Devon's Best Roast Dinners: The Terrace, Exeter

The good British roast dinner, is there anything better than sitting down to one on a Sunday? I have taken pride in my home cooked roasts for years, but sometimes it's nice to enjoy a roast that has been cooked by someone other than me! Devon is full of wonderful restaurants offering carvery or plated roasts, with lots of fresh local produce. I have often had difficulty in finding where is best to go, so decided to start the hunt to find 'Devon's Best Roast Dinner'.

This Sunday we were invited to try out The Terrace in Exeter. One of  leading venues within the Queen Street dining area, they have recently refocused on high quality food, as well as their excellent nightlife. I hadn't been there to eat since it very first opened a few years ago. They have live music on a Sunday, for that extra atmosphere enhancement.

We sat at the very top of the building in the The Terrace Rooftop, surrounded by the wall length glass windows, allowing the glorious October sunshine to peep in over the views of the Guildhall and the top of the Cathedral. It has a gorgeous wooden bar as the centrepiece inside, with an impressive range of spirits and cocktails on offer.

We were lucky enough to go when the AMAZING Adam in the Hat performed, and treated us to some silky tones, old classics and modern mash ups. This really made a welcoming and warm atmosphere and took the experience to the next level. I seriously recommend checking him out if you ever seem him playing, and there are a few videos up on his Youtube too.

You can choose some delicious starters from soups to home cured salmon Gravadlax or smoked duck. We decided to go with a main and dessert instead of a starter this time, as delicious as they sounded.

There were only 2 meat options on the menu when we went, although there are more on the menu on their website. We had the choice of striploin of beef or low roasted porchetta, as well as a roasted butternut squash option.

The first thing I noticed when we received our plates was that there didn't seem to be any potatoes on the plate, but they were actually hidden under the mound of meat. There were only 2 roast potatoes on my plate, which was a little disappointing as I usually prefer to have more on my plate.

I also had to request some extra gravy, partially because it was delicious, but also because it was so thick that it only covered the meat and didn't disperse around the plate. The serving staff arranged this very promptly. There was a buttery sweet potato mash, crispy kale, parsnips and red cabbage. All were cooked well and full of flavour, and I really enjoyed the addition of the sweet potato mash. 

We chose the Lemon meringue tart topped with Italian meringue and a raspberry sauce. The slice was small but delightfully zesty and delicious, perfectly paired with the sweet and sightly sour raspberry sauce.

The live music really enhanced the flavour of the food creating a perfect atmosphere, but we did have a little wait for the food to be brought out, and I was left wanting more roast potatoes.