Restaurant review: Goat on the Roof, Newbury
Don’t mistake this place as a gimmick. You might think British food and tapas are incongruous plate partners. But they are not.
What is both surprising and charming about this place is the clear love and enthusiasm there is for quality, organic locally-sourced produce.
A lot of the ingredients in this stylish restaurant are foraged – they can be seen in pickling jars behind the long, inviting and intriguingly stocked bar at the Bridge Street restaurant.
It has an inviting, modern but classic décor, with artwork on the walls nodding to the freshly foraged veg which make their way temptingly into the first drink of the evening.
A woodland vermouth with a delicately dried slice of orange and a sprig of rosemary. A delightfully autumnal alternative to the usual G&T.
The menu ingredients are sourced locally by the incredibly enthusiastic and knowledgeable restaurateur Patrick Vaughan-Fowler and head chef Sam May.
And while the food is exceptional, served in generous tapas portions and with a range and quality of ingredients and flavours, the wine list is to die for.
It boasts more than 70 specially-selected natural and sustainable wines, of which Patrick has an encyclopaedic knowledge both of their provenance and the weight, legs and body of the right glass to accompany the food.
The menu is fascinating and inviting.
The dishes are presented with flair and the elegance of fine dining, but with decent enough portions to satisfy.
In fact, they suggest two each is enough. But eyes bigger than stomach rules when there is a tempting and unusual menu.
A pile of Wild Mushroom Crispbreads (£3.70) arrive, accompanied by marinated and pickled vegetables (£6).
In typical tapas style the plates do not arrive in order and they are all big enough to share… which is the point of it really, and makes for a sociable dinner – particularly when there is quick fork action needed to get the last bit on the plate.
The surprise of the evening was the Braised Bromham Farm Fennel, neatly snatched from the ample number of vegetarian choices, with the addition of Devon lamb lardons and a delicious, deep orange sauce (£7). That had my fork-stabbing companion at her best.
This really was delicious and I will be trying to copy the idea at home.
And it was a perfect accompaniment to the Devon Crab Hash, Chilli, Lemon dish (£9.50). The lemon mayonnaise packed a real punch and provided a perfect complement to the crab cake.
The wild mushroom dish and the deep fried venison cubes on the specials were outstanding. And whatever plates were in front of us, all the flavours and textures worked well with each other.
This is genuinely good cooking and the chef has one amazing palate to make all those different ingredients sing.
It is also a playful menu – the Double Chocolate Mousse (£6.50) dessert even had foraged mushrooms on it, and, surprisingly, it really does work as a combo.
The owners say the focus is on “seasonal and sustainable British tapas” and that the “new dining concept celebrates the incredible fare from producers and farmers in the British Isles”.
Small plates and sharing dishes start from £3.50 and puddings from £7.
Once again, this is a classy joint. The décor is simple, fresh and it is comfortable, ambient and pleasant to sit in. The bar in the ground floor restaurant invites diners to eat at the bar, which is decked with unusual bottles of tempting tinctures and, of course, glass jars of pickled, foraged vegetables. There is also a wine bar upstairs.
Both are well worth a visit and it is a real treat. Just make sure you practise your fork-stabbing skills. You will want to swipe the last bit on the plate.
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Goat on the Roof
1, Bridge Street, Newbury RG14 5BE
Tel: (01635) 580015
To book: goatontheroof.co.uk
