{"id":2308,"date":"2022-02-11T11:32:44","date_gmt":"2022-02-11T11:32:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.pridemagazines.co.uk\/stamford\/?p=801"},"modified":"2022-02-11T11:32:44","modified_gmt":"2022-02-11T11:32:44","slug":"dining-out-the-exeter-arms","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.pridemagazines.co.uk\/rutland-and-stamford\/food-and-drink\/dining-out-the-exeter-arms\/02-2022","title":{"rendered":"Dining Out: The Exeter Arms…"},"content":{"rendered":"

If you\u2019re looking for a deliciously different dining out option, we\u2019ll direct you to the small \u2013 but perfectly formed \u2013 dishes presented by The Exeter Arms. It\u2019s a superb option for those seeking huge flavours and a relaxed, innovative, and achingly cool evening out…<\/h3>\n
\"The
The Exeter Arms<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Appearances can be deceptive. Approach The Exeter Arms at Easton on the Hill and you\u2019d be forgiven for thinking that this is another country pub restaurant so familiar in the respect of the area\u2019s culinary vernacular. You\u2019d be wrong.\u00a0Within the sandblasted stone walls of the building \u2013 which is Grade II listed and dates back to 1765 \u2013 is an innovative dining experience based on the current trend towards small dishes.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere\u2019s no point in offering something that\u2019s less than \u2013 or even equal to \u2013 what somebody is expecting,\u201d says Jack Smee. \u201cIf you\u2019re going to offer something, offer something different. And if it\u2019s going to be different… make sure it\u2019s better!\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re all dining out more and more, and traditionally that means a starter, a main course, then a pudding and then you leave. We think that amid this well-rehearsed ritual, the joy of dining has been lost. Instead, we want our diners to take their time, enjoy their evening, to know that they have their table all night and to really reconnect with the people they\u2019re dining with. We want to create a slower, more relaxed, more enjoyable experience.\u201d<\/p>\n

Alongside a most commendable ethos, the pub restaurant has been offering a small dishes dining concept since opening in May 2020.<\/p>\n

The place was formerly a public house, mostly predicated upon wet trade but with a bit of pub food. When Gary Eldred took it on in May 2020, it took a couple of months to freshen the place up, sandblasting walls and floors, sourcing some smart new furniture and splashing about some trendy Farrow & Ball Lamp Black. The result is a really funky looking place, with a 10 seater bar area, 20-seater restaurant and a private dining room for up to 10.<\/p>\n

To the rear of the venue is an orangery which will be branded as Novus and specialise in cocktails this summer. Beyond that is a terrace area with a stone-baked pizza oven.<\/p>\n

Until the weather behaves itself, dine inside and you\u2019re treated to a wood burner in the bar, and a smart look and feel commensurate with the team\u2019s aim to provide a really good dining out experience.<\/p>\n

\u201cProviding small plates isn\u2019t a gimmick,\u201d says Jack. \u201cIt provides a more sociable way to dine, it spreads out the pleasure over more dishes and it means the kitchen team can really flex their creativity.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cEveryone \u2013 whether in the kitchen or at front of house \u2013 contributes suggestions and ideas, so everyone\u2019s enfranchised in creating dishes. We also believe in ensuring that our team is well-rested too. Hospitality involves working long hours and an exhausted team isn\u2019t a team that performs at its best.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019ve a single menu for both daytime and evening service, with meat, fish and veg-based small dishes, as well as table dishes which are small-dish-based side accompaniments. There are four options for each and the descriptions deliberately give us room to ensure the dish that arrives at your table isn\u2019t necessarily what you\u2019re predicting.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cJust because you\u2019re familiar with the dish\u2019s ingredients or flavours, doesn\u2019t mean we can\u2019t still surprise you in terms of how something is prepared or presented.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWe also try to include a dish which is a sort of flagship or a bit more cryptic. For instance, last summer our Day by the Sea dish featured a halibut tartare with a potato cone and curried pea pur\u00e9e with homemade ketchup. It was a fish \u2018n\u2019 chip style dish but presented to resemble an ice cream that had been dropped… it\u2019s based on an experience Gary had as a child, visiting the seaside!\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIt was an enormously popular dish, a real talking point, and we think it\u2019ll be making a comeback later this year.\u201d<\/p>\n

