We were out for dinner on Saturday night. Mum and Bart were down for the weekend, and so we took a chance on new Ipswich eatery, The Dining Room, as we’d often walked past and peered through the windows on the way back from our waterfront weekend coffee at the docks.
Rather than reflecting an airy, light space, devoid of any signs of life – as was so often the case on those post-coffee afternoons – tonight the large windows welcomed us into a warm and friendly restaurant, buzzing with young and old clientele. We didn’t even have to book, although it was a close run thing at one point as to whether we’d get a table. In the end, two were pushed together.
Situated in Fore Street towards the southern end of the town, the building curves around the end of the road, and has a white, crisp, and clean décor, with naturally-hued wooden tables and chairs of a simple design contrasting nicely with the similarly-coloured banquettes. Even the menu design was nicely done, with fonts chosen giving a nod to old railway signs from a bygone age.
The menu at The Dining Room is equally restrained, if not as simple as we first thought. Local Suffolk fayre sits nicely with ‘exotic’ food such as blue fin tuna and grilled pineapple with chilli syrup and Malibu ice cream. The starter of roasted butternut squash with rocket salad and grilled mozzarella was enjoyable, if a little spoiled by an overuse of chilli in the dressing.
My main course of wild mushroom risotto was very enjoyable, and on looks alone, was one of the best risottos I’ve ever been served. Creamy in texture and cooked to perfection, the rice grains were puffy and tender, and the whole dish had the right amount of wetness and taste. The haddock and chips were great, too, the other mains less so, with a little more disappointing over use of ingredients – this time, salt.
But, it was excusable with the risotto, as these types of dishes are salty by nature, especially if vegetable stock is used in the cooking.
There were no complaints about the dessert, though, with our vanilla and raspberry crème brûlées tasting delicious, the rich red fruit tucked away at the bottom of the pots complementing the subtle vanilla. These interesting twists on a classic dessert rounded off the meal most pleasantly.
With prices on a par with other restaurants of a similar ‘upmarket’ nature, the bill wasn’t extortionate either. If you add in the courteous and attentive staff, that crisp interior, and the good food (salt overuse not withstanding) the new venue should be able to keep drawing in discerning diners from the town, and maybe even countywide.
To book your table at The Dining Room, call 01473 225888 or find the restaurant at 14-40 Fore Street, Ipswich, Suffolk, IP14 1JU.
Tags: Dining Out, Ipswich, Restaurants