Restaurant Hywel Jones at Lucknam Park

Michelin worthy experience we are glad we tried. But would we return? The HJ experience started with a suggestion that we arrive early for a cocktail and a relaxed opportunity to review the menu. We are glad we took their suggestion. The Lucknam Park property is unique and beautiful. And the room where we relaxed with our cocktail was decorated a touch old school for my taste, but it was certainly beautiful and well appointed. The staff kicks of your pre-dinning experience with professional and attentive service that lasts through to the end of the meal. The dining room continued the theme of the entire hotel. Subtle luxury. we ordered the seasonal tasting menu. Collectively enjoyed the canapes (hit and miss, mostly hit), salmon (delicious), scallop (tasty), turbot (well prepared but not particularly flavorful), lamb (beautiful), cheese (a solid hit) and dessert (unmemorable). Bottom line, we were looking forward to HJ and enjoyed our meal. But it got me thinking about what one really receives from a fine dining experience. For every slam dunk awesome meal (San Sebastien's 2-star Amelia), we get a couple (HJ and The Latymer on this trip) that are enjoyable, but also inconsistent. I guess finding the gem is the point of experimenting with fine dining on occasion. While we would not return to HJ I recommend you try it for yourself. It's a good operation, it just did not wow us this time.