Gonville Hotel

Solid 4.4. Jazzy and relaxing ambience, relatively reliable British food with quality ingredients and hit-and-miss innovations, friendly-though-not-impeccable service. 2023 so far the best Sunday roast in town, though it’s surprisingly empty on a crowded July day. (Tender and lots of veg, though the fish can be seasoned more.) The fried oysters and carrot risotto are both nicely executed. 2024 Overall the experience was good and just slightly lacking some consistency in food and service to get the fifth star because of my expectation of GH. I may come back and try more dishes by myself, before actually recommending other people. Starter: The beef cheek ragu is tender and juicy, but I believe it pairs better with regular polenta than the fried chunks as they don’t mix with the beef well and are not adequate for the portion— sometimes tradition does work better. My friend said her soup tasted nice. We found the sourdough perching on the rim of the bowl quite adorable. It’s probably microwaved (room temp outside but surprisingly warm inside), but still better than cold :) Main: The hake is perfectly cooked and seems quite fresh. The skin has a slight crunch and the flesh isn’t dried out. While I appreciate the natural flavor of the delicate fish, I really wanted some salt and pepper— Perhaps it can enjoy more seasoning in the sauce or potatoes, or just a splatter of lemon. 🤔 The samphire and asparagus tasted good. The burger is lovely. Despite my friend’s personal choice of well done patty, it’s not over cooked either. The coral-colored ‘nduja aioli is particularly interesting without getting greasy