Reviews

Shropshire Weekend
Restaurant Review
Star Rating *****

"Achieving Perfection with exquisite meals"

Natalie Greenway visits a classy eaterie where every mouthful was an absolute joy

Writing a restaurant review normally flows from the pen with ease as there is always something to mention which could have been that little bit better.

But the Chez Maw restaurant at the Valley Hotel in Ironbridge was perfect to the point that I was actually stuck for words-well, for a moment or two at least.
I will try to explain what it was about this classy eaterie which in my opinion merited the full five stars-which I have never been able to award to a restaurant before, despite carrying out countless reviews.

Let’s start with the breathtaking setting. Ironbridge is a World heritage Site and the hotel backs on to the River Severn so captures the full glory of the pretty little town.
The hotel itself is surrounded by history. The restaurant derives its name from Arthur Maw, who owned the house before it became a country hotel, a businessman manufacturing tiles at his Jackfield factory.

We entered the bar area of the restaurant to be welcomed by a friendly waitress. The restaurant has been given a new lease of life with a sparkling refurbishment and it has made a dramatic improvement. The walls were decorated in terracotta and sand-coloured paints with panelling to complement the solid oak floor-creating a relaxed ambience which keeps in tune with the traditional style of the hotel but with a modern twist.

We were offered a drink and given menus to browse through and a plate of complimentary, well-presented hors d’oeuvres-an unusual cracker bread with a delicious creamy herb cheese on top which was extremely tasty and stimulated our tastebuds.

We couldn’t wait to sample the rest of the menu. We enjoyed a drink at the bar before being shown to the restaurant. Soft jazz music playing in the background added to the relaxed mood and another helpful waitress took our order.

For starters I went for the tomato soup which was cooked with garlic and contained fresh cherry tomatoes. It was literally bursting with tomatoes and was the tastiest soup I had ever sampled, with the garlic adding a kick to the dish.

My partner Darren chose the Thai-spiced duck and sesame cakes with oriental salad dressed with mango and chilli dressing. He too was extremely complimentary about the dish. The duck was cooked to perfection with the sesame cakes and dressing adding to the exquisite taste.

There was an excellent choice of dishes for the main course but I eventually plumped for the char-grilled 8oz sirloin served with the traditional garnish, hand-cut chips with cracked black pepper sauce.

I asked for the sirloin to be cooked medium to well done and that is exactly what I got. I have had many different versions of what chefs see as medium to well-done-some cooking it so much that the taste has disintegrated and others leaving it with a little too much redness for my liking.

But this was perfect. The meat was slightly pink and was soft and chewy. The presentation was impeccable with the chunkiest chips I have ever seen, stacked on the plate as a child would painstakingly stack pieces of Lego.

A juicy red tomato and succulent mushroom added to the other fresh vegetables including carrots, beans, broad beans and sweetcorn which were wrapped in bacon.
I never appreciated such an abundance of tastes and textures in one dish-a steak with a difference.

The portion was extremely generous and although I managed to eat most of it, I was devastated that I wasn’t able to eat it all because I was so full.

Darren opted for the pan-seared medallions of beef served with stuffed mushroom, potato and celeriac gratin and red wine jus. Ok, so the dishes were a little on the expensive side. But they were worth every penny in terms of taste and presentation.

Darren’s beef medallions were also cooked just how he liked it and he polished off every mouthful.

There was also a good choice for vegetarians such as deep fried leek and mushroom risotto cakes served with basil and garlic pesto and baked goat’s cheese with herb crust, served with a warm cherry tomato and rocket salad.

We were then presented with the dessert menu and although I reluctantly decided to pass on a pudding because I was so full, Darren couldn’t resist so we decided to share one.
We went for the baked caramel and pecan cheesecake with the home-made honeycomb ice-cream which was as mouth-watering to eat as it sounded.

It was sweet and gooey and everything we wanted in a dessert to finish off our exquisite meal.

We stayed around for another drink and chatted with the friendly waitress who was extremely helpful and went out of her way to make sure we had an enjoyable time.
Darren and I were surprised that the restaurant was not heaving with people. The standard of the food, service and décor of the establishment should mean people were queuing out of the door to get a table.

The restaurant has previously been awarded two rosettes by the AA’s Hotel and Restaurant Guide on the basis of its food, standard of service and general atmosphere.
And I agree. It is an eating experience without any faults and can only be described as perfection.

Atmosphere-Upmarket, yet relaxed
Service-Efficient, friendly, professional
Access-good for disabled
Non smoking restaurant, but smoking permitted in bar area