Rise Magazine - The Devonshire

The Devonshire

Above: The Devonshire

Given the success of Young’s refurbishment of The Windmill on the Common, I was excited by the prospect of seeing inside the newly reopened Devonshire. What greeted us was a Victorian-meets-Art-Deco sort of West Side Story, both styles battling for supremacy. The Devonshire’s a big pub but the spaces are broken up and given their own twist in such a way that you never feel you’re in something the size of an aircraft hangar. We were eating in the opulent main dining room, where I started with a cauliflower and stilton soup of the day which was delicate and well-balanced; the stilton managing not to punch the lights out of the cauliflower. Duck rolls were less accomplished, the filling delicious, but the filo pastry, a little too thick and floury. Mains raised the bar. Chicken breast on saffron and chorizo risotto was delicious: crispy-skinned chicken, with tender, well-rested meat sat on perfectly wet risotto with just the right balance of chorizo and saffron that all flavours worked. Across the table a perfectly aged, cooked and rested fillet steak with mushroom and pepper sauce was disappearing before my eyes. The wine list was thoughtful, if perhaps a little safe, but we thoroughly enjoyed an Australian Semillon Sauvignon, while a full-blooded Tempranillo rounded off what is a thoroughly comprehensive and welcome restoration.

Two-course meal for two with a bottle of wine: £65

Food and Drink

The Devonshire

Profiles

Features

What's On

Food & Drink

Directory

Homes24