Renaissance, Shrewsbury

Star rating: ****

Diners at Renaissance, in Shrewsbury, don’t get a normal dinner. Instead, they get a culinary mystery tour. The proprietors of the seven-year-old restaurant have, in their infinite wisdom, recently decided to offer a surprise menu each night.

That means guests arrive and are presented with a six-course selection of unknown - though, hopefully, not unwanted - dishes to eat. It’s a peculiar idea and I’m not sure it entirely works.

My wife and I tested it on a Saturday evening recently. Some dishes were great, others were so-so. We wouldn’t, for instance, have chosen anything with a too-acid banana chutney. More of which later.

Renaissance has one of the finest settings of any restaurant in Shropshire. It’s located in a Georgian home in Princess Street with wonderful tarragon green walls and plenty of period effects. It’s similar to the Soho restaurant of Great British Menu chef Richard Corrigan, though not quite as posh.

When my wife and I visited, we were the first arrivals. We were shown into a delightful dining room that had space for around 15 guests.

We were given freshly-baked bread, which was of a decent standard, and then we waited with anticipation for our first course, a soup of unknown origin. “Do you want me to tell you what it is, or would you like to guess?”

The soup was cauliflower and sage. It was reasonably good, though the chef should have beefed up the seasoning to bring through stronger cauliflower flavours.

Other guests, who arrived later, decided to try and guess. Their suggestions ranged from leek and potato to turnip. If I’d been the chef, I’d have been a tad disappointed that nobody could discern the correct flavour.

The second course was a salmon and prawn roulade. It was perfectly adequate, though the smoked salmon it contained was underwhelming. With so many great local producers, like Bings Heath or the Organic Smokehouse, there was no excuse not to make the dish a winner.

A grapefruit sorbet followed, complete with plenty of pith. It was serviceable but times have moved on from the days of between-course refreshers. It didn’t add to our dinner. A pre-dessert or amuse bouche would have been better.

Next up was the highlight of the evening, a dish featuring best end of lamb on a bed of root vegetable mash with potato dauphinoise and spinach.

The lamb was cooked with great skill and the dauphinoise was creamy, garlicky, cheesey and utterly divine. It was the first dish that either of us would have chosen and we were impressed.

A dessert followed, featuring a selection of small tasters. There was a bland apple and almond tart, a brilliant damson torte and an unctuous mini chocolate cake among the selection. The torte was a winner. I’d have been far happier with a plate of that than the lacking-in-flavour apple dessert.

Course six was cheese. Well, it was cheese on toast, with a twist. We were presented with a slice of oven-baked brie on a thin slice of toast. It was sprinkled with seasame seeds and served with a woeful banana chutney and celery stick.

In many ways, it summed up the evening. The kitchen had gone to great lengths to innovate and create a memorable dish. It achieved that, but not necessarily for the right reasons. The chutney was a disaster, leaving my tongue reeling and stripped of its tastebuds. My wife, quite sensibly, offered me hers.

Petit fours were again an A for effort but C for execution. A chocolate and nut slice was great but a homemade Turkish Delight had way too much gelatine. It was like sucking on a lump of Bostick.

For all its faults, I enjoyed our evening at Renaissance.The love and attention that goes into each dish is plain to see. Courses feature an abundance of local produce and the chef clearly devotes hours to making everything himself, from the bread and soup to the petite fours.

And there are occasional lapses, like the banana chutney or Turkish Delight, but there are other moments of utter triumph, like the lamb or damson torte.

The service is warm and friendly. Our waitress for the evening had a genial air. She didn’t know much about the food she was serving and was stumped when other guests asked questions. But, dutifully, she repaired to the kitchen before returning with answers.

Renaissance is among the top half dozen restaurants in Shrewsbury. And although it needs to take down its photographs of finished dishes which adorn the walls, check the seasoning more thoroughly, tell diners what they’re eating and do away with seventies-style nouvelle cuisine - no more banana chutney or grapefruit sorbet - it’s charming.

Our dinners were £27 a head, which represented remarkable value, and we left Renaissance with smiles on our faces.

Ordinarily, I’d give it a three out of five. But the effort and absolute devotion shown by its owners mean it warrants greater recognition.

I’ve rarely eaten at a venue where the proprietors have tried so hard to please their guests. Though it goes against my instincts, I’ll award it four out of five.

But only just.

By Andy Richardson

MENU SAMPLE: Fixed priced Six course menu £27 a head

Starters: Fish roulade, soup, salad of local greens

Main courses: Roast sirloin of beef, stuffed loin of lamb

Desserts: Fruit tartlet, meringue, parfait or mousse

ATMOSPHERE: Refined. The two separate rooms are classically decorated.

Service: Very good. Waiters are attentive and explain speciality dishes

Disabled facilities: It’s a disabled-unfriendly venue. Renaissance is in a converted Listed Building and does not have a special disabled toilet.

Smoking policy: No smoking

CONTACT: Renaissance, Princess Street, Shrewsbury (01743) 354289