There aren’t many restaurants that can keep custom for decades but The Chester Grosvenor does just that. I was first introduced to The Grosvenor by my parents, who have dined there for nearly 30 years. In all the time that we have visited, it has never disappointed.
The Grosvenor was established in 1865 and has been at the heart of Chester for the past 150 years. Located in the centre of the beautiful Roman city, alongside the iconic Eastgate Clock, it has become one of the city’s greatest landmarks, set in a grand black and white Grade II listed building.
Inside there is a luxury hotel and spa with two restaurants; 'Simon Radley at The Chester Grosvenor' (formerly known as The Arkle), which has retained its Michelin star for 26 years, and La Brasserie, an elegant bar and restaurant set at the front of the building overlooking Chester’s cobbled high street.
The interior of La Brasserie oozes Parisian charm with black leather chairs, granite tables and oak-panelled wood. The menu is similarly inspired by sophisticated French cuisine.
I visited the restaurant last weekend with my parents. Upon arrival we were given a menu each and were told that we could select dishes from either the Light Bite menu, served in the bar area, or the main à la Carte. We opted for the à la Carte menu and were then shown through to the restaurant.
While we studied the menus we were offered some homemade bread which was served in a wooden boat accompanied by creamy salted butter. The freshly baked bread is one of my favourite things about The Grosvenor. The selection on offer is impressive and we’ve been known in the past to order a banana loaf to take home with us (which was baked there and then for us by the chefs).
Although we hadn’t planned to eat so much, the menu got the better of us and before we knew it we had ordered a three course meal.
I began with a French Onion Tart (£9.95) which had salt baked beets, creme cru and frosted walnuts.
My mum opted for Dived scallops (£13.95) served with Yogurt, Indian spices and golden raisins.
My dad had Artichoke Soup and Brioche (£7.95) poured over the truffle and chestnut dumpling in front of us.
For mains, both dad and I had Peperonata (£16.95). This was baked burrata cheese with winter pumpkins, a crispy duck egg and toasted seeds. Possibly one of the best, if not the best, meals that I’ve ever had. Full of flavour and beautifully presented.
My mum had Gressingham Duck (£21.95) served on a salad of dandelions, burdock root and smoked Magret.
Finally we went all out and ordered a dessert each (purely for blogging purposes, of course). My dad chose to have a cheese board at £8.95. The selection of Artisan style cheeses are as good as the homemade breads and are selected from a specialist cheese trolley.
Mum had Cafe Gourmand (£8.50), this was a tasting plate of mini desserts including a macaron, rose turkish delight, chocolate with champagne spirals and a lemon parfait.
I had the Caramelia chocolate miroir (£6.95). A real treat of caramel chocolate mousse served with cocoa crisps, popcorn ice and salted kernels.
The food was outstanding, as always. The serving team were all excellent, extremely efficient and very accommodating of me photographing the meals whilst they were serving.
After our mammoth meal we bid farewell to the hotel’s top-hatted doorman and went for a little walk around the beautiful city of Chester.
It’s not the cheapest of places to dine but if you have a special occasion to celebrate, I’d heartily recommend La Brasserie at The Chester Grosvenor.