Star rating: *** Having watched the renovation of an Oswestry town centre hotel, just a few hundred yards from the office, I was keen to try out the very new look Smithfield.
Over the years the hotel, formerly The Bear, has gone through many guises and its reputation for food has both waxed and waned in the last 15 years.
Its new name stems from its position next to what was, until the 1960s, Oswestry’s Smithfield or livestock market when it was popular with the farmers.
Recently the Smithfield has been transformed and it is once again a hotel which, looking at its reservations list when popping in to book a table, seems already to have taken off.
We chose a Sunday evening to sample its food when we found ourselves ’sans enfants’ thanks to our teenagers’ increasingly busy lives.
The decor is bang up to date with cream and leather dominating, block prints on the walls and lovely modern floral arrangements. We found a comfy sofa in the bar and quickly relaxed thanks to the mellow background music.
It is not the largest of restaurants but it has a choice of menus from bar meals to a la carte, as well as a set menu. There was also the Sunday lunch menu which I almost dismissed - roasts and carveries my pet hates for eating out.
But a cursory glance spotted salmon and on closer inspection I thought the price £9.95 for two courses, £12.95 for three, seemed too good to pass by. Mel, meanwhile decided on the set menu - £14.95 for two courses, £17.95 for three.
There were two other groups of diners but the very efficient staff soon showed us into the restaurant.
Mel’s duck, orange and brandy paté - safe and traditional, was lifted by a delicious chutney which gave the starter a bit of a kick.
My seafood pancake set the tone of the meal - simple and safe, but extremely well cooked. The pancake was light and home made and while there could have been more exotic seafood inside, the prawns, white fish and salmon were in plenty of creamy sauce. Freshly ground pepper provided by the waitress gave it the edge it needed.
Hubby had forsaken his red meat for chicken - and was well pleased. The chicken breast had been stuffed with black pudding and wrapped in a thick slice of tasty bacon.
But it was the mushroom sauce topped with fresh herbs that delighted him. There were mountains of mushrooms including wild or oriental varieties that really made the meal.
My salmon was served with pan fried potatoes and asparagus with hollandaise sauce - a picture on a plate.
The salmon had that perfect, only-just-cooked texture, not in the least dry. And the hollandaise was simply delicious. Cooking simple, classic dishes, and getting them just right is not as easy as it seems to achieve.
Both meals were served with a side dish of new potatoes and vegetables. I have to say we seemed to have chosen well as acquaintances also dining out told us later they were not happy with their pasta choice - all pasta and not much else.
However, having complained, a new version emerged from the kitchen which was far more acceptable.
Mel and I joked that our waitress must have had CCTV cameras in the kitchens - so speedily did she emerge to clear the plates after each course. In fact I had to beg for some breathing space before a pud.
The desserts seemed to be the bought-in variety, somewhat disappointing after the previous, home-cooked courses.
But they were tasty enough. My chocolate torte had layers of sponge and mousse and while Mel’s Baileys cheesecake seemed to be more cream than cheese, it was a decent portion and tasty.
After polishing off most of a bottle of wine I was grateful to retreat back to the comfy sofa and would have quite happily stayed there had not teenager 1 rung for her lift from her evening out.
ADDRESS
The Smithfield Hotel, Salop Road, Oswestry
Tel: 01691 658944
MENU SAMPLE
Starters
Wild mushrooms in a garlic cream stuffed into a savoury choux bun (£4.95); warm chicken and bacon salad cooked in honey served on a bed of rocket leaves (£5.75); North Atlantic prawns wrapped in a smoked salmon parcel drizzled with a marie rose dressing and cracked black pepper (£5.95).
Main courses
Roast duckling with port and orange sauce (£14.75); sea bass on a feta and chive mash with a mussel, saffron and leek cream (£14.75); asparagus and leeks wrapped in filo pastry with melted Gruyere cheese and a wild berry coulis (£10.95).
Desserts
Treacle tart, trifle, apple pie (all £4.25).
ATMOSPHERE
Modern and mellow.
SERVICE
Attentive.
DISABLED FACILITIES
Small step up to the ladies’ toilet.
By Sue Austin
One Comment
Took my father there for his birthday, five of us went, we all enjoyed ourselves, even the two vegetarians, the staff are all helpfull & polite. We would recomend it to everybody.