We joined the Exeter Arms for a preview of their newest dishes that will launch as Pride goes to press. These included a fish dish cooked en papillote, served to the diner in its paper case with leek and apple… it\u2019s a modern take on a classic French dish which Dan prepared when he worked at Claridges.<\/p>\n

Elsewhere there was a beef steak prepared in the style of Bordelaise with pink sirloin and an escargot sauce. A\u2008third dish was a pork cutlet with rhubarb and a tarragon emulsion. All were flawless and joyful.<\/p>\n

\u201cDifferent is good, but better is essential,\u201d says Jack. \u201cWe don\u2019t want to be gratuitously different for the sake of it. We suggest between five and seven dishes per couple, including a couple of table dishes \u2013 our triple-cooked bone marrow chips are enormously popular.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd for dessert we\u2019ve a really good collaboration with Sam Riley, the Rutland Chef, who helps us design signature desserts and canap\u00e9s prior to dining or our petit fours served with coffee.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThe idea is that dining with us makes you happy. When flavour, texture, execution and presentation come together, really enjoyable things can happen!\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Turbot,
Turbot, sweetcorn,
clams, bacon<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

On the Menu<\/h3>\n

Meat Dishes<\/strong><\/p>\n

Pork cutlet, rhubarb, tarragon emulsion \u00a318.<\/p>\n

Sirloin beef steak, Bordelaise \u00a322.<\/p>\n

Fish Dishes<\/strong><\/p>\n

Smoked haddock en papillote, leek and apple \u00a316.50.<\/p>\n

Turbot, sweetcorn, clams, bacon \u00a319.<\/p>\n

Vegetable Dishes<\/strong><\/p>\n

Aubergine parmigiana \u00a312.50.<\/p>\n

Butternut squash, miso, sesame,\u00a0seaweed \u00a311.<\/p>\n

Table Dishes<\/strong><\/p>\n

Triple cooked chips, curry sauce \u00a36.50.<\/p>\n

Brioche, baron bigod, dried fruits \u00a39<\/p>\n

Sweet Dishes<\/strong><\/p>\n

Carrots, cake, dill \u2013 designed by The Rutland Chef \u00a312.5.<\/p>\n

Nashi pear, toasted coconut, thai basil \u00a312.<\/p>\n

NB: All menu items are subject to change.<\/em><\/p>\n

The Exeter Arms at Easton is based at Easton on the Hill, Stamford, PE9 3NS. Call 01780 723862 or see www.theexeterarmseaston.co.uk. Open for dining from Wednesday to Sunday, from 12-2.30pm and 6pm-9pm.<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

\"Aubergine
Aubergine parmigiana<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

If you\u2019re looking for a deliciously different dining out option, we\u2019ll direct you to the small \u2013 but perfectly formed…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":2677,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[18],"tags":[23,275,26,25,27,28],"class_list":["post-2308","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-food-and-drink","tag-dining","tag-exeter-arms","tag-pub","tag-restaurant","tag-rutland","tag-stamford"],"acf":[],"post_mailing_queue_ids":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.pridemagazines.co.uk\/rutland-and-stamford\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2308","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.pridemagazines.co.uk\/rutland-and-stamford\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.pridemagazines.co.uk\/rutland-and-stamford\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pridemagazines.co.uk\/rutland-and-stamford\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pridemagazines.co.uk\/rutland-and-stamford\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2308"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.pridemagazines.co.uk\/rutland-and-stamford\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2308\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pridemagazines.co.uk\/rutland-and-stamford\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2677"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.pridemagazines.co.uk\/rutland-and-stamford\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2308"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pridemagazines.co.uk\/rutland-and-stamford\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2308"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pridemagazines.co.uk\/rutland-and-stamford\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2308"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}