This Marco Pierre White Steakhouse can be found inside the Doubletree by Hilton in Chester. It would have been rude to stay at the hotel and not experience the cuisine from one of Britain’s most renowned chefs. So that’s exactly what we did.
While we knew he wouldn’t be cooking for us personally, he has high standards and expected the very best. As a result, so we did. We had seen 1 or 2 reviews before visiting the hotel and were a bit nervous at the tone of some of the reviews. All I can say is that something must have changed since then, because we had no complaints whatsoever.
The hotel is an 18th century house, and the restaurant sits within it. The decor is traditional and has managed to retain some of the original character. It invokes a calming atmosphere that is very conducive to dining.
On entering the restaurant there is a small bar area for pre-drinks. The staff are prompt from the moment you arrive whether it be taking your coats to getting you a drink. We were off to a good start.
"Only positive memories remain."
We were greeted and escorted to our table, our server was polite, knowledgeable and didn’t flinch when we asked for recommendations. The menu is varied and wonderful celebration of British cuisine.
We started with Warm baked Camembert with toasted Sourdough and Roast Vine Tomatoes which were incredibly fresh tasting and complemented the dish perfectly. My partner ordered the Wheeler’s Atlantic Prawn Cocktail with Marie Rose Sauce, this was perfectly balanced with plenty of fresh Prawns. We like our seafood, and this was excellent. It’s a simple starter, but one that can easily backfire without good ingredients.
For our main course we decided to share the Chateaubriand for two, served with Grilled Tomato, Watercress, Onion Rings and Triple Cooked Chips. The Beef was a lovely piece of meat, cooked to perfection. The seasoning was just right and the meat arrived juicy and hot. Each bite offered its own texture and flavour, and I wanted more.
The sides we ordered were just as nice. we ordered the Buttered Spinach, the Spinach was dark and rich and added an earthiness to the meal as a whole.
We took our time over dinner and made sure we enjoyed every bite. In the end we didn’t have room for dessert so we decided to skip that. That’s nothing against the restaurant at all, we just couldn't manage another course.
The restaurant was reasonably busy but the staff remained attentive throughout. It’s nice to see servers who can cope with a busy workload and still care about their customers.
For our wine choice, we decided on a bottle of 2012 JJ Hahn Reginald Shiraz, Cabernet Sauvignon, Barossa Valley, Australia. A pleasant wine with hints of floral aromas and notes of Dark Chocolate, Black Cherry and Sweet Spice and Liquorice.
It’s all too easy to leave a restaurant feeling underwhelmed with the service you receive. That wasn’t the case here, we left feeling full, and only positive memories remain.