Exeter's new roof top bar and restaurant has been inspired by some of the most stylish venues around the world. The design is centred around the roof deck with Cathedral views. Customers can expect an adventurous menu with personality using great quality locally sourced artisan products. Combine that with carefully selected beers and wines from some of the best producers, live music, cocktails and an upbeat atmosphere both day and night.
We were invited to sample the menu on one of their soft launch evenings.
We were invited to sample the menu on one of their soft launch evenings.
The venue is a centre piece for the Guildhall development, and looks a million miles away from the old building. There is a really nice, wine bar feel with rustic wooden bar as the centrepiece.
The menu is predominately fish and seafood, with some steaks and a couple of burgers. We enjoyed a couple of glasses of prosecco while we chose.
Under the starters I spotted 'pork and pickle' with no other description. I asked the waiter and, after him going off to check, he confirmed it was braised pork cheeks, bread crumbed and fried with a selection of pickled veg. The pork was melt in the mouth and tasted delicious with the pickles. It was a really enjoyable starter.
Unfortunately we watched our starters get carried around the restaurant 3 times before they were brought to our table, as the waitress had no idea where she was going. This meant that the top of his calamari had gone cold. This was a soft launch though, so issues like that are to be expected, and hopefully ironed out by the time it's open to the public.
We both had burgers for mains. I ordered a lamb burger and expected normal lamb mince made into a patti. This was actually shredded lamb, breadcrumbed. It was different and really tasty, complimented well by the mint sauce. The chips were nice, although they needed seasoning. There was no seasoning on the table, so we asked our waiter. He couldn't find any and sadly the salt never came.
Overall it was a good meal with a few teething issues. The staff need to memorise a table plan, as a lot of the evening was spent watching them run around not having a clue where to go with food. Both our courses went on a grand tour of the restaurant before finally arriving on our table. Seasoning should be on the table as standard, or at least brought out to the table on request.
I think these teething issues are easily resolvable and I look forward to it being fully up and running, and the staff getting a bit more experience. For this reason, I am reserving my official score until we visit again!
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