Dinner at No.4 in Clifton Village

Rich and I have often walked past No.4 at The Rodney Hotel in Clifton Village with mild curiosity. The blackboards outside have often tempted us with their bright and luring messages, and yet still we had not paid them a visit. February a Groupon voucher popped into my inbox with 3 courses and a glass of bubbly for two at £37 it was too good an offer to resist.

Last Thursday we finally booked a table, spruced ourselves up a bit and enjoyed the short sunny walk up to the Village. Greeted by our friendly waitress for the evening, Nika and as we were a bit early decided to have our drink in the garden. Most of the sun had gone by this time but it was still warm. The garden itself was pretty, if a bit wild but it was lovely to outside sip our Prosecco and nibble on the very delicious rosemary foccacia which came with oil and balsamic. 

Rich posing with Procecco

The menu at No.4 is not large but the selection is definitely tempting enough with four carefully chosen choices for each course, including two vegetarian starters. After ordering Nika said we could stay outside if we wished and finish our drink, she would call us in once our starters were ready. It was little touches like this that you notice and appreciate in good service. 

Goats Cheese and Red Onion Crostini with Beetroot Relish

Gravalax of Salmon with Tomato Tartar

As you can see from the photographs, it was beautifully presented. For me the goats cheese was the right side of creamy and also slightly tangy like it should be. I am not a big fan of gravalax, it's the dill, but it did look really tasty. 

Lamb on Crushed Mint Potatoes

Rare Sirloin Steak with Double Cooked Chips and Salad

Although Rich and I quibbled slightly over who would have the steak, it is one of our favourite meals, I actually was happy to opt for the lamb this time. I was so glad I did, this was easily the most perfectly cooked piece of lamb I've probably ever had. I rarely go for lamb as it can be chewy or too well done, if pork belly or steak are on the menu, they will often trump any lamb options, but this was divine. The lamb was tender it melted in the mouth the mint in the potatoes was subtle and whatever the chef did to the parsnips had to have been nothing less than magic. I am not a big fan of parsnips but these were almost caramelised, they were soft yet chewy, like you get with caramelising. Delicious. 

Rich's steak was extremely well cooked, although not enough to top our favourite steak restaurant of all time, which is Hudson's in Bath, it was easily on par if not better than that from The Cowshed. Cooked rare the meat was juicy, well flavoured and the double cooked chips were wonderfully crispy on the outside and fluffy on the inside. The bottle of Malbec that Rich had chosen to go with our mains complimented the meats beautifully, a very nice wine.

What we liked about No. 4 was although it was a small dining room it felt wonderfully relaxing. Often music is either not present or kept to a minimum in nicer restaurants, No.4 was playing some cool choices and it was needed because whilst we were there I think there were only about 3 other tables that were occupied. We were pleasantly surprised that the 7 minute version of Light My Fire by The Doors made an appearance. The atmosphere felt intimate and romantic, definitely a good restaurant for a date.

Bitter Chocolate Tart with Orange Sauce and Chantilly Cream

Sailor Jerry's Rum and Vanilla Panacotta with Shortbread and Berry Sauce

We were pretty full from our mains but you can rarely turn down pudding so we made our choices. Panacotta, along with creme brulee, are favourites of mine so this was a no brainer for me. Both desserts were very nice, although if mine had Sailor Jerry's in it I could not taste it at all. This was not a particular problem for me because I am not a big fan of alcohol in desserts anyway. 

I want to thank No.4 for their on the spot service, very polite, accomodating and friendly. I even noticed on the table behind us when one of the customers wondered if he could exchange Chantilly cream for ice cream, Nika was unsure of whether they had any but that she would check. When she brought their desserts she had included both Chantilly and ice cream for the gentleman, a very nice touch.  I was sad to see No.4 was not that busy, the food is superb and the staff were perfect. Even the price of the food was reasonable for the quality you get, main courses averaging between £12-£22 and starters and desserts around £5-£6. 

Go support this lovely restaurant and enjoy a wonderful evening. Visit their website here.