Tis the season to eat heartily – cosy winter food is
everywhere and I love it. And when you’re looking for a great meal on a frosty
evening, it’s hard to beat a really good pub like The Garrick’s Head. You can
choose between the bar, which has a lovely buzzing atmosphere and a menu of
great classics (the fish & chips in particular are a bit legendary at the
Garrick) and the restaurant, which is a little more intimate and romantic, with
soft candlelight and a fabulous set menu, which offers 3 courses for just
£20.95.
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| Roasted bone marrow with black garlic puree |
On the evening we visited, the weather was horrendous, so
we were more than ready for a bit of cheering up. We started with large glasses
of red wine – the wine list here is great – I chose a lovely warming, spicy
Malbec while my dining companion went for a mellow Montepulciano d’Abruzzo. To
start, I ordered roasted bone marrow with black garlic puree and Bertinet rye
dough (above) – classic winter food to keep you going through hell or high water. The
flavours were wonderful, especially the black garlic, but I have to say I think
my dining companion made the best choice here – the leek and artichoke tart was
gorgeously rich with plenty of cheese (even if he would only let me have one
bite).
The Garrick is happy for you to mix and match the set
menu and bar menu in the restaurant, so for our main course, my companion went
for the classic burger with cheese and homemade slaw. He’s a bit of a burger
aficionado and happily pronounced this one of the best burgers in Bath – no
mean feat. Meanwhile, I stuck with the set menu and ordered ham hock with champ
(that’s mashed potato with spring onions, by the way), parsley sauce and a
crispy hen’s egg. It was exactly what I wanted on such a cold and miserable evening
– rich, filling, and full of great flavour, like ham, egg & chips dressed
up to the nines.
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| Banana sticky toffee pudding |
We were both too full to eat a whole dessert, but
couldn’t resist trying the pudding menu, so we shared a banana sticky toffee
pudding with lemon meringue ice cream, which was wonderful – a fabulous twist
on a classic.
Overall, I loved the set menu and would definitely
recommend it, but I also can’t wait to go back and try more of the bar menu –
everything looked so good it was nigh on impossible to choose. On top of that,
the atmosphere was wonderful and the service was particularly excellent – the
Garrick is definitely going to become one of our regular favourites.
