The Olive Tree restaurant in Bath is in a basement on Russell Street. That sounds eerie, but actually, this hidden-away restaurant has a fine provenance, on at least two counts.
The Olive Tree restaurant is coupled with probably the finest hotel in Bath, The Queensbury Hotel. and, at the helm is the highly talented and creative executive head chef Chris Cleghorn who won three AA rosettes in under nine months and his first Michelin star in 2018.
Ambience at The Olive Tree restaurant
Olive Tree Restaurant, Bath
It’s an easy yet slightly poised ambience at The Olive Tree restaurant. Diners talk in hushed voices while their facial grimaces show reverence and subdued delight. Lighting is dimmed, walls are in a shade of olive with simple artwork, with a feature wall on one side, floors and tables are of wood, with chairs with black or olive green upholstery.
Food & Drink
The Olive Tree offers tasting menus of six or nine courses. Both can be paired with wine. Thankfully we went for the six-course with wine. I say thankfully because though this is a tasting menu by the fourth dish we were a little worse for wear thanks to the chef’s generosity. Not complaining!
In many ways, this was a little bit of epicurean theatre. The amuse bouche was a bite-sized raw beef taco with sour cream, and jalapeno topped with spring onions. This was a flavoursome mouthful of crispy taco textures contrasting with the super soft beef.
The first part was Chalk Stream Trout sourced from Hampshire, wasabi mayo, and sturgeon topped with Granny Smith apple sorbet This was paired with a German Weingut Winter Reisling, Rheinhessen 2022. The wine, according to sommelier Aisling Bury, “cut through the oiliness of the trout”. It sure did.
The Jerusalem artichoke with Exmoor Caviar and Piemonte hazelnuts topped with maple syrup was paired with the fresh Champagne Collet Demi Sec whose fine sweet flavours and strawberry notes added extra gravitas to the artichoke.
Then the interlude; some bread with Ivy House clotted cream butter turned up, which carried us through to the second.
From the second part, was the beautifully flavoured Cornbury Park Fallow deer – the venison loin was finished with juniper and allspice. It had an earthy richness that matched well with the beetroot Soubise, the baby red onion and the red wine sauce. On the side was a wedge of venison fat and red onion brioche. There was a lot of drama in this dish presented personally by the head chef, Jake. This was paired with the Australian unoaked, lip-smackingly fruity Penley Estate Francis Coonawarra Cabernet Franc.
The Shapham Park Farm Spelt came with a Black winter truffle from Spain, Vin Jaune and seasonable herbs. I loved the savoury nutty flavours. This was paired with Ciello, ‘Baglio Antico’ Catarratto Bianco, with ginger notes and ripe fruit. Incidentally, this wine is an easy introduction to the world of orange wine and a good choice for this dish.
Dessert is always a special deal for my palate. And this menu was spot on: Islands Chocolate, cocoa nib, Pedro Ximenez and Manni Oil. This was served warm and for my taste the Manni olive oil, one of Italy’s best, with the chocolate was genius. The Graham’s 20-year-old Tawny Port with its dried fruits on the nose and honeyed fruit on the palate kept the sweetness flowing.
Then it was young pineapple with tonka-bean parfait, coulis, fennel strands and 25-year-old Bonini Modena balsamic vinegar, which was simultaneously sweet and sour. My glass was filled with the golden-hued Hungarian Füleky, 6 Puttonyos Aszú, Tokaji, Tokaj, 2007. Aisly said this would “taste like Apricots soaked in honey”. It did and complemented the pineapple well.
For the finale, the chef kissed us goodbye by sending over chocolate red lips with salted caramel fillings – a lovely flourish to end the evening.
Verdict: The Olive Tree delivered an unhurried evening of grand gastronomic gaiety with artistic presentations, fiendishly good food and wine pairings and tableside explanations about the dishes.
Chris Cleghorn’s ‘Six’ £130 – A selection of six dishes from the full ‘Nine’ menu. Available for every lunch and dinner service.
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More information: The Olive Tree website
Russel Street, Bath, Phone: +44 (0)1225 447928
Email: [email protected]