Masons Arms

Absolutely fantastic! A birthday meal on a foggy October night saw my wife and I sample the delights of the Masons Arms. Once you’ve negotiated the low beams (handily drawn to your attention by strategically placed corks dangling in doorways) and made your food order seated infront of a roaring fire it’s on into the dining room. Modern, yet cosy, it seems to match the food. I’ve been trying, and failing, to come up with a better dining experience. The food was simply exquisite… portion sizes spot on… I found myself wanting more, yet being perfectly full at the same time. I just need to find an excuse to head out along the link road to sample the delights of this eatery again… I think that celebrating a Tuesday or some other such milestone will suffice as reasons are not needed to eat at restaurants this good!

Having been to the UK 2x before, I was still waiting to be wowed by any of the food. So this 3^rd trip was a holiday in Devon with my lady. Our cottage in Chulmleigh had a brief paragraph about the Masons Arms and mentioned it was Michelin’s 2010 Pub of the Year. Off we went.
Stopped by in the afternoon to make reservations for that evening. Enjoyed a nice Cotleigh Tawny bitter while we perused the menu ahead of time. We were delighted with our options from starter to dessert. Couldn’t wait for the evening!
We arrived for dinner and ordered a drink at the bar. The place is very cozy and staff professional — smiles all around. They are all happy to be there and it really makes the place enjoyable.
The Masons Arms was one of my favorite dinner experiences ever. We were brought into a comfy side room with our drinks and handed the menus to review while we munched on complimentary olives, etc. A few minutes later we placed our orders and were left to conversation — which was essentially wondering what would be happening next. The waitress came back and brought us to our little table along the window — where our wine and starter were brought almost as soon as we sat down. Interesting and effective way to do things. Is that common over in the UK? Who cares!
Starters: I had the smoked haddock leek and potato soup and she had the chicken liver parfait with chili jam and brioche toast. Both were just sooo astonishingly good.
Main: I had the John Dory with clams, butter beans and chive ravioli. Delicious but I think I liked her prosciutto-​wrapped monkfish loin with creamed potato in an orange/​balsamic sauce. We couldn’t stop talking about how good they were.
Dessert: We ordered the roasted pineapple pannacotta and the special — chocolate ganache with lime jelly. Both were good and a great end to a great meal. I am not big on sweets but a good dark chocolate hits the spot every time — and the special was really nice. The triangles of lime jelly were a pleasant and delicious surprise, as I didn’t think I would care for them.
Overall — great meal. Great meal worth every penny — on the high side but well worth it. Of course, we might have gone overboard but it was our holiday! Service was excellent — not one of those places where staff comes by so often it’s annoying. They were attentive at just the right times. I will certainly be back should I ever venture anywhere near the Masons Arms again. Great job Mark, Sarah and staff!