The 19th century Orwell Hotel occupies a prominent location at the gateway to a Suffolk seaside town’s centre and has recently undergone a makeover.
This refurbishment of the Felixstowe hotel, in Hamilton Road, has included the creation of the new Harry’s Bar and the Elephant and Barrel restaurant.
To celebrate the restaurant’s opening, the life-size animatronic elephant Felix has arrived from India in the grounds of the hotel and stands pride-of-place near the main entrance to usher in guests.
READ MORE: The highest-rated roast dinner in Aldeburgh revealed
Felix the Elephant has arrived from India and is stood outside the Orwell Hotel in Felixstowe (Image: Newsquest)
And so it was with great expectation that I visited the Elephant and Barrel to sample the culinary delights on offer and I was certainly not disappointed.
The restaurant offers a variety of menus from around the world, including Europe, Old World Traditions, Asia, Umami and Street Eats, Indian, Spices and Stories, as well as Sour Dough Pizzas, Burgers and Desserts.
There is also a World Explorer Kids Meals menu offering options for younger diners, such as Little Italy Pizza Bites, Mini Fish and Chips and a Junior Curry Plate.
The tastefully-decorated interior of the Elephant and Barrel restaurant at the Orwell Hotel in Felixstowe (Image: Submitted)
The starter menu for Europe, Old World Traditions offered a choice of Crispy Salt and Pepper Squid, Crispy Pork Belly, Tuscan Panzanella Salad and Prosciutto and Tomato Brushchetta.
The Asia offerings included Prawn Gyaza Dumplings, Korean BBQ Chicken Strips and Soft Beef Bao Buns, while the Indian. Spices and Stories gave diners a choice of Chicken Seekh Kebabs and Crispy Onion Bhajis.
I chose the Tuscan Panzanella Salad and the food was delicious; a pleasant mix of fresh tomato, cucumber and bread with olive oil and vinegar all washed down with a glass of peroni beer, although there is also an extensive selection of wines to choose from as well.
The Tuscan Panzanella Salad starter (Image: NQ)
If anything, even better was to follow when I explored the main course menu for Europe, Old World Traditions, which included a variety of dishes from across the continent, including good old Traditional British Fish and Chips.
There was also Spaghetti Frutti Di Mare, Salmon Fillet, Duck Confit, Chicken Piccata Linguine, Lamb shank, Lasagna al forno and Sicilian Pasta alla Norma.
The Lamb shank took my liking and the food was delightful, the mushroom gravy and braised red cabbage complimented the lamb perfectly, adding to the rich flavour of the meat.
The Lamb Shank that reporter Dominic Bareham had for main course (Image: NQ)
Admittedly, the choice of dish had been a difficult one; the Salmon Fillet in a creamy creole sauce with quinoa salad was almost equally tempting, along with the Lasagna al forno; layers of fresh pasta sheets, slow-cooked beef ragu, creamy bechamel and parmesan.
Of course, there are other menu options and the Burgers menu includes a plant-based Beyond Meat Burger and Chips.
READ MORE: Life-size animatronic elephant outside Orwell Hotel, Felixstowe
The Sour Dough Pizzas came in a variety of flavours, such as Frutti di Mare, Chicken Tikka Masala, Prosciutto and Rocket, Meat Feast, Mediterranean Veggie, Margherita and Chilli and Garlic Margherita.
There is also a full range of Indian dishes to choose from on the Indian Spices and Stories menu, such as Prawn Bhuna, Chicken Tikka Masala, Chicken Korma, Lamb Roganjosh, Kerala Beef Masala Fry, Park Vindaloo and Vegetable Jhalfrezi.
The Gulab jamun that proved a delightful dessert (Image: NQ)
Having fully indulged in the starter and main course, I had little room left for a dessert, but the tantalising menu was too good to resist.
Diners have a choice from Panna Cotta with Berries, a Dubai Chocolate Bomb, Sticky Toffee Pudding with Ice Cream, Gulab jamun cheese cake and Homemade Apple Crumble.
Once again, the choice was tough as the Dubai Chocolate Bomb, a chocolate sphere with a chocolate and pistachio filling, was very tempting, but I plumped for the Gulab jamun cheese cake.
And I wasn’t to be disappointed as the cheese cake was thick, soft and full of flavour, while the Gulab jamun was a culinary delight I had never experienced before.
The prices were also competitive: my starter was £6.50, while the main was £18.50 and the dessert, £7.
My meal was a very enjoyable experience, all in a very tastefully and classily-decorated restaurant that reflected the Victorian heritage of the hotel.
Dining and Cooking