Here’s one you may not have heard of, but it really is a gem!
The Leaping Hare restaurant is located in the 400 year old barn at the Wyken Vineyards near Stanton.
The vineyards themselves are renowned for their award winning ‘Bacchus’ wine, winner of the ‘English Wine of the Year’ and in 2009 ‘East Anglian Wine of the Year’.
The restaurant itself is not one that you can just walk into. That in itself speaks volumes for the quality of the food and will be ideal for those of you who, like my wife, ‘ wouldn’t eat in a restaurant where we can get a table’!
There is a limited number of tables in the barn, which is warm and very tastefully decorated, and the staff (when we were there at the weekend) were a model of courtesy!
You’re not rushed through your meal and yet service is at just the right pace. To be fair, the Leaping Hare perhaps isn’t the cheapest place you’ll have dinner this year, but we felt it was worth every penny, with the bill for 2 coming in at around £80, including a very fine bottle of wine.
As for the food – well the demand for tables speaks for itself and the quality of our meal cannot be questioned. Well flavoured, perfectly cooked steaks and perfect lamb for the main courses, along with excellent appetisers and the most wonderfully flavoured ice creams! Honey and Basil and Salty Caramel to name but two.
We really can recommend the Leaping Hare and will be returning very shortly – as long as I remember to book a table a couple of weeks in advance!
Please post your opinions here and let us all know what you think.
The Leaping Hare, Wyken Vineyards, Wyken Road, Stanton, Suffolk IP31 2DW
Tel 01359 250287
We booked a table at Maison Bleue having seen several recommendations, not least of all from Jay Rayner, food critic for The Observer. The only down side to this was that even booking a couple of days before, the earliest table available was for 8.30pm, so for the weekend the mantra must be ‘book early’!
The restaurant had a lively buzz about the place and service was swift without being too rushed.
Maison Bleue gives itself the title of ‘the unconventional fish restaurant’, which must mean unconventional for Bury St Edmunds as the relatively small dining area is neat and tidy rather than a mish-mash of styles and themes that you sometimes find elsewhere.
The menu, naturally enough, concentrates on fish, although land based produce gets a fair airing on the menu, and is cooked with just as much care and precision as the moules and oysters.
Jay Rayner made the comment that “There’s an awful lot of mail-order cashmere in this room.” Sure enough, the clientel are of a more senior generation than your average bar restaurant, but that does make the place feel very upmarket, yet reasonably priced.
Grumbles? Well perhaps the very polite waiters were a little too keen to top up our wine glasses, with 3 different (yet very smart an polite) young things assisting us to empty our bottle or very nice wine rather rapidly. I believe that was just being a tad over-attentive rather than a deliberate ploy.
I had lemon sole for my main, which I also felt was perhaps a little flavourless, and yes, I know that it’s too easy to kill the taste of such a delicate fish, but a little butter sauce would have been welcomed.
Overall though, a very pleasant dining experience which we will no doubt be having again!
Maison Bleue, 30-31, Churchgate St, Bury St. Edmunds, Suffolk IP33 1RG
Having tried The Dog Inn in Norton before, we thought we’d take a couple of friends there for dinner on Good Friday.
Surprisingly the place was relatively quiet which meant that we got a table straight away.
The service was very good, the food was exactly what we expected and the bill was very reasonable for 4 people. Admittedly we didn’t have deserts and drinks were bought seperately at the bar, but at around £12 per head, it definately didn’t break the bank!
All in all a pleasant evening an nice atmospheric inn.
I have no doubt that we will be returning in the not too distant future.
We always used The Rushbrooke Arms when we felt like somewhere cheap and cheerful where you had a pretty good idea what you were going to get, and with all day food, we’ve eaten there quite often.
Previously we’ve found a table in the bar area and eaten in there. Very pleasant especially on a cold wet winters day when the fire is on.
On Saturday however we decided to get a table in the main restaurant area, which believe it or not, was a big mistake!
We generally don’t have a problem with ‘family friendly’ pubs, but I guess this time it was just too family friendly, with plently of kids wandering back and forth being chased by parents, or going in and out to the outside play area.
We also, unfortunately, were sitting opposite the kitchen, where the door was left wide open. Not only did we have to put up with shrieking children, but also the clatters and bangs and general racket coming from the kitchen.
To make matters worse the music in the main restaurant was different to the music playing rather loudly in the kitchen. What with the kids, Gnarls Barkley mixed with The Chemical Brothers and the general bedlam in the kitchen, this was probably our most unpleasant eating experience there so far.
I doubt that we’ll be going back anytime soon, but if we do, we’ll definately be sitting in the bar, well away from the kitchen and would suggest that if you try The Rushbrooke, you do the same….
