The Townhouse Secret Garden, won’t stay secret for long… #Blog
Briony Wilson
16th April 2021
We are all very excited to see hospitality returning even if it is just outside for now, but we aren’t complaining – I love an al fresco dining experience and to kick off the first review of 2021, we were kindly invited by Steve and Nicola Hesketh to try out the new and improved The Townhouse Secret Garden.
I don’t think this place will remain a secret much longer, Steve completely renovated the property in 2018, but since has had a brand-new refit launching the Secret Garden. This is a hidden gem of Chester City centre and the ideal location to relax, in the secluded area at the rear of the hotel. Now before I discuss this further, I also must mention some of the other highlights of this property the Roman Vault and Amphitheatre 2-bedroom apartment, these are incredible party pads for visits when your party wants to stay together, and a normal hotel room wont quite suffice. These would be ideal in my opinion for a hen party or girls’ night, and now with the Secret Garden addition, you will certainly get some brilliant photos for the gram, to make everyone jealous.
We were welcomed on Monday night by the lovely Nicola, one of my favourite things about the Townhouse is it is a real family business and the whole team were involved on Monday. We were guided through the hotel which has also had a sneaky refresh, and into the rear garden area. On our way we had to pause for the fabulous Lego camper-van display, such a lovely little touch.
We arrived at our table of wonder, to lovely place cards- well more like postcards, which we thought were perfect; when was the last time you received a post card?- I think this tradition need reviving. As well as a little packet of seeds, it these little additions that make the Townhouse so special. Once we were seated we were invited to enjoy a cocktail; so beautifully presented it really started to get me excited about the summer to come. I enjoyed the … Jerry loves ginger, Tori, the Monkey Colada and there was also a Woo Woo option. They are definitely something to stop by and try for yourself.
The secret garden has its own menu; a collection of big plates including pasta, burgers and salads and a Mixed platter offering ideal for sharing. These are designed for 2 people and come with French fries and coleslaw, we had 6 guests at our table as per government guidelines but decided to push the boat out and try all 4 platters as we could not decide. The platters are £24.95 which is incredible value for the portion sizes and if like us you cannot decide quite what to have you can add an extra dish from another platter for £6 per dish.
I will start with the LAMB, BEEF & DUCK Platter, mainly because it was the closest to me on the table. It included; Beef meatballs cooked in fresh Napoli sauce, Mini slider burgers, Crispy duck gyoza (dumplings) and lamb Kofta. This is a true meat lovers dream, filling but not to heavy; the meatballs were packed with flavour and that sauce was great to dip the fries into. The sliders had nicely toasted buns that kept everything together and were just the right size, some places make the mistake of making the sliders to large, it’s not a kids burger meal it’s a slider! Two bites and done is just right. I’ve never tried a crispy duck slider and I often think duck is a forgotten meat, crazy when it is so versatile and great with so many flavours, this is a must try. The lamb koftas were probably the biggest portion, but you could split the, down, they went great with the dressing.
Next we will discuss the VEGETARIAN platter; this was my favourite – panko coated Cajun Halloumi, Honey & goat’s cheese bon bons, Hummus & flatbread and Tempura vegetables. Most people who know me know how much I love cheese, the halloumi had a lovely batter and that great salty bite. The goats cheese Bon Bon’s are a repeat favourite, these are one of the first things I ate on my first visit to the Townhouse and they never disappoint so it was great to see them back. The hummus was by no means your standard plain chickpea hummus, it had a lovely vibrant orange colour and great texture and the flatbreads to dip in were clearly fresh and home made. We were also welcome with some of the hummus and flatbreads on arrival so we knew what we were tucking in to- I would highly recommend this addition to any platter. Finally the crispy tempura vegetable stole the show for me, not only was the batter light and crunchy, you could still taste the vegetables, a mistake that many place make is to over fry them- these were perfect.
I need to mention at this point, how impressed I was with the COVID secure cutlery (what a statement)- the cutlery arrives in paper sealed pouch to ensure you are the only one that touches it. This little touch made us feel really safe and comfortable and for something so easy, I encourage all business to give these a try.
I love FISH but I know it can divide opinion, on this platter is; Smoked haddock & pea mini fishcakes, Beer battered king prawns, Paprika dusted whitebait And King Prawn al pil pil. The fishcakes were lovely and juicy and the peas really added that freshness. The batters prawn had just the right crunch and were a great size. As were the prawns pil pil, lovely and fresh and a great addition to a very crispy plate of food, it added variety. Then my highlight was the paprika dusted whitebait, just the right level of spice and not to much crunch to overtake the whitebait flavour.
Finally our last platter the CHICKEN & PORK; Honey, maple & wholegrain mustard chipolata sausages, Southern fried chicken strips with cajun mayo, Pork pie & handmade piccalilli and the spicy Chicken wings. I know these sausages as sticky sausages and they are a staple in Chester, you can never say no- a great sauce and clearly a good quality pork sausage used. The southern fried chicken had a brilliant crunch and was complimented by the light Cajun mayo, the team have really thought about the elements and which pieces need a little something extra. Some would say they love a good selection of sauces to try each element with but for me, I loved that each element was considered for what it would be most complimented by. I have to confess, even through all the elements were bite size, by this point I was so full I didn’t try the pork pie or the chicken wings but they looked delicious and are at the top of my list for my next visit.
After we had eaten, Steve and Nicola gave a lovely speech to thank their guests and the wonderful team, many of who have not been with the business long, but the they have clearly been trained well as we wouldn’t have known. Very attentive and great knowledge of the menu. This is clearly a family business and it was lovely to see that.
This was a truly relaxing evening, just what this area was created for and the ideal location for your first catch-ups with friends and family. We finished the evening with a gorgeous assortment platter of mini desserts including profiteroles, mini batten-bergs, chocolate mouse cakes, tarts and carrots cakes. Which has definitely inspired my return visit for the afternoon tea, they were so well presented I promise you will be in for a treat.
So we would love to thank Steve, Nicola and the whole Townhouse team for a fabulous evening returning to hospitality, we can’t wait for our next visit.
Taste Cheshire were kindly gifted this evening’s delights by The Secret Garden at the Townhouse but we stand by all our comments and if you don’t believe us, or even if you do, you should go and see for yourselves.
Private: The Chester Townhouse
49-51 Lower Bridge Street, Chester, CH 1 1RS
The Chester Townhouse situated in Lower Bridge Street, Chester is reopening in mid-February 24 after undergoing
a significant reinvestment and refurbishment.