With a cinema ticket booked, this seemed the ideal place to grab a bite before the screening. Apart from anything, the two are joined at the hip, although Marlowe's is now wholly independent.
The restaurant has a very classy feel, nicely spaced tables with linen napkins and smartly turned out waiting staff. The presentation just makes you feel confident that the food is going to be good. And so it proved.
I opted for the set lunch and pre-theatre menu at ยฃ21 for 2 courses and ยฃ25 for three.
The menu changes every day, so I chose Pollock with warm tartar sauce and fresh peas, which was excellent. My main was hand-rolled pappardelle with mushrooms ragu, crispy shallots and parmesan. Lots and lots of it. Extremely yummy.
For dessert, I opted for a plate of Stinking Bishop cheese with Quince Jelly, muscat grapes and splendid crackers.
All washed down with a large jug of iced water, all very necessary on what was one of the hottest June days on record.
With an 'optional' 12.5% service charge, I left feeling well-fed and well looked after by the two servers, a young English girl with a lovely smile and a very experienced Brazilian lady.
There are a couple more Woodbridge dining spots I have yet to try, but Marlowe's is undoubtedly my current pick of the crop.
NOVEMBER:
This was the third time I have been to Marlowe's since it opened and re-branded under new ownership, actually with a Marlowe at the helm. I actually know a bit about the family, because I was 'spilt the goss' by a former teacher at Woodbridge School, where they all went.
Anyway, they have spent an absolute fortune on moving the former cinema restaurant up market, with lovely decor, linen napkins and some really impressive crockery.
On this occasion, I had organised a dinner for our local u3a dining club and, accepting how difficult is is to prepare and serve food to a group of 15 people, they really came up trumps.
I set it all up with Rebecca, who communicated very well and asked all the right questions. On the night, the restaurant manager, Emilija, a Lithuanian, looked after us, assisted by a young male and female server. In a stroke of genius, somebody had prepared little tent cards on which our names and pre-ordered meal selections were listed. So no shouting out of who was wanting what. A quick glance at the card and the right order was placed in front of the guest.
I had chosen chicken liver parfait which, for some reason, was really sloppy. But extra toasted brioche was supplied and, as a mark of how well-trained the waiting staff are, Emilija brought me a requested teaspoon presented beautifully on a napkin laid on a plate. Really impressive.
For main, I had bavette of beef with a spicy tomato garnish and njuda (whatever that ius) and, for dessert, local Baron Bigod blue cheese with upmarket crackers. All that for ยฃ25 although nobody seemed to have an option other than to pay the somewhat hefty 'optional' 12.5% service charge. Not that it was begrudged; they really did look after us.
One issue also worth reporting is that somebody realised there was a problem with the parfait and delivered some freshly cooked chicken bites to the table. They needn't have done that, but it was just another example of Marlowe's attention to detail and willingness to provide a good service.
