The reviews for the other branch of The Jam Tree were so enthusiastic, we decided it was definitely…read moreworth a visit - and Qype's 50% off offer didn't hurt either. We arrived at 7.30pm for an evening meal, and first impressions were very positive. The decor is very nice - a bit stark and echoey for my taste, but that's a personal pression, nothing else. The staff were friendly and attentive - and the friendliness lasted throughout our visit.
Sadly, the same cannot be said of the attentiveness. Orders were taken quickly and starters weren't too slow either. But that's were the attentiveness stopped. We waited at least 25 minutes between our starters being cleared and our mains appearing. And then it took half an hour for anyone to take our order for dessert - that's 30 minutes between being given the menu and being able to catch someone's eye to order. In total, our meal took 2hours and 15 minutes.
Which is far longer than I'd ever expect of a three course meal, but which could have been forgiven if the food was exceptional. It wasn't. There was nothing desperately wrong with any of it, but none of it was truly exciting. Not once it turned up, at any rate. My starter - curried crab samosas - sounded really different, but fell flat, and was a disappointing start to the evening. The filling was a little boring, and not very crabby in flavour, and the pastry casings were a bit greasy. Which would become a theme. The raita that came with the samosas was the highlight - lovely and fresh and well seasoned. I'd have eaten more of that...but not of any of the rest.
My main was a tart of English asparagus, leeks and Cornish Yarg if puff pastry, topped with salad. The tart itself was tasty enough - the leeks maybe a little creamy and a little too abundant, but the asparagus and cheese making up the difference. The major issue I had with this was that the plate was drizzled with oil, and the salad drenched in dressing. And when you put oil anywhere near puff pastry, it ends up tasting and looking oily. And excessive oil is not something I'm a fan off, so that rather ruined my main.
We did wait for dessert, but regretted it. Sticky toffee pudding with vanilla ice cream and rum toffee sauce. The sauce was nice, the ice cream ok, and the sticky toffee pudding itself was both stodgy and tasteless. A disappointing end to a disappointing evening.
I think the main problem with our visit is that we went for a meal, and The Jam Tree is better suited to being a wine bar or pub. As long as you're willing to be served at the bar, it seems great. The wine list is extensive, and the garden out the back looks like a lovely place to spend a few hours. So whilst my visit was disappointing, and probably won't be repeated, I wouldn't entirely write the place off.
