
It had been over seven years since my last visit to the renowned seaside restaurant The Elephant in Torquay, but it was a meal I had fond memories of. Whilst back on holiday in lovely Devon, it seemed an ideal time to revisit a restaurant that has successfully retained its strong guide recognition in those years, so I duly made the trip for lunch with my wife, her parents and our two young children on a pleasant August Saturday.
Booking had been relatively painless; most restaurants I would say limit online bookings to a maximum of four or six people, here the magic number is five so our six person booking required a phone call a few months earlier and the payment of a £20 per person deposit (which I have no issue with). Whilst the restaurant doesn't have any dedicated parking, there are plenty of pay and display car parks around Torquay a short walk from the restaurant.
I'd purposely booked an early lunch for 12pm, but there was already a bit of a queue at the door on arrival, it wasn't long though before we were shown to our table in the upper section of the restaurant. The inside of the restaurant is very much as I remember (although having visited off-season previously, it was a lot busier in the height of summer); visually it's a smart but relaxed space for a quality meal and our table of six was perfectly comfortable.
On offer at lunch is a three course carte menu, a more concise (and cheaper) three course lunch menu and also a lunch tasting menu, although interestingly the lunch tasting menu seemed to consist only of the six menu choices from the lunch menu in order. In addition, there is a short two course children's menu however they were fairly firm (which is fine) that the age limit for that menu is ten years old, so only my son had that option (for reference, most restaurants in my experience have the cut off at twelve years old). For the rest of the table, my daughter and mother-in-law ate from the lunch menu whilst myself, my wife and father-in-law ate from the carte.
Drinks wise there's a decent selection and a short but interesting wine list; I shared an enjoyable bottle of the Lyme Bay Shoreline with my father-in-law whilst the rest of the family was happy with apple juice and cranberry juice for their meals.
There are no pre-meal nibbles here unless you pay a £12.50 additional charge which is an approach I haven't seen for quite a few years, although I appreciate the reasoning (we passed on those). There was however some decent sourdough bread provided with flavoured butter (including portions for the kids) which is always nice to receive.
Lunch proper began for me with a scallop dish, including a very flavoursome mussel and pear dashi, and cauliflower. Was it as good as the king scallop starter I'd had here on my previous visit? Not quite, but it was still a very enjoyable fresh start to the meal. Out of the other starters ordered by our table, the BBQ lobster was probably the highlight consisting of some beautifully cooked slices of lobster with sharp apple balls and a lovely lobster custard.
The mains didn't take long to arrive after the starters were cleared; I'd opted for the Devon lamb, served with courgette, tomato and calamansi. This was a really accomplished main course (and proof if needed that this isn't just a seafood restaurant); the lamb cooking was faultless and the dish as a whole was delicious, I'd happily eat this plate again any time. All the other main courses around the table including the gurnard, chicken (both from the lunch menu), plaice and duck (from the carte) were all devoured without complaint too.
Would desserts be as impressive as what had gone before? In short, absolutely yes! My dessert consisting of a glazed half chocolate mousse with a piped chocolate ganache and a delicate sugar disk atop some top rate vanilla ice cream was excellent, and one of the best 1* carte desserts I've had for a while. The strawberry dessert from the carte and peach dessert from the lunch menu were both very much enjoyed also.
And so, as we collected our bill with no issues (complete with 10% service charge) an enjoyable family lunch came to an end. Overall I was very impressed with the standard of food here, which was probably a little bit better than I'd been expecting in truth. The issue perhaps for this level (and cost) of restaurant was the service; it became very clear during our meal that the mission for the staff here is to turn tables as quickly as possible.
Whilst all the staff were perfectly pleasant, any real interaction was minimal; no dishes were really explained on delivery, and the sommelier (I think) who presented our wine was virtually silent when delivering this to us (to the extent it felt he didn't want to be there). We were all done in under two hours which for six people eating three courses is fast by any standard. Whilst I'm always happy to applaud good menu pacing, and I completely appreciate having visited here in the off-season previously that the restaurant needs to make hay on a sunny August Saturday, the desire to get us out of the door ASAP did compromise the overall experience somewhat for me.
Nonetheless this is still a top restaurant by any standard and one of the best family friendly 1* restaurants in the UK for sure; I'd be delighted to visit again at any point in future but I'd probably aim for a non-peak day with the hope of receiving a slightly more relaxed experience.
Dress Code
According to the website, there is no dress code. I went in shorts and a t-shirt for lunch to test this theory and they didn't throw me out, most people were dressed more smartly than me though and for dinner, I'd make a bit more effort.
Top Tip
Guide Ratings
I don't have any issue with the star or three rosettes; both are fully deserved.
Ratings | Michelin Guide | AA Guide |
---|---|---|
At time of review | ![]() |
![]() ![]() ![]() |
Our view | ![]() |
![]() ![]() ![]() |
Group size: 4 adults & 2 children. Total bill (including service): £416.
View full restaurant detailsAt Leading Restaurants, all restaurant visits take place anonymously. We do not accept invitations to review restaurants and nor do we accept any form of incentive whatsoever when visiting. Please see our FAQ's page to learn more.