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The Marco Pierre White Steakhouse at the Mecure Hotel Bridgwater has now been open for almost a year and this weekend my husband and I finally got around to making a reservation and trying out the food. To make it an even sweeter deal, I had purchased a voucher from vouchermine.com during the Black Friday sales – the voucher cost just £50 and allowed us to spend £100 on food. If you know me from my other blog, you’ll know I love a deal, so I was really looking forward to trying out the Marco Pierre White steakhouse without spending a fortune.
Using the voucher meant we needed to book our table in advance which I did online using bookatable. As I already had an account with them, this was easy to do and I mentioned that we had a voucher in the ‘any extra info’ section.
If you do choose to buy a voucher please be aware that you will need to spend it all in one go. This is not made clear when booking by Marco Pierre White Bridgwater and while the vouchermine website does mention it, I know there are people who have been disappointed not to be able to use their voucher over more than one visit, especially those who have been given it as a gift so wouldn’t have looked at the T&Cs in detail.
Marco Pierre White Bridgwater: Review
Having read some of the reviews of the restaurant online, I’ll admit I was a little trepidacious. Most stated that the food was excellent but the service was appaling. While I’m happy to accept a relaxed approach to formal dining, there does need to be some level of attentiveness to the diner. However, I know from experience people are far more likely to leave a review for a bad experience than a good one, so was willing to take these with a pinch of salt and see for myself.
The Restaurant
When we arrived at the restaurant we were greeted by the restaurant manager and our booking quickly found. They were aware we had a voucher and asked to be given before we were seated. I actually loved this approach as it meant there was no faffing about for codes etc when we were ready for our bill and no need for us to feel awkward about using a voucher or needing to bring it up in front of other guests.
We were shown to our table and our drinks order taken promptly. The restaurant was busy but not full, meaning there was a lovely atmosphere but it wasn’t so loud that we were unable to talk to one another. Perfect. The decor is stylish and modern and unlike anywhere else in Bridgwater. It felt as though we were in a beautiful bubble and a welcome addition to a rundown area of the town.
The Food
Starters: Potted Duck, Calimari
Mains: Fillet of Beef Au Poivre
Desserts: Strawberries and Cream Vanilla Panna Cotta, Caramel Shortbread & Bitter Chocolate ice cream
Our starter arrived super quickly, within a few minutes of ordering which was great as we were both starving. My husband very much enjoyed the calamari – it was perfectly cooked and super crispy. My starter of Potted Duck was excellent- it’s a favourite dish of mine and not one you often see of restaurant menus, so I was excited to try it and it didn’t disappoint. The portions were huge too and we felt the prices were fair.
For our main courses, we both chose the Fillet of Beef Au Poivre – a fillet steak topped with mushrooms and served with spinach, vine tomatoes and a peppercorn sauce. We both ordered our steaks medium rare and although my husbands was ever so slightly less cooked than mine, they were both perfect. Everything on the plate was well seasoned and delicious and we honestly couldn’t fault a single thing. Clean plates all round.
Dessert was the only course where I felt the food was a little lacking. Firstly, we found the dessert menu descriptions a little confusing. Strawberries and Cream – Vanilla Panna Cotta (written that way around) seemed a little odd to me, as though the Panna cotta was a side dish to the strawberries.
When it arrived the presentation was dull and at odds with everything else we’d eaten – all of which had been beautifully plated. There was very bland Panna Cotta and a few chopped up strawberries – nothing special or interesting about it. The Panna Cotta was overset, not even a hint of wobble and was crying out for something to liven it up – a coulis, some sorbet, a tuille – anything to a little bit of interest. The only saving grace was that the strawberries were at least room temperature and not straight from the fridge.
My husband’s dessert, on the other hand, was a total show stopper. However, the menu description was ‘Billionaires Shortbread’ so he was expecting a restaurant version of the classic bake. What he got was essentially a chocolate and caramel cheesecake. He very much enjoyed it, but I think better menu descriptions are needed to avoid confusion.
Also if you compare how his dessert looks to how mine looked you can see why I was more than a little disappointed, especially as the two dishes were the same price.
The service
Despite my worries, we found the service to be excellent and attentive so it looks as though the restaurant has taken feedback onboard. It’s worth noting a 10% service charge is automatically applied to your bill but we were happy to pay this based on the service we revived. Our voucher was applied to our bill without issue and we happily paid the difference.
Marco Pierre White Bridgwater: The Verdict: 4/5
Overall I absolutely loved the food and couldn’t fault it up until my dessert, which was disappointing. If I hadn’t had a dessert it would have been 5/5 and my husband would give this score too. While Marco Pierre White Bridgwater is more expensive than other restaurants in the town, the quality of the food, service and atmosphere does warrant this and of course, there are regular offers and vouchers that can be taken advantage of to bring the overall cost of dining there down.
We would 100% return to Marco Pierre White Bridgwater, it’s the perfect place for a special occasion and we love that it’s in easy walking distance of our house. Previously we’d often travel to Taunton for quality restaurants, so it’s really lovely this is right on our doorstep.
