FOOD REVIEW
Falling for
the charm of
Chadwicks
Lyndsey McGeary reviews the Tees region’s most decorated restaurant…
N
estled in the pretty village of
Maltby, Chadwicks Inn is a
19th century public house
with an array of original
features, making it the epitome of charm
and character. The low ceilings and cosy
surroundings make the two AA Rosette
restaurant a gem of an eatery.
Taking comfortable seats in their
Pathfinders Bar, we sipped Bathtub and
Monkey 47 gins and tonics as we perused the
menus at our leisure.
With menu choices confirmed, we were
shown to our table for two. It was clear that
the restaurant was busy, full of couples and
families enjoying themselves, which really
added to the ambience and experience. A
wooden platter was brought to us, upon
which sat warm caramelised onion bread and
butter. I intended to eat it in little morsels,
keeping a little back for my starter, but I
couldn’t – it was too delicious!
I opted for the set dinner menu at £27.50
for three courses. This menu had only
one dish listed under each course and this
felt unusual – I’m more used to making a
limited choice from a set menu. But the
three confident offerings intrigued me,
so I decided to go for it. My starter was a
hand-raised pork pie served with homemade
piccalilli and pease pudding. Normally I
find that pastry passes me by, but this had so
much flavour. My husband elected for the à
la carte menu, starting with the £11 Whitby
crab, which was lightly curried with pickled
sultanas, cauliflower and coriander. It was
delicate and subtle, and the pickled sultanas
were little pearls of beautiful flavour.
The wine list at Chadwicks Inn is immense
and their sommelier is always on hand to
share his expertise and advice. We opted
for a French Blanc de Blanc demi-sec
(Cuvee Jean-Paul), which arrived chilled to
perfection in a stylish glass carafe at £15 for
500ml. With such an array of choice and
knowledge, it’s little wonder that Chadwicks
Inn was a finalist for Wine Pub of the Year in
2018 in the Great British Pub awards.
The main course on the set menu was
butter poached lemon sole on a bed of
Shetland mussels, fondant potato, wild garlic
Excellence in every course - the food and service lived up
to the renowned reputation of Chadwicks Inn Maltby.
and mussel cream. Mussels are one of my
favourite things and this dish really did
meet my exacting standards. My husband
opted for the Hartlepool-landed halibut,
at £26. This was served with native lobster
ravioli, saffron potato and a lobster bisque
sauce. While he thoroughly enjoyed the
dish, he would have preferred a slightly
thicker sauce. We also tucked into a side
order of skinny fries, which were served
with the skin on and were accompanied
by a truffle mayonnaise. So many good
restaurants don’t do good chips. Chadwicks
does.
Although the restaurant was extremely
busy, the service was absolutely second to
none, with just the right level of “attentive”.
Having had reasonably healthy, balanced
plates for main, I was unashamedly
welcoming of the dessert menu. From the
set dinner menu, there was a lemon posset
served with blood orange, meringue and
caramelised white chocolate. It became
more addictive with every bite. I don’t think
I’ve ever had a lemon dessert as enjoyable
as that. The very “set” set menu delivered
excellence in every course.
Not being a big dessert-lover, my husband
chose the “coffee and treats” dessert which
included a Chadwicks own blend coffee
(served to his choosing) and a chef ’s
selection of homemade treats. He opted for
a white Americano (knowing that his coffee-
fuelled wife would be highly likely to drink
most of it). The treats included bite-sized
custard tart, a dark chocolate slice and a
chocolate macaron. These were all washed
down easily with the delicious coffee and a
glass of Spanish dessert wine, a classic Pedro
Ximenes (Fernando de Castilla) priced at
£5.95 for a glass.
What a privilege to have this charming
little gem of a restaurant in our area. Fully
satisfied with the food and the service, we
headed home, vowing to return again upon
the next offer of a babysitter for our children.
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