On walking past The Angel Hotel last night, we noticed a board outside offering 2 courses fro £12.50, from 12 noon to 6pm!
As it was just 4pm and having checked the menu outside and decided it was very good value, we ventured into the hotel restaurant, only to find the place empty..
We were then approached by a waitress and when we asked if they were serving dinner, were told that they’d ‘run out of food’!
We were then told that they stopped serving at 3pm on a Sunday, even though the board outside clearly said 12-6pm! To be honest she was quite curt and didn’t really offer much of an explaination and made us feel like a right pair of idiots.
On leaving we decided to check the board and menu again. The board still said 12-6pm (on both sides!) but in very small print at the bottom of the menu, customers were informed that it was 12-6pm on weekdays, 12-5pm on Saturday and 12-3pm on Sunday.
So if you’re thinking of taking advantage of what appears to be a very good offer, check the time and the day on the menu! Oh, and if anyone from The Angel is reading this, please don’t misrepresent your offers with misleading notice boards…
OK, so we’ve been to Brasserie Gerard quite a lot and seldom been disappointed, but last night was different..
My starter course was field mushrooms with spinach, a poached egg and cheese sauce – sounded great! Only it took an age to arrive, even though the place was practically empty. I was warned that the plate was very hot, which didn’t bode well for the state of the poached egg. Sure enough it was solid. I guess I should have complained, but I was pretty hungry by the time it arrived. My wife plumped for squid with tartar sauce, which she thoroughly enjoyed.
For the main course we both had ‘Onglet’ – a steak cut best served rare. When the main courses arrived, again after a considerable wait, my wife’s was the scrappiest piece of steak we’d ever seen. Naturally enough we sent it back and mine was returned to the kitchen to be kept warm. A couple of minutes later however, the manager came back with both dishes and asked what was wrong. We explained about the state of the cut of meat and after some discussion, the courses were again removed.
A very short time later, and the main courses were back – a new steak for my wife and the same old one for me. As you can probably imagine it was no longer as rare as it should have been, but by then we just wanted to get out of there, so we ate up, paid up and left.
It is always disappointing when you have to try to convince staff why you’re not happy with the meal / service / win etc, but even more so when the manager brings back the plates and effectively argues with the customers.
Unfortunately it may be some time before we again grace Brasserie Gerard with our wallets.
OK, so we’ve been to Brasserie Gerard quite a lot and seldom been disappointed, but last night was different..
My starter course was field mushrooms with spinach, a poached egg and cheese sauce – sounded great! Only it took an age to arrive, even though the place was practically empty. I was warned that the plate was very hot, which didn’t bode well for the state of the poached egg. Sure enough it was solid. I guess I should have complained, but I was pretty hungry by the time it arrived. My wife plumped for squid with tartar sauce, which she thoroughly enjoyed.
For the main course we both had ‘Onglet’ – a steak cut best served rare. When the main courses arrived, again after a considerable wait, my wife’s was the scrappiest piece of steak we’d ever seen. Naturally enough we sent it back and mine was returned to the kitchen to be kept warm. A couple of minutes later however, the manager came back with both dishes and asked what was wrong. We explained about the state of the cut of meat and after some discussion, the courses were again removed.
A very short time later, and the main courses were back – a new steak for my wife and the same old one for me. As you can probably imagine it was no longer as rare as it should have been, but by then we just wanted to get out of there, so we ate up, paid up and left.
It is always disappointing when you have to try to convince staff why you’re not happy with the meal / service / win etc, but even more so when the manager brings back the plates and effectively argues with the customers.
Unfortunately it may be some time before we again grace Brasserie Gerard with our wallets.
Mmmmm.
Strada. Yeah OK, so it’s OK most of the time, although you don’t expect a stand-up argument with the manager when you query what the expression ‘Butterflied Prawns’ actually means.
Go on – order the Butterflied Prawns and I bet you get standard (smallish) king prawns cooked in garlic butter – not a butterfly in sight.
Overall though, a reasonable place, but it’s surprising how a row with the manage can put you off?
7 The Traverse, Bury St Edmunds, IP33 1BJ
01284 700 771
Always a good ‘default’ place to eat. Rarely disappointing with a pretty extensive menu and reasonably priced. Plenty of comfortable seating available although rearely a need to book in advance – they also have occasional guest musicians – well worth checking out!
Check online for vouchers as there is usually some deal available..
35-36 Abbeygate Street, Bury St. Edmunds, Suffolk, IP33 1LW
01284 756 260
Another reliable place to eat in Bury St. Edmunds.
Very good French based food and very good prices. Plenty of confortable seating and rarely a requirement to book in advance.
Check online as vouchers are often available!
59 Abbeygate Street, Bury St. Edmunds, IP33 1LB
01284 764 477