As part of our mini-trip to Shakespeare country, Brad and I decided to have dinner at the hotel we were staying in, the Church Street Townhouse. Luckily they reserve tables for those staying with the hotel otherwise we would have been out of luck, even on a Thursday evening they were almost booked out. 

We had a drink in the bar first, a very reasonably priced Champagne for me and one of the ales on tap for Brad. We then moved into the restaurant, where we had a good view of the kitchen but rather odd chairs. Although service was brisk, we did have to ask them a number of times before they brought us some tap water. 

We plumped for Crab Wontons with Spicy Dipping Sauce (£7 IIRC, they are no longer shown on their menu online) for starters. They came quickly, were generously portioned and tasted fantastic. The sauce had just the right amount of kick to liven up the delicate filling. 

In a shock move, Brad opted for the 8oz ribeye steak, watercress, chips, garlic and parsley butter (£17.50). The rather generous helping of chips were excellent but the main event was a bit of a let down. Brad asked for the steak to be cooked rare but it was slightly less cooked than he expected and the meat was a tad fatty. 

I opted for a daily special of Haddock, Scallops, Roasted Baby News and Vine Tomatoes with a Pesto Dressing (£15). Despite being cooked well, the fish didn’t seem overly fresh to me and tasted rather bland. The larger potatoes it sat on were slightly undercooked. The scallops seemed like an afterthought to me, like the fish, they didn’t seem fresh and there was no hint of caramelisation that makes them such a delight. It highlights the flaws of the other ingredients when I say that the vine tomatoes and pesto dressing were the stand-outs of the dish, which is a shame because it does look wonderful on the plate. 

Whilst the desserts were both good, it was little errors by the service staff which let the experience down. Our desserts were brought out whilst Brad was in the bathroom and our dessert wine arrived well after the desserts. There is nothing worse than staring at a lovely plate of food that you can’t eat because your companion has left for the bathroom!

Brad opted for a Pannacotta, Rhubarb Compôte, Ginger Cake (£6.50) which received rave reviews from him. The combination of sweet pannacotta, tangy fruit and spicy cake was unusual but it worked. My dessert was amazing. I plumped for a White Chocolate Parfait and Biscuit (£6.50). I love anything with white chocolate so I may be biased but I thought this was just brilliant. I love the little jar it was served in too. 

The meal cost around £90 including drinks and service which felt a tad expensive. They should perhaps look at the quality of their ingredients and pay closer attention to service. Regardless, I’d still happily eat there again and felt they were one of the better options in the town. 

The Church Street Townhouse
16 Church Street
Stratford-upon-Avon, Warwickshire CV37 6HB
Phone: +44(0)1789262222
http://www.churchstreettownhouse.com/