Subject: Dinner Friday Sept 4th
Dear James.......
Superb dinner and service.Every mouthful was a delight. Thankyou for providing Barnstaple/N.Devon with such a high standard in dining and friendly efficient service.
We look forward to visiting you again soon with friends.
Sincerely.......Peter & Jill Bostock
Pebble House, Lee
Peter Robinson
We found this restaurant on Sugarvine.Com before our visiting this area for our family holiday this year.
As a consequence we (5 / 6 people) ate at The Old Custom House for dinner and a lunch. We found the food imaginative (e.g. cinnamon parfait) and exceptionally well prepared (e.g. a crab bisque that was both light and intense) and the service was attentive and friendly without being over the top.
Our visit for lunch offered them a real challenge (I won’t tell you how as I’m sure they’d never want anyone to do this again!) but the staff went well beyond the call of duty in their kindness and consideration.
Their approach to lunch is good fun too. They serve a number of dishes, all priced at £4 and you can order as many or as few as you like. Each was beautifully presented and delicious. We devoured ours!
For the quality of the food, the prices are fantastic. Dinner for six, not counting wine was £150 and lunch for five was £70. This was outstanding value.
The downstairs of the restaurant is a lovely place to sit, eat, drink and watch the goings on by the river. On both occasions we ate here we all came away with the impression that the front of house and the kitchen were trying very hard to impress, and they certainly succeeded with us.
Thank you, and good luck! We'd be regulars if we lived in the area.
Stevie Hines
On a week's break with little choice in neighbouring Braunton we booked a meal for two at The Old Custom House and thank God we did. The seven course tasting menu contained some of the most beautifully cooked dishes we have ever had. From the salmon amuse bouche to the final triumphant liquorice laden dessert, the menu was both beautifully balanced and cooked. The choice of wines with each course was intelligent and original; the foie gras pate was served with a sweet dessert wine and the cheese with some wonderfully flavoured Churchill port. A personal favourite had to be the fantastically toothsome pea and feta mousse- a lightly whipped masterpiece topped with the freshest Somerset peas and salty feta. The Welsh lamb fillets were moist and perfectly pink and were complemented by a light potato fondant that was gorgeously rich. The service was enthusiastic and the young waiter was particularly adroit in his descriptions of the dishes and the accompanying wines. James had the courtesy and good grace to speak to us at the end of the meal and his passion for what he is doing at this place is infectious. It's time for the London-centric Michelin people to pay this place a visit and give the man what he deserves!
Penelope Patrick
We recently visited James Duckett's Restaurant in Barnstaple
('The Old Custom House'). In fact, we had been there last year and were so
impressed that we returned this year taking my parents. We all agreed that
it was not just delicious food, but an experience.
The Lunch time menu offers wonderful dishes at incredible value, and the
Dinner menu is hugely tempting, in fact, everything we tasted was divine,
and exquisitely presented.
James Duckett and his team both in the Kitchen and Front of House provide a
welcoming atmosphere and glorious food, it really is not to be missed.
Philip Milton
James is a great chef. The building's full of character and it adds to the whole enjoyment of the experience. I know the Restaurant used to be mine but - well done James! Praise given where praise due!
Garyg
Opened only in August 2008 with new chef/proprietor. At last, a great chef and a top drawer restaurant in Barnstaple - the best for miles around. Fantastic tapas at lunchtime and mouth watering three course dinners that compare with top London venues and at a fraction of the price. A well kept secret still thanks to the Council's decision to convert the once vibrant Strand area into a traffic and people free zone! A short walk from the High Street.
Ablesol
Best place in Town by far. Opened in August 2008 serving fantastic tapas for lunch and impressive two/three course dinners set high standards, the likes of which we've not seen in these parts before. Chef/owner, James Duckett has come from Spain and has an impressive career in top restaurants in London and internationally - and it shows. Try out the inexpensive tapas at lunch to get a feel for his dishes.
