Visited ribby hall for weekend and tried this place for dinner. Food was very nice although expensive for a caravan site. I enjoyed my dinner as did the mrs, but the service was not good to start off with. It did improve after a bit so it might be a new member of staff. Still enjoyed my food though.
carly
We went to Ribby restaurant which was very very good, Food was very nice, atmosphere good and fab service! Loved the huge Yorkshire puddings and great kids menu! Well worth a visit! Nice piano playing too!!
Den
** Wonderful dining experience **
Having already visited the restaurant earlier in the year with a group of friends and enjoyed it, I took my husband on Friday 22nd July 2011 as a surprise. Initially, this looked to be a disastrous choice since although the menu is updated regularly, it is limited and unfortunately there was little he fancied. In addition, I'm veggy, and the vegetarian main course, as there was only the one to choose from, was risotto, which I'm no great fan of.
Not to be deterred, I asked whether there was any specials on, which for my husband, a rib eye steak with goose fat cooked chips then had an alluring appeal. For myself, after talking to very knowledgeable and obliging staff, a bespoke culinary delight was created which consisted of mash, vegetables and poached eggs, together with a selection of flavoured butters. This description doesn't really do it justice but it was exquisitely presented and was cooked to perfection. The 4 butters, (including blue cheese, garlic and truffle, chilli and a lemony one, were served on a slate and designed to be mixed with the mash.
My husband said the chips, which were monstrous, were the best he'd ever tasted along with the peppercorn sauce that accompanied the dish.
I was full from my main course and complementary hot bread rolls which were delicious, however, my husband said he could manage a sweet. Being a chocolate lover, he selected the 'chocolate' dessert which consists of a dark chocolate fondant, white chocolate mousse and milk chocolate and tonka bean mousse. Again, this was presented beautifully and from a couple of spoonfuls I tried, tasted as good as it looked.
This was washed down with an Irish coffee for my husband and an Earl Grey tea for me. Which was served in a contemporary teapot and yet again was noted for the great care and effort that all the cutlery and crockery is new, innovative and stylish and adds another enjoyable dimension to the eating experience.
To top it off, there was a jazz trio playing which were entertaining and lent a perfect vibe to the whole evening.
Jillyt
We visited The Restaurant last night to celebrate DH birthday. On arrival the bar staff were extremely welcoming and we were seated and given complimentary canopies which were lovely. We chose the 9 course Taster menu at £50 per head which from start to finish was an absolute delight, our favourite being the chateaubriand, which came in 4 maybe 5 thick slices served medium rare as requested with jus and other fancy bits which escape my memory! Also the Thai lemon rice pudding with coconut sorbet and lemon grass at first was too lemony but when tasted altogether was a delight. The cheese board is varied and each cheese explained to us fully by the very attentive staff and we were really too full to do it justice. With coffee and chocolate petit fours this meal was one we talk about for a while I think. They also do a 5 course taster menu at £30 and 7 course at £40.
Well worth a visit to the restaurant.
Bunny Hugger
What a great place Ribby Hall is; fantastic Chalets, wonderful leisure facilities, great surroundings and friendly staff.
But as a vegetarian visiting Ribby Hall on a healthy break I was quite disappointed with food on offer here in all the dining venues.
In the cafe bar, we only counted 1 vegetarian main and non of the salads served were veggie friendly.
The main restaurant had a couple of vegetarian options and was OK for one night, but wouldn't rush back.
The Bar & Grill had a few items with Vegetarian Option available. ie Dishes designed to have meat in, but served without the meat. Not much thought and effort there.
The pizza place had some suitable pizza's but not really what we were after on a healthy relaxing week away.
Better dining options were found at nearby pubs, The grapes, fairfield arms, and the local thai restaurant.
Also just seen the valentines menu with no vegetarian options...I guess veggies obviously aren't romantic. Come on Ribby, think of us Tree Huggers!
Apart from the food options i couldn't fault Ribby Hall at all.
Tom Wagstaffe
What an absolute gem! I took my girlfriend here on Saturday night for her birthday and am happy to say it was an excellent choice. The restaurant itself is beautiful and stylish with metallic artwork, fantastic decor and a baby grand piano (I believe they have a pianist on Sundays which I hope to experience). We were greeted and seated at the bar on arrival and had the pleasant surprise of a small plate of canapés brought to us (complimentary). This consisted of small crunchy seafood bon bons, huge green olives and a smooth seafood mousse for dipping, delightful. The actual meal was outstanding. I had the ham hock terrine to start which came with smoked garlic puree and a warm egg yolk served on a slate. This was exceptional, the flavours married together brilliantly and the presentation was first rate. For Mains I had the selection of fish and my partner had roast sirloin of beef. Both were excellent although I was certainly more impressed with my starter. The Dessert, for me, was the 'Pièce de résistance'. I was very close to ordering 'Chocolate three ways', but thought I would be a little more adventurous and try the 'Banana Bavarois with Peanut Butter Ice Cream'.... Nice? It was an absolute delight to eat; there were four textures on the plate which alone were just nice but when all four were applied to the same mouthful it was an absolute dream to devour. Such a shame that at this point I was so full of modern British goodness I couldn't find room to try the cheeses. Which, by the way, have their own trolley! I think they have about 20 cheeses to choose from and Bevan, the manager can talk you through the cheeses at the table (we witnessed the ladies on the next table getting the cheese tour). To get all this in classy surroundings should have cost the two of us £100 for the food alone, it was only £35! I am not just recommending this restaurant; I am telling you to go!
