but deliciously fruity and a great match with the food. Hence why we ended up having two bottles!
All the portions of food were generous and enough to feed the three of us without feeling overly full.
The service throughout was efficient and friendly.
Kellys Ice Cream
Next up was a quick stop a few steps up the road for an ice cream from Kelly’s of Cornwall.
I went for the salted caramel ice cream – one scoop in a tub, which I have stay was absolutely delicious. It was so rich the caramel combined with luxurious whole milk and Cornish clotted cream.
Miller & Carter
This was my first time visiting a Miller & Carter restaurant. The interior when first done was probably quite chic but in this restaurant has started to look bit tired.
Our waiter Jack greeted us at the door and was bright, cheerful and prompt.
One of the big pluses of Miller and Carter is the fact that you get a side of lettuce, steak sauce and a standard side included in the price of the steak.
I ordered the Black Angus 50 Day Aged Sirloin medium rare with bearnaise steak sauce, lettuce wedge with classic vinaigrette and boiled potatoes. Here’s my synopsis…
The steak was cooked as requested but lacked the flavour of a well marbled steak that I have experienced in the US and Australia but can you really complain for approx £30. I chose the wrong dressing for my lettuce wedge – led by the unfortunate calories displayed on the menu rather than my desire. I also ordered the new potatoes for which a bit of pan frying and garlic wouldn’t have gone a miss but I did get what I ordered. When I whatsapped a picture to my husband he joked – why are you eating cabbage and where are the chips – he may of had a point!
I also never understand why a steak would need a blob of parsley butter on it! If the steak is as good as it should be it really isn’t necessary – you will see I discarded mine.
We paired our food with the Barossa Valley Estate Shiraz. As the menu suggested this was “Juicy and bold with bags of pepper and rich dark berries” and it went well with the steak.
For dessert we went for the Indulgent Dessert Sharing Board (sorry no pictures). It was a good choice for the three of us to share.
The sharing board comprised of “rich caramelised banana banoffee pie” – this was delicious, the best bit was the real banana which topped the creamy pie.
Madagascan vanilla-glazed crème brûlée – not my thing.
Warm double Belgian chocolate brownie with Vanilla bean ice cream – the brownie was rich and well balanced with the vanilla bean of the ice cream. Ice cream twice in one day – how decadent – although the ice cream wasn’t quite as luxurious as the salted caramel earlier in the day.
Overall – good food and service.
Where we stayed – The White Swan
I booked the White Swan via Booking.com to take advantage of my status (currently Level 3 on their Genius Programme, which provides discounts – 10% applied on this booking). I also booked via Quidco so will receive another 4% cash back on top. A small double Room costs £128.
The hotel is centrally located, doesn’t have a car park but there are public car parks very near by which cost between £12 -£14 for 24 hours.
Ahead of arriving, the hotel emailed to provide an online checking form to complete and then on arrival we just had to pay to check in as they don’t take payment via Booking.com
The room was pleasant maybe slightly warn. I was staying on my own but the room would have been okay for two people for a short break.
I think it’s a nice touch that each room has a quote from a Shakespearean play, here was mine…
Some very small gripes about my room but nothing that would put me off staying again…
- I had to move the desk to be able to plug anything in the plug sockets which sat above the desk.
- The chair in the room was too big for the desk so stuck out into the room.
- The shower leaked into the rest of the bathroom.
Some positives:
- I had a really good nights sleep as the location was quiet and I could have my window open for some fresh air.
- The Breakfast – I had a little bit of a mix up with mine but probably caused by me. My mum and friend’s breakfast looked very good and they were nothing but complimentary about it.
Here are some of the photos from my morning run…
