The Pendleton

What a delightful experience, we had all but given up on good dining south of London and along comes The Pendleton. One of the best dining experiences we have had in England. Our reservations were for lunch on Valentines Day 2015, arriving 30 minutes early we found a roaring fire in the entrance where the bar is located. We were met with a warm welcome from the Barman and a specialty cocktail menu you only see in London. The Espresso Martini and Pomegranate champagne cocktail were a great way to start out lunch, and things just got better.
The interior is warm contemporary and is done in subtle cream, blue and browns. The tables are well spaced and you do not feel crowded, even though the room was set for duce’s due to the Valentine’s day by 14.00 they had a full house with couples waiting in the bar. To this end we suggest you make reservations if you prefer not to wait.
First the staff; There were 4 on the floor, 3 wait staff and one of the owners as the captain. All of whom were warm, knowledgeable and willing to spend a few minutes with us on the menu and the history of the restaurant.
On to the food; the chef and his team ready show their passion for fine food with clever twists around every corner. We recommend for the shrimp lovers to try the shrimp cocktail appetizer, so as not to spoil the surprise I will not describe the dish further but suffice it to say this is a great dish and you will not be disappointed. The Bloody Mary Beef Tartar was a fresh interpretation of a classic, while the main courses of Roasted Cod and Duck confit might sound ordinary they were quite the opposite; this is one to the best things about The Pendleton the interpretations are fantastic. Deserts were no different, although the homemade chocolate malt ice cream was great the star was the chocolate cherries, as with the shrimp cocktail we will leave the surprise to you but this is on the «do not miss» lists.
As we were leaving we noticed that in preparation for the afternoon they has a large open hearth fire going on the patio, lovely touch for a February day.
The Pendleton is a jewel in Redhill and our hopes are that other restaurants in town raise their game; you now have real competition. This has over night become our favorite and we cannot wait to